Daylesford and Hepburn brigades met with CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan to highlight the importance of Road Crash Rescue (RCR) brigades and the vital work they do in the community.
This comes just four months after members attended a horrific incident where five people were killed outside a Daylesford pub.
Recently the brigades did a road crash rescue demonstration, the extraction of a patient and stepped the the CFA Chief Officer through the process.
Glenn Webster, Captain of the Daylesford Fire Brigade, said having a rescue unit does add a lot of pressure.
“We do a lot of training, last month the brigade turned out to six serious car accidents, far more than usual,” he said.
“Some years are busier than others. We have had a particularly busier year due to the potholes on the road, that’s caused some driver distraction.”
Speaking about the events on November 5, Glenn said they don’t generally train for mass casualty events like that one.
“I was the officer in charge and tasked the team to split up, find someone who was conscious or was at least breathing and stay with them and keep them alive. Do what they could until more paramedics arrived, and the team performed amazingly.”
He said the days after were extremely difficult.
“The team were wonderful, they attended public vigils, they attended church services, they held each other up. They held me up when I was struggling. I couldn’t ask for a better response from the brigade. They were amazing.”
And the community rallied, even leaving the brigade flowers at the station and cooking for them.
“It did take a while for the shock and pain to start to settle down, but I think the community is pretty much back to where it should be now.”
Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said rescue units play a vital part in keeping Victorians safe.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of road crashes and fatalities in Victoria. We are fortunate to have such dedicated rescue units like Daylesford, volunteers available day and night, to render assistance to anyone in a road crash,” he said.
“I feel safe in the knowledge we have some of the best trained rescue operatives in this state should we ever need them.”
CO Heffernan said he wanted to meet up with the brigades to share his gratitude for the hard work and dedication they perform for the community.
“But also recognise the horrific accident that happened in the town that touched so many in the community.”
“The members have been doing it tough. It’s an opportunity for me to come along and say thank you on behalf of the community and also listen to them and continue to support them in their recovery.”
There are 21 Road Crash Rescue (RCR) brigades in CFA.
