Fire + Rescue Issue 72 - New Zealand Fire Service

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feature Tirfor wars Take 153 cars that have been dropped from a great height, combine them with the extrication skills of firefighters from New Zealand and around the world and you get a great competition. In all, 23 teams battled it out in the World and Australasian Road Rescue Challenges held in Upper Hutt in July. The teams from New Zealand held their own against some tough competition, with Morrinsville and Feilding consistently placing second or third in almost all of the Australasian events and categories. The World Challenge was taken out by the Royal Berkshire Rescue Team, with the Hawera Brigade taking the top New Zealand spot in eighth place. Feilding excels Feilding Chief Fire Officer Peter Guard is the coach for his team and says being placed second in the Australasian challenge was the best result they had ever had and they’re looking forward to going to the World challenge in London in October 2012. Feilding shows their... 4 / Fire+Rescue / September 2011 “We’ve been training twice a week for the last six months. It took a lot of cars to hone our skills and we’ve got to thank our local wrecker, Strong’s Metals for that. They gave them to us to cut up and we gave them back in bits.” Peter says the team’s medic, Warren Dickson, worked with local ambulance staff to improve his skills and was delighted to be placed second overall in the medical category as he was competing against the paramedics of other teams. “This challenge is all about the learning. The guys get significantly more training than they normally would and as a result of these challenges their skill levels for RCR are as good as anywhere in the world. The learning is just top notch. The events are identical to what we find on the road in real life.” Photo: Dominion Post PreParation Pays Many of the competitors commented on just how realistic the competition scenarios were. Much of this is due to the planning done by the organisers, including the Chief Assessor, Christchurch Senior Station Officer Dave Stackhouse. “We prepared over 150 vehicles that were matched to scenarios that were all modelled from road jobs we have attended, so we provided maximum operational realism. This year we included live, limbentrapped casualties with realistic moulage which added another realistic element for OICs and medics to consider in their dynamic risk assessments and extrication planning,” he said. Holden supplied 60 late model new vehicles as part of its ongoing sponsorship to Australian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO) and they were a great drawcard. There was also a bus and a tractor unit for teams to work on. “The new car technology in the Holdens presented a great learning opportunity for all teams as well as several challenges. One team reckoned it was like cutting up a ‘tank’. We crane dropped one Holden, calibrated to 108km/hr, and there was no deformation into the footwell area – truly a safe car,” said Dave. symPosium success He was also pleased with the learning symposium which included presentations on lessons learned from the recent Christchurch earthquake and Queensland floods.
Australasian Overall Champions 1st Werribee Fire Brigade, CFA Victoria 2nd Feilding Volunteer Fire Brigade, NZ 3rd Morrinsville Volunteer Fire Brigade, NZ World Champions 1st Royal Berkshire Rescue Team 2nd Werribee Fire Brigade, CFA Victoria 3rd Generalitat de Catalunya (Granollers Spain) There were also practical sessions on heavy rescue lifting and rollovers, sill entrapment options, mechanical advantage with winches and primary medical intervention. All the teams that competed were required to attend a workshop on extrication techniques on new cars and medical patent planning with effective packaging options to match rescuers' extrication plans. This year there was more involvement for first aiders and paramedics with a trauma challenge introduced as a trial which was particularly successful. Dave said, “Overall, the challenge was a very enjoyable experience for all teams which can only enhance our learning and operational thinking with subsequent benefit to our road rescue capabilities.” Chris Walbran with a few of the cars used during the challenge. Feilding team members: Kevin Penn, Jonathon Bunn, Warren Dickson (medic) , Gareth Campbell, Glenn Davies (leader), Willie Phillip, Mike Dalley. tips from the assessors command – Establish the physical entrapment of the patient and learn to read the impact damage along the mechanism of injury to establish a joint extrication plan. technical – Practice your tool angles and don’t rush relief cuts with side sill entrapments. Also, more effective management of laminated screens is required when working close to patients. Medical – Remember the basics with your primary and secondary surveys and advocate for the patient. Share the learning – Take the lessons learned back to your brigades and share the knowledge, promote discussion and encourage others to give the challenge a go as it’s a complementary link to your training and operational skill base. Photo: Dominion Post Fire+Rescue / September 2011 / 5
Page 1 and 2: September 2011 / Issue 72 Ready foR
Page 3: EStructurE - nearing the end We are
Page 7 and 8: A study of the past three years’
Page 9 and 10: Caption Top: Aerial view of the inc
Page 11 and 12: Darren and Warwick put in some prac
Page 13 and 14: Ight thInkIng for thE futurE Robots
Page 15 and 16: A couple of minutes with Scott Sarg

Fire + Rescue Issue 72 - New Zealand Fire Service

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