Training to save a life
The West Rand Fire and Rescue Services demonstrated their rescue training.
To rescue someone is a task for the average Joe, but for West Rand Fire and Rescue, it’s sport.
The men and women in blue who serve to rescue the West Rand community recently gathered at the West Rand District Municipality to do a High Angle demonstration. Randfontein, Krugersdorp, Fochville and Carletonville were represented at the exhibition.
Fire and Rescue personnel took to ropes that hung from metal beams at the municipality to show off their high angle rescue skills and train for upcoming competitions.
High angle training is special training that fire and rescue services do in order to rescue patients. It involves ropes being suspended from on high to simulate rescues where patients down below or high up need to be reached.
Rescue services train to achieve faster times, which can make the difference between saving a life or being too late.
The rescuers had a maximum of 12 minutes to complete two of the three suspension training exercises performed at the demonstration, but most personnel completed them in under 10 minutes and the more experienced personnel did theirs in under three minutes.
Morné van Heerden, an instructor from the Krugersdorp Fire and Rescue Station, provided an example of these extremely fast times. He was short of team-mates, so had to step in to fill the gap. He managed to rescue his live patient, Isaac Molale from the Randfontein Fire and Rescue Station, on a rope in two minutes and 53 seconds. That’s nine minutes and 47 seconds faster than the standard time.
Only three of the 13 different types of rescue simulations that personnel do were exhibited at the district municipality.
Once personnel get faster, they compete among themselves to better their times, all the way through to international level, which means faster rescues for patients.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 693 3671.
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