Crews in Melbourne’s West brush up on skills at annual multiagency training

Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics have teamed up with other emergency services in a high-intensity road crash rescue simulation, putting their skills to the test to ensure they can provide best care.

The multiagency training in Werribee, now in its eighth year, brought together representatives from AV, Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Victoria Police, with participants responding to two scenarios mimicking real-life motor vehicle crashes.

AV Acting Emergency Management Planning Coordinator (Northwest Metro Region) Blixa Webster said the exercise is always an excellent opportunity for first responders to sharpen their abilities in a controlled environment.

“This annual training event gives paramedics and our emergency services colleagues the chance to practise critical skills in a setting that is as close to the real thing as possible,” Blixa said.

“These high-fidelity exercises took place in real time, in the dark, with real equipment to simulate realism in every aspect.

“Even in a simulation, road crash rescue incidents are confronting and stressful. These exercises allow paramedics to practise working as a team with other emergency services and, at the same time, receive feedback on what they’re doing.

“Taking part in opportunities such as these are a great way to ensure we continue to provide best care to patients at real road incidents when it matters most.”

In addition to the practical scenarios, the evening also included a presentation on AV’s response to road crash rescue and workshop stations for low frequency skills.

The training scenarios saw emergency services respond to two-vehicle collisions that left patients mechanically trapped with critical, life-threatening injuries.

“Managing the complex elements of entrapment and patient criticality required collaboration between paramedics and firefighters to access and treat patients before they could be extricated and transported to hospital,” Blixa said.

“These patients often need surgical intervention to ensure long-term survival, so it’s extremely important we run through these scenarios to ensure we all know our roles.”

A facilitator was assigned to each mock patient – an AV mannequin – to help participants understand their findings and the impact of their decisions and care.