Two cars smashed, a window shattered with one person trapped under a car.
This was one of the first scenarios a team of firefighters was presented with at the national United Fire Brigades' Association (UFBA) firefighter road crash challenge.
UFBA was established more than 140 years ago and is now funded by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
It provides advocacy services, development workshops and challenge events to brigades around the country.
Firefighters, along with police and ambulance, respond to car crashes and are often the first responders.
A team working to save the trapped patients of the simulated crash in Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
According to the Ministry of Transport, there have been 21 deaths on Bay of Plenty roads and 192 nationwide in the year to June 27.
The point of the exercise this weekend was to hone firefighters' skills and put their training into practice. Get the "victims" out alive, assess and treat their injuries.
The live patients could have either a bone sticking out their leg or a simulated amputation.
Eighteen teams of six will battle against each other and the clock this weekend at the Fire and Emergency National Training Centre, Rotorua.
Split into four sections, the courtyard has damaged cars and eager firefighters ready to get stuck in.
Like a crash on the roads, teams are in the dark about what will await them before the timer starts.
A team saved a woman trapped under a car of a simulated crash in Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
It could be an entrapped rescue, controlled rescue, time-critical rescue or trauma challenges.
To make the challenge possible, 70 secondhand cars are used to allow the most accurate representation of a crash, both donated and bought by the UFBA.
The competition began yesterday and will wrap up on Sunday where the winner will be announced.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Darfield volunteer firefighter Alan Kittelty has been in the service for 33 years and said the realistic scenarios in the controlled space were a valuable experience.
"[The teams] take it back to their own communities, even though it's a competition, there's a lot of learning going on."
Rangiora volunteer firefighter Amelia Wood said the challenge meant they could get familiar with the tools in a situation as close to reality as possible.
"Now going into an incident you know exactly how everything works, everyone knows their roles a lot better," she said.
