Many technical rescues start in daylight or twilight and finish in darkness, so training in the dark is crucial.
On 6 February Dandenong B Platoon completed daylight to darkness training at Dandenong Fire Station. Part one of the high-angle rescue training was extricating an injured person from an industrial setting using a basket stretcher.
Part two of the session practised the ‘pick off’ rigging which requires a rescuer to be lowered into position to free a trapped person and then the team lower both to the ground.
At Dandenong, each platoon as they rotate through weekend work, undertake skills maintenance training in one or more of the various areas of technical rescue:
- steep angle
- high angle
- confined space
- trench rescue
- urban search and rescue.
Senior Station Officer Daryl Owen stressed the importance of training in the dark.
“Training for night scenarios is important to ensure that we are ready to respond to and can work in low light conditions,” Daryl said. “The challenges of working under torchlight, coupled with the risks associated with working at heights and rigging life safety lines need to be practised.”
Author: CFA News