[PHOTOS] Accident? Don’t worry, it was just a drill …
This is exactly what the emergency services did when we put our lives in their hands, despite the backed-up traffic.
When you are in an emergency and put your life in strangers’ hands, you expect them to be the best and provide you with the best. Theory only goes so far and the way emergency personnel learn is by doing.
Walter Maddox, an American mayor once said, “Training proves to be the key ingredient to handling any disaster”.
Photo: Natasha Pretorius.
This is exactly what the emergency services did when we put our lives in their hands, despite the backed-up traffic at a simulated accident scene on the N14 in Honingklip just past the service station on Friday, 25 October.
A truck transporting sand had lost its load and one person was trapped underneath it. The driver of another truck that was carrying hazardous materials, swerved to avoid colliding with the first truck but veered off the road. The passengers and drivers of these vehicles were scattered across the scene – some in the field, others on top and under the truck. A passenger car then also veered off the road and an occupant lost consciousness. About 100 metres into the veld people became trapped in a small cave.
Photo: Jaco Human.
After everything had been set up, a real emergency call was placed and emergency services personnel, not knowing about the simulation, had to respond to the scene.
First on scene were the vigilant Netcare 911 paramedics, who saw the commotion and stopped. The two paramedics immediately jumped into action. Soon more ambulances, firefighters, local community policing forums, traffic officers, the police, and search-and-rescue arrived on the scene.
Photo: Jaco Human.
The simulation lasted a few hours, even as darkness set in. One ‘patient’ required air transport and the Netcare 911 helicopter landed in the middle of the road.
As the helicopter took off with the patient, one of the vehicles caught fire and firefighters had to extinguish the blaze. While all of this was happening, the search-and-rescue teams where rescuing someone from the cave.
The emergency services’ actions were monitored and assessed by provincial and local evaluators. This gave them the opportunity to get feedback and see where they could improve in the future.
The organisers thank all sponsors, emergency services and the truck stop for their support and assistance during the simulation.
Photo: Jaco Human.
Photo: Jaco Human.
Photo: Jaco Human.
Photo: Natasha Pretorius.
