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20
EDINGLASSIE CREW FREES TRAPPED PERSON
At 1053hrs on 13 March 2005 Edinglassie Rural Fire
Brigade (RFB) received a pager call to a diesel spill
1km on the Muswellbrook side of the Sandy Creek
Bridge, Wybong Rd.
Edinglassie 1 with a crew of four responded
to the call. Enroute we found an oil spill about
2m long at the intersection of New England Hwy
and Aberdeen St, and then a 6m oil spill at the
intersection of Wybong and Kayuga Rds.
The Westpac Rescue helicopter arrived and
RFS crews assisted with loading the burns victim
and his father, who also suffered burns, into the
helicopter for transport to the Royal North Shore
Burns Unit.
All emergency personnel on scene assisted
the ambulance officers to continue treating the
remaining casualties until all had been transported
from the scene.
O
The crew advised FireCom of the oil spills and
requested that Edinglassie Cat 10 and NSW Fire
Brigades Pumper 392 be responded to these spills.
About 200m from the intersection of Roxburgh
and Wybong Rds the Edinglassie 1 crew saw a
large, thick, black plume of smoke rising into the
air in front of us. Simultaneously we were advised
by FireCom of a motor vehicle accident at the
intersection of Roxburgh and Wybong Rds, and were
asked to attend.
On approach we saw a white sedan in the middle
of Wybong Rd and smoke issuing from under a
nearby tree, to the right-hand side of the road. As
we approached closer people began waving at the
crew pointing in the direction of the smoke.
The initial crew from Edinglassie worked well
under very difficult circumstances. All members
of the RFS present at the scene – Spring Creek 7,
Group Captain North and Edinglassie 1 – all worked
extremely well with the other services – Ambulance,
Police, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, NSW Fire
Brigades and State Emergency Service.
The driver of the vehicle received burns to the
upper part of his body. The 21-year-old passenger
received third degree burns to 50 per cent of his
body and both are receiving treatment in Royal
North Shore Burns Unit. It is understood both will
be OK as well as all other victims of the accident.
Story and photos by Captain Jason Hayes,
Edinglassie RFB
Under the tree was a red Ford sedan, fully
engulfed in fire with a person trapped inside.
Another person was attempting to free the trapped
person. The occupants of the other car were seated
on an embankment away from the vehicles.
1112hrs - the following red message was sent to
FireCom: “Edinglassie 1 on scene. Two car MVA. One
car fully involved in fire. One person trapped and on
fire. Urgently require Police, Ambulance and Rescue.”
The crew deployed the 32mm live reel and
extinguished the person in the car as well as the
fire in the car. The engine bay was still on fire. An
initial inspection revealed the trapped person was
held in only by his left foot.
At this point Spring Creek 7 was arriving.
Crew members offered support to the victim and
prepared to free his foot so he could be removed
from the vehicle.
The victim was successfully
removed from the vehicle and
using an Acron branch a fine
mist was used to cool the
burns of person.
The car was then extinguished and Spring Creek
7 continued cooling the car. All other people
involved in the incident were checked and at about
1125hrs the ambulance arrived on scene.
Members of both Edinglassie and Spring Creek
Brigades helped the ambulance officers with the
treatment of the multiple casualties.
At 1136hrs NSW Fire Brigades Pumper 392
arrived on scene and Group Captain North sent
them on to the Sandy Creek Bridge to look for the
initial diesel spill. They returned some time later
stating that there was no spill found.
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