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CFA’s Oscar 1 Emergency Response Mine Rescue Brigade has brought home a podium finish at the Victorian Mine Rescue Competition (VMRC) over the weekend (28-30 March).
VMRC is an annual safety training exercise, which pits mine rescue and emergency response teams from Victoria and New South Wales against each other in a series of simulated emergency situations.
Organised by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), it also allows teams to share knowledge and experience in a challenging but fun environment.
Teams gathered on Friday in Heathcote to compete in eight realistic, high pressure, scenario-based challenges including firefighting, first-aid, underground search and rescue, and a ropes exercise.
CFA’s team Oscar 1 claimed a win in the fire exercise scenario and third place in the Breathing Apparatus exercise.
First Lieutenant of the team Karl Shay said the other teams put up some tough competition.
“It was an excellent weekend,” Karl said. “You get six months of training in just one weekend.
“On the Friday night our crew actually got a call-out to a job with a man stuck down a mine shaft, so it was a great chance to use our skills and assist them to safety.”
The firefighting exercise included one of CFA’s gas prop cars and required participants to run through the scenario of a large car fire.
Tom Heather, a member of the Oscar 1 team, said the weekend provided a good opportunity to train and get together with all the rescue brigades.
“It puts us head-to-head, but we treat it like real-life training,” Tom said.
“We are all bouncing off one another. You really come together as a team.
“I am definitely proud to be part of CFA and to show people what we can do and what we are here for.”
Members of Oscar 1 unit also compete with other teams including Central Victorian Mutual Aid. Oscar 1 member Darcy Mcclure-Wallace won the overall individual skills category and was part of the overall winning team, Foster Gold Mine, with other members of the Oscar 1 unit.