Road Crash Rescue

One of our more unpleasant tasks is to free trapped persons from motor vehicle crashes. When a crash is reported and people are trapped, our rescue crew is activated to assist the Ambulance Paramedics with patient handling and extrication.

The power hydraulic rescue tools we use can force open doors, cut pillars and push dashboards out of the way. We use these tools to remove the roof or remove doors of the vehicle to access and extricate the passengers in the vehicle.

For larger heavy vehicle crashes we may need to use our high pressure air bags to lift up to 40 tonne objects such as a train carriage or other large vehicle. Our two primary rescue vehicles carry a wide selection of tools and other equipment to assist with these kinds of accidents.

Our rescuers are highly trained and aim to access and be ready to extricate the people trapped in the vehicles within 20-30 minutes. This will improve the chance of survival of the patient so they can be transported to hospital for surgical intervention within the golden hour. Our response area has included a number of serious crashes.

Typical SES Tasks

• Using the "Jaws of Life" to rescue trapped people from car, train or transport vehicle crashes
• Providing lighting for Victoria Police crime scene investigators
• Assisting Ambulance Paramedics with first aid and patient handling
• Assisting Forensic Investigators by selectively removing parts of crashed cars for investigation