As we all know, there's much more to CFA than fighting fires. Members from two road rescue teams tell their stories.
Lakes Entrance Rescue Team
“We cover a fair area,” said Lakes Entrance Captain Geof Bassett. “Over the past few years some of the surrounding rescue units have struggled to get crews out the door. So, essentially, we’re responding as primary rescue into areas such as Buchan and beyond, and up the Great Alpine Road.”
The Lakes Entrance rescue team has 18 dedicated members who turn out to about 15 to 20 vehicle accidents a year, often supported by eight trained members from Bairnsdale brigade.
“It’s not uncommon for us to have more than an hour’s drive to an incident,” continued Geof, “and we come across all the typical hazards of rural roads - winding roads, steep embankments, wildlife.”
When the need for a local road rescue team was identified in 1995, the decision to set up a team wasn’t taken lightly by the brigade. “We wanted to make sure CFA would support us to do the role.
“We have a really good peer support network which includes rescue operators, so they know what we go through.
“And when we train a new member to become a rescue operator, we make them aware that 95 per cent of the time they will have a direct impact on a human being. Also, when they turn out to a job in a small community, there’s a high chance they will know the person or family involved in the accident, and they have to be prepared for that.”
As a matter of course, the team has a debrief after an incident and makes sure members know what support is available.
“We’ll touch base with each other in the following days, especially if it’s been a difficult job. Even when the outcome isn’t ideal, I think the measure of success is how well we’ve worked together.
“We recently attended a motorbike accident and one of the riders may not walk again. But their family were really appreciative about the work we did. It’s really important to get that sort of feedback and relay it back to the team.”
A local business lends the brigade an area of land for training where they set up various types of vehicles in different crash configurations.
“We train for jobs we’re likely to attend and also replicate some of the more unusual incidents that have occurred around the state. That way, our members not only reinforce their existing skills but also learn new ways of doing things.
“Recently we did a road rescue training workshop with neighbouring SES units. It was the first time we’ve formally trained with them and it went really well.”
But training isn’t just about learning new skills and how to use specialist tools. “Our members have to understand that we can’t change what has happened. We are there to help and make a difference. Our role is to keep the patient in the same or better condition than before we arrived on scene. If we do that we’ve done our job.”
Always looking to provide a better service to the local community, the Lakes Entrance rescue team is enhancing its skill set.
“We’ve been relying on crews from Morwell and Traralgon for steep angle rescues,” continued Geof. “We’re in the process of getting members to do steep angle training jointly with SES to give us extra capability. “It will mean we can at least make a start at some rescues instead of waiting, and know that we have additional expertise following up if we need it.”
Pakenham Road Rescue Unit
With steep country and Bunyip State Park north of Princes Highway, flat swamp land to the south with its deep spoon drains and river embankments, and the ever-increasing flow of traffic on three major highways, the Pakenham Road Rescue Unit is faced with a wide range of challenges.
Unusually for CFA, back in 1995 Nar Nar Goon Fire Brigade joined forces with Pakenham SES to work and train as a single unit - the Pakenham Road Rescue Unit - comprising around 25 trained members from Nar Nar Goon and around 25 from Pakenham SES.
“The unit members wear two uniforms but we are one team,” said Second Lieutenant Justin Seddon, who’s one of the unit’s rescue training officers. “Our relationship with SES over the past five years is the best it’s ever been.”
“We train together once a month, led by myself and SES training officer Chris Rogers. We dentify any issues we have had at incidents and then home in on those at training. One of the reasons we have really good training sessions is that CFA members are exposed to any new issues that SES members identify and vice versa.
Another advantage of having a joint team is the availability of equipment.
“We have three sets of hydraulic rescue equipment, so if there are multiple cars involved in an accident we can split up and attend to several casualties at once.”
Justin is also a member of a CFA training group that trains rescue brigades around Victoria.
“We discuss techniques and take them to brigades to make sure every rescue unit is doing the same thing. We want brigades to have consistent training.
“And our Pakenham unit benefits from my wider training role because I’m exposed to a lot more incidents.”