Illawarra emergency services hone their skills at a simulated bus and car crash over the weekend. Photo: NSW Police.
A serious crash on Mount Ousley left a driver trapped and others with serious injuries – it’s an all-to-common story.
A simulated crash exercise at Albion Park over the weekend helped more than 100 emergency service personnel hone their skills.
The exercise was designed to recreate a scenario – a bus and car crash on Mount Ousley – that would require a multiagency response.
A training exercise is run each year as part of the Illawarra Local Emergency Management Exercise Schedule to test the emergency response to major emergencies.
NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, the SES, Rural Fire Service and NSW Ambulance teams met at the Fire and Rescue NSW training centre at Shellharbour Regional Airport for the mock rescue.
A range of government and non-government agencies were also involved, including NSW Health, Homes NSW, Volunteer Rescue Association, Transport Management Centre, Red Cross, Wollongong City Council, Rapid Relief Team, Office of Transport Safety Investigations and Premier Buses.
Participants were provided a range of challenges including managing road closures on the main arterial road, extricating trapped patients who were seriously injured, and assisting patients from a non-English speaking background.
Southern Region Commander and Regional Emergency Operations Controller for the Illawarra South Coast, Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar, said the exercise was an opportunity to build confidence and trust between emergency services and welfare agencies.
“This scenario was chosen as historically we have had a large number of incidents on Mount Ousley Road requiring a multiagency response,” he said.
“Once you cut off that main arterial road, it becomes very problematic, not only for people approaching that location but the immediate drivers that are locked in that footprint.
“Not only do we need to respond to the actual site, we have to look at how we can move people in the gridlock.
“The exercise was developed to mirror a real-life scenario and challenge emergency services to troubleshoot while under immense pressure.
“We had role players as patients, bystanders who stepped in to assist, media arriving on scene, as well as family members wanting to get access to their loved ones.
“These are all aspects emergency service personnel are faced with, in addition to the initial response to the patients in danger.”
Assistant Commissioner Cassar said the exercise was a great success.
NSW Police Regional Emergency Management Officer Jenna Conran said there would be important findings from the day.
At the conclusion of the scenario, a debrief was conducted with all agencies. Evaluators were also on-site to provide feedback later this week.
