Over 450 residents came out to Riverbank Park to watch the Emergency Services conduct a field exercise, which included a simulated vertical rescue, swift water rescue and land search rescue.
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The exercise involved a number of agencies including the NSW Police Force, including Highway Patrol, General Duties and the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, NSW Ambulance, NSW Volunteer Rescue Association, NSW State Emergency Service, NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, SouthCare Rescue Helicopter, the Yass Valley Council, Yass Tribune and other media outlets.
The exercise scenario involved protesters (volunteers from the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit) trying to save the elusive and protected ‘Red Duck’.
The acting protesters hung from the Hume Bridge on Yass Valley Way and the Emergency Services worked together to retrieve one of the protesters who had floated down stream, simulating a land search rescue.
Another protester who had fallen off the rope from the bridge into the water was used to demonstrate a swift water rescue, and the third protester who was hanging from the bridge was given a simulated vertical rescue.
The fourth protester was washed downstream, past Joe O’Connor Park and was located on the banks of the river by the Aero-medical Rescue Helicopter (SouthCare 1), using foreward looking infrared technology. The land rescue teams recovered the body and brought it back to Riverbank Park, where the helicopter performed a winch rescue.
Yass Police Sergeant and Deputy Chair of the Yass Valley Local Rescue Committee Tom Lawless said the exercise was a great way to get the different agencies working together.
“There were a few minor problems, but we would be disappointed if there weren’t, we really just want to iron out all of those glitches,” he said.
“It was really good to practice the things we wouldn’t normally get to practice. Part of what we are looking at is using the media as part of our team not as an external source, that’s why it was great that they were there.”
Regional Emergency Management Officer Paul Lloyd said that he was thrilled by the number of community members that turned out to watch the action and concluded that the exercise was extremely successful.
“All the exercise objectives were met and in most cases we exceeded our expectations on what we wanted to achieve,” he said.
“The agencies' debrief showed a couple of things that we need to work on within the different agencies, but they were minor things that can be fixed with interagency training and statistic training.
“From my point of view each of the agencies were well represented and the weather being as nice as it was, was the cream on top.”
