The SA Country Fire Service’s Road Crash Rescue (RCR) capability is being expanded with the introduction of the Agency’s first Heavy Rescue Vehicle that shortens the time it takes for a person to receive potentially lifesaving medical treatment.
Built explicitly by firefighters for firefighters, the Heavy Rescue Vehicle is expected to respond to complex vehicle accidents, including specialist and heavy vehicle incidents, industrial rescue and general rescue incidents.
Chief Officer of the Country Fire Service (CFS), Brett Loughlin said introducing the Heavy Rescue Vehicle into the CFS fleet would revolutionise the response of the all-hazard Agency and would be lifesaving.
“This vehicle will enable our volunteers to provide a greater specialised response to regional South Australia that was previously limited to metropolitan areas,” Chief Officer Loughlin said.
“Every second counts when responding to a road crash incident, therefore by having the ability to relocate a vehicle to increase access points, rather than only having the ability to use tools to extricate a person who might be trapped, will enable a person to receive medical treatment sooner,” he said.
He said the vehicle relocation capability was via a purpose-built winch used to drag vehicles off or away from obstacles following a road crash, enabling an injured person to receive medical treatment in the fastest possible time.
Manager of Technical Operations with the CFS, Tim McNeilly said the vehicle relocation ability would operate in conjunction with the crash recovery system Moditech, which will provide CFS volunteers with in-depth information on potential hazards.
“New technologies and built-in safety systems in vehicles have helped to increase safety systems for occupants in a car before a crash,” Mr McNeilly said.
“However, these create safety hazards and challenges to CFS volunteers when responding to extricate anyone trapped,” he said.
“Moditech technology will allow volunteers to look up specific car models to understand where potential dangers such as airbags, fuel tanks, batteries or SRS control units may be hidden within the car.”
Chief Officer Loughlin said the Heavy Rescue Vehicle would be located at the Lobethal Brigade, providing a specialist response across the Adelaide Hills.
He said it had worked with several agencies around Australia to determine the most beneficial equipment and capability to include on the truck to ensure it is fit for purpose.
