Training to rescue you.
Based on the scenario of supporting other rescue agencies at the scene of a plane crash at Waitati, 20 members of the Dunedin New Zealand Red Cross disaster welfare support team conducted their annual 24-hour-long rescue training exercise at the weekend.
Primarily based in and around the Waitati area, members of the team searched the steep, bush-covered hills south of the township on Friday night, then took part in a vehicle accident response training exercise.
Early the next morning they set up a welfare and information centre at Waitati before conducting a search and rescue operation in the hills above North East Valley on Saturday afternoon, with the aid of a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)-equipped helicopter from Highland Helicopters.
Exercise co-organiser Jacob Moller said the teams were tasked with supporting other aid agencies in the notional search and then provided a welfare support to the Waitati community with the help of local role-players.
"It is really important for Red Cross to continue training with other agencies in order for us to respond effectively to emergencies in our area in the future,'' he said.
"Multi-agency training exercises are usually held one to two times a year and Red Cross will often be a support agency in the event of a disaster or emergency.''
He said that the 24-hour exercise held over the weekend simulated the role Red Cross volunteers undertakes in supporting the other agencies at an emergency event.
He said one of the highlights of the weekend was working with aircraft, as helicopters now play a much bigger part in emergencies.
The teams searching for patients above NEV were guided by the helicopter using state-of-the-art infrared equipment.
"It is a good chance for our teams to become familiar with working with them in the field as we have seen them becoming a major part of events.''
