TOTT 3 November 2016.compressed

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November 3, 2016
Working together in disaster simulation
Scenarios staged to coordinate action to reduce social vulnerability, risks
WINE AND CHEESE TASTING
10th November 19:00
At The Postmaster’s Village
Limited to 25 Wine and Cheese
Lovers
R80.00 per person
Selection of 8 Wine Estates
showcasing their best.
Booking essential: T 046 624 3042 /
072 444 7130
NEVER ENDING VIEWS R815 000
HELP IS ON THE WAY:
Pupils ham it up as
the ‘victims’ of a bus
accident on Port
Alfred’s Nico Malan
Bridge, a simulation
to test coordinated
rescue response
efforts in times of
d i s a st e r
JON HOUZET
A S I M U L AT E D
disaster on the
Nico Malan Bridge
last Friday to test
coordinated rescue
response had residents
and commuters
thinking a real accident
had occurred.
The scenario was a
head-on collision
between a fuel tanker
and a bus filled with
pupils. SAPS and
Ndlambe traffic
department cordoned
off the bridge at the
traffic lights and the
Pascoe Crescent
intersection, and set up
a joint operations
centre to coordinate
rescue efforts.
Traffic was diverted
along Pascoe Crescent
and Main Street, the
congestion adding a
dimension of reality to
the simulation. The rain
also became a factor.
The wreck of an old
bus proved useful to
stage the “accident”,
and one of Ndlambe’s
water tankers served as
the vehicle carrying
“flammable material”.
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ON THE DOUBLE: NSRI volunteers transfer a ‘victim’ to a waiting
ambulance
Pictures: JON HOUZET
The bus had been
abandoned in Nemato
and was a bane in the
life of residents, who
complained it was used
as a hangout by
vagrants and criminals.
They were happy to see
it removed and put to
good use.
Pupils from local
schools were recruited
to play the bus accident
victims, and were
especially made up to
appear to have certain
injuries, making for an
early grisly Halloween.
They played their
parts enthusiastically,
some lying in the road
and others on the bus,
moaning and wailing.
Four Stenden South
Africa students
volunteered to play
pupils thrown from the
bus into the Kowie
River, although the
simulation only required
them to begin floating
from the Port Alfred
Ski-boat Club jetty on
the incoming tide. All
wore lifejackets.
Fire and rescue
vehicles quickly
appeared, with
firefighters tackling the
“blazing” tanker and
scattered fires while
paramedics and
ambulance assistants
from the provincial
ambulance service,
Gardmed and Holistic
EMS tended to the
victims.
REALISTIC SCENARIO:
Firefighters work to
free an ‘injured’ pupil
trapped on the bus
Within 14 minutes,
NSRI volunteers had
responded in their
rescue craft to locate
and pick up the four
students floating in the
Kowie River.
Ndlambe
Municipalit y’s river
patrol craft assisted.
An ambulance was
dispatched to pick up
the victims from the
NSRI at their jetty.
After dousing the
“blaze”, firefighters
used the jaws of life to
free a pupil “t rapped”
on the bus.
Pupils were assigned
cards detailing their
specific “injur y” which
paramedics had to
evaluate to determine
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the appropriate
emergency care and
reference for further
treatment at the
hospital, which was
also included in the
exercise.
MultiSecurity and
Kowie Towing also
provided assistance in
the simulation, and
Stenden’s disaster
management students
obser ved.
The simulation was
overseen by officials
from Sarah Baartman
District Municipality as
part of the International
Strategy for Disaster
Reduction, a global
framework established
within the United
Nations to promote
action to reduce social
vulnerability and risks
of natural hazards and
related technological
and environmental
d i s a st e r s .
“They had been
planning it for about
three months,” said
independent evaluator
Patrick Macfarlane, who
evaluated rescue
response during the
s i m u l at i o n .
Macfarlane, who has
been involved in
disaster management
since the ’80s, said it
was a successful
exercise.
“I’m very pleased
with how it went.
Everyone worked
together well,” he said.
“There were
shortcomings obviously,
but that’s why we need
these exercises and we
learn from them. It’s
been a long time since
there was an exercise in
Ndlambe.”
About 100 personnel
were involved in the
s i m u l at i o n .
Sarah Baartman and
Ndlambe informed
Murray &Roberts about
the plan and they came
to the table by
removing stop-and-gos
on the R72 that day, to
ease traffic flow.
The biggest gripe,
when locals learnt it
was just an exercise,
was about being
inconvenienced by
congestion in Friday
and month-end traffic.
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