Working together for a safer future

Emergency service lifesavers are sharing good practice to help make a difference for those unfortunate to face the aftermath of a road traffic collision.

Welsh Ambulance Service staff linked up with North Wales Fire and Rescue firefighters at a road traffic collision demonstration held at Rhyl Fire Station. The aim of the event was to help frontline ambulance crews understand the methods and skills used by fire-fighters when faced with having to extract patients from vehicles that have been involved in an incident on the road.

Representatives from Rhyl Fire Station demonstrated the different ways they can extract a patient safely from a damaged vehicle and explained how they operate at an incident to help ambulance staff have the knowledge at scene to work efficiently with their emergency service colleagues.

“Sometimes road traffic collisions can be extremely traumatic, not just for those involved, but for the emergency service crews arriving on scene. Events such as this help us strengthen our partnership with the fire service so we can together work effectively and safely to give patients the best chance of survival,” said Holyhead ambulance  technician Stephen Rogerson.

Rhyl paramedic Dermot O’ Leary added: “Having the fire service at your side during a difficult road traffic collision makes all the difference for the patient you are looking after. Working together helps us know that even a simple approach as alerting the fire service to the model of car involved can make a big difference to quickly extracting a poorly patient from a vehicle.”

Paul Scott, Community Safety Team Manager, said: “Firefighters often see the devastating effects of road traffic collisions. We are always working on initiatives to try and educate the public about road safety and what they can do to make themselves and their passengers safe.”