PHOTO: Katharyn Brine
Joint rescue practice a success
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So who saved the red duck?
Mock protesters were abseiling off the bridge and falling into cold murky water, a helicopter was landing at Riverbank Park and volunteers were hauling a 60kg mannequin around the area – all in the name of an emergency rescue practice on Saturday.
About 500 residents came to watch the spectacle.
The number of fire trucks and police sirens did not disappoint, but it was the helicopter flying low overhead that stole the show!
Exercise director and Regional Emergency Management officer Paul Lloyd explained the scenario behind the mock rescue operation and how all agencies were involved in the exercise.
He said four “protestors” had descended over the bridge on Friday under the cover of darkness and in pouring rain, protesting about the endangered “red duck”.
Two of the protestors slipped and fell into the river. Due to localised flooding they were last heard yelling for help as they washed over the Yass River spillway.
The remaining two protestors attempted to climb back up the ropes but couldn’t because of their inexperience.
They were stuck.
Yass Valley Council road crews noticed the ropes tied to the railing and hanging over the bridge the next morning. One operator managed traffic control and the other investigated the ropes.
Two protestors said they were trapped and needed to be rescued, they were cold, wet and potentially hypothermic.
They were not confident swimmers and would not be able to swim if lowered into the river.
Enter the emergency services, stage right!
Mr Lloyd said the exercise was a success and the teams worked well together.
“Like the weather, it was just perfect. We met and achieved all our exercise objectives and outcomes,” he told Scoop.
“There were the big-picture things we were focussed on… but also the finite things, like [police sergeant] Tom [Lawless] displaying his exercise plan on the hood of the car with chalk… It was good to test out all the things you need to do to, to see how it all works together,” he said.
He said the aim of the exercise was to test the response and coordination of all emergency agencies within the Yass Valley shire, including specialist rescue, general land rescue, non-accredited rescue and support units.
“It tested also our approach to how we work with media and photographers… We were really trying to make sure we work together to inform the community, and to have an understanding that we all work together [in the event of a real incident].”
Participating agencies included the NSW Police Force, Volunteer Rescue Association, Fire and Rescue NSW, State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service, Ambulance, Snowy Hydro SouthCare Aero-medical Rescue Helicopter, Yass Valley Council and caterers Rotary Club of Yass.
They were practising vertical rescue, swift water rescue and land search techniques.
Agencies operated at their own cost. Mr Lloyd said he couldn’t speculate on how much the operation cost overall, but said they had secured $5000 funding through the State Rescue Board for signage and accommodation for out-of-area personnel, such as the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit from Sydney. Each service operated with a mix of paid and volunteer personnel.
Some snaps from the day… Feel free the click on an image and share it with friends on social media.
