Dannevirke Combined Emergency Services hold valuable exercise

There were multiple rescues going on.

It was windy and squally as the Dannevirke Emergency Services began their Otanga Rd exercise on Tuesday evening (September 15), but the elements abated to allow a very successful combined event from which all agencies benefited, said Fire Chief Peter Sinclair after the de-brief held in the fire station later in the evening.

Organised by James Kendrick, Geoff Gatchell and Craig Brown, the exercise involved a scenario where two cars collided and rolled 70m down a steep slope to finish upside down in a narrow gully.

Fire Service personnel begin the rescue.

There were 10 victims – all Kahungunu CIMS volunteers – six trapped in the cars and four ejected to be found in two locations 20-30m away.

Two fire trucks and another fire vehicle along with two ambulances, trainee doctors and doctors from the THG and police attended the exercise making a total of 50 personnel, some from Palmerston North.

The process of assessing the scene took a little while, but once resources were allocated rescue swung into action with the help of lights borrowed from Trevor Beale which made work easier in what would have been pitch dark.

The three trainee doctors, spending the year with Barraud Street Medical Centre, gained valuable experience from Dr Marta Kroo and other doctors in assessing the patients helped by St John staff and fire brigade volunteers.

The two cars were accessed sometimes using the jaws of life to cut out doors before the patients were treated and stretchered to the awaiting St John triage area and ambulances 60m above the crash site. Some were carried by stretcher with six fire and St John staff struggling up the hill while others were tied to a four-wheel drive vehicle.

Having started about 6.15pm the victims were all safely recovered by 8.15pm just as the weather began to deteriorate.

James Kendrick says this was the biggest exercise in some time and one of the hardest given the steep and slippery terrain.

It had been a long day for some fire personnel having attended a grass/tree blaze on Top Grass Rd at 8am.

Just to confirm the reality of what these emergency services do, St John Ambulance also had a call-out to the Pahiatua Track during the exercise which meant they were one ambulance short but such was the great co-operation between all involved everything went exceedingly well.

Fire Chief Peter Sinclair said the exercise was very well run and he is grateful to Peter and Gillian Anderson for lending their property for the evening.