Paramedics were forced to battle windy conditions at height during an Ambulance Rescue training exercise at Maitland SES headquarters on Wednesday.
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The exercise was part of the squad’s monthly training in which they practice different types of rescue situations.
Wednesday’s exercise involved safe work on rooves, where the rescue paramedics practiced accessing the roof safely before they secured, treated and extricated the patient.
The scenario involved a person who had been electrocuted on a roof and suffered spinal and pelvic injuries.
Ambulance Rescue special operations coordinator rescue Dane Goodwin said the realistic nature of the training helped the officers when real-life scenarios unfolded.
“It’s not in a classroom,” he said.
“They’re gaining the ability to work under pressure, to make decisions.”
While roof rescues are rare for the team, Mr Goodwin said these were the sort of scenarios they wanted to practice.
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“With car accidents, they do them regularly,” he said. “These things [roof rescues] aren’t regular.”
“They don’t get exposed to them in that natural environment.
“We want it to be second nature to them.”
As well as honing their skills, the practice days also allow the team to bond and give each other feedback.
“There is always a number of ways to do the one job,” Mr Goodwin said.
Rutherford Ambulance Rescue station officer Cameron Powell said the station was always seeking new locations to use for simulation exercises.