Realistic exercise test for emergency services staff

Central Hawke's Bay volunteer firefighters cut the roof off a people mover carrying 'victims' of a mock accident for a training exercise.

Central Hawke's Bay volunteer emergency services personnel attended a three-vehicle "accident" near railway lines in Waipukurau last Sunday.

There was no cause for alarm, however, as the incident was in fact a multi-agency training exercise between local fire, police and ambulance services.

Waipukurau Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief fire officer Owen Spotswood said the scenario entailed a car crossing the railway line, being hit by the train and then catapulted into two other vehicles - shunting one 100m down the track.

In the exercise, two people were injured and one was dead in the car that caused the accident, six were seriously injured and one dead in the people mover that was hit, and there were injured passengers and chemicals in the third vehicle that was shunted.

"The six injured people had realistic injuries with bones sticking out of their legs and arms," Mr Spotswood said.

"It was a great learning curve, especially for the volunteers who had not been in the ambulance or fire service for a very long time."

Another similar training day is planned for April.