Port Macquarie’s SES wins zone challenge

PORT Macquarie’s SES Unit has won the Northern Zone Disaster Rescue Challenge and will now contest the SES State Disaster Rescue Challenge in July.

The two-day challenge brought together six teams from Maitland, Singleton, Cooranbong, Wyong, Gosford and Port Macquarie Hastings to compete in a series of realistic, high-pressure rescue scenarios designed to reflect the complexity of real emergency operations.

A total of 42 participants and 65 support personnel, including volunteers and staff, took part in the event, which marked the fourth and final Zone Disaster Rescue challenge.

The challenge provided volunteers with the opportunity to strengthen communication, co-ordination and decision-making skills in demanding and fast-moving environments.

There were six scenarios across two days where teams were tested on entrapment rescues, storm response skills, mass casualty management, casualty extraction and leadership under pressure.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Story, said the event plays an important role in maintaining operational readiness and developing volunteer capability.

“Disaster Rescue Challenges provide our volunteers with the opportunity to apply their training in realistic scenarios that closely reflect the types of incidents they may face during emergency operations”, he said.

NSW SES Northern Zone Commander Andrew Cribb, told the groups that the challenge highlighted the professionalism and dedication of volunteers across the region.

By Bill HARROW