Members of the Langwarrin and Dromana fire brigades after completing a road crash rescue course
CFA volunteers from Langwarrin and Dromana Fire Brigades have boosted their skills and response capability by recently completing a road crash rescue course.
Five members from Langwarrin and two from Dromana undertook the course split over three separate weekends, which provides personnel with the skills to combat onsite emergencies, including scene awareness, scene safety, patient safety, vehicle construction, and extraction techniques.
Captain of Langwarrin Fire Brigade Sean Curtin said his brigade will greatly benefit from having extra hands on deck to respond to complex road incidents.
“To have additional members able to respond in road crash rescues is a huge benefit,” he said.
“During summer, when we're also preparing our crews for a hot day response with our various vehicles, it'll give us greater flexibility in arranging members' responsibilities."
Sean added that he believes the course is one of the most important a CFA member can undertake.
“It's probably one of the biggest courses, I feel, inside CFA, that members can undertake to be a primary rescue responder," he said.
“To be at a stage, after they've completed the training, where they're confident and know where all the equipment is at a scene, is a huge responsibility for those members."
Due to the magnitude of the course, Sean recommends that only members with at least a couple of years' experience in CFA take it on.
“Historically, we've tried not to have members complete the road crash rescue course until they've been to a range of incidents, just because of what they could be exposed to," he said.
According to the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), 167 lives have been lost on Victorian roads so far in 2024, the same number as this time last year. Statistics like this underpin the vital importance of the skills acquired by CFA rescue responders who have undergone the course.
Langwarrin Fire Brigade 2nd Lieutenant Matt Wright, who has been a CFA member for six years, was excited to receive his accreditation.
“I remember when I first joined as a firefighter, I was asked if rescue was something I wanted to do in the future, and it was," Matt said.
“Seeing the skills of the accredited members during training and working alongside them at jobs, the mindset and discipline are something to be admired. So naturally, when I was given the opportunity to enrol in Road Crash Rescue, I jumped at the chance.
“The course was developed well. I found it informative and well planned, and our instructors delivered the package wonderfully.
“There is a lot of information to digest, but the instructors took the time to break things down and show us step-by-step how to use the knowledge when doing our practical."
Matt said he especially enjoyed the teamwork and camaraderie aspect of the training.
“We had seven members on our course who had not done anything like this before. By the end of our six weeks together, we were a well-oiled machine working in unison to achieve a goal,” Matt said.
“The achievement we all felt was greatly attributed to our amazing instructors and the course they delivered.
“I couldn't recommend it highly enough."