Picture: TODD LEWIS
IF THE ground starts to shake and the walls begin to crack, you can be confident one local leader of the State Emergency Service (SES) will have the skills to render assistance.
South East district officer Brad Flew was one of many of highly-trained SES members who converged on the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site on October 27 to take part in a series of rescue scenarios, which simulated what may occur following a major earthquake.
The SES State Training Challenge is a biennial event aimed at testing the rescue skills and resilience of each volunteer during a critical incident.
While Mr Flew was not directly involved in the challenge activity, he was onsite as a safety officer and walked away from the day with a wealth of knowledge.
“I have previously competed in the rescue challenge, but to be the safety officer this year and see the scenarios play out from a different perspective was a great opportunity,” Mr Flew said.
“I have taken a lot away from it, which I will pass on to the other volunteers in the South East.”
South Australia last experienced a major earthquake in 1956, however between four and five minor earthquakes are recorded across the state each week.
Mr Flew said living on a fault-line increased the importance of the training exercise.
“We never hope something like this will happen, but it is a risk that is still there and that’s why our crews are trained so they are well prepared if it does,” he said.
“The skills gained out of this challenge are applicable to all sorts of hazards, whether it’s a building collapse or a mass-casualty incident, the volunteers will be able to refer back to this training.”
Acting as the safety officer for the high-rise vertical rescue scenario, Mr Flew said he was amazed with the efforts from the volunteers.
“My role was to just keep an eye on the volunteers and make sure they were safe while they were undertaking this particular task,” he said.
“I certainly saw some great outside the square thinking – it was actually quite eye-opening to see how people could solve difficult problems under pressure with time constraints.”
The South East volunteers did not compete in this year’s challenge, however discussion about entering a team in 2020 has already begun.
“The South East has previously taken part in this challenge at Angle Park and our crews are already talking about putting a team in next time,” Mr Flew said.
“They are really looking forward to being able to do that and test their abilities in a high-pressure environment.”
