A DEDICATED Road Rescue Team, to be based in Omagh, has been established in a bid to reduce the number of people killed and injured as a result of crashes across Northern Ireland.
The first of its kind in any UK Fire and Rescue service, the team will be responsible for enhancing the road traffic collision training provided by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) by developing new rescue techniques and skills, a
nd providing specialist on-station training for firefighters throughout the north.
Last year, firefighters attended 749 road traffic collisions. Up until January 27 of this year, meanwhile, that number was 48.
It is hoped the new Road Rescue Team will help promote road safety and responsible road user behaviour by educating people about the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions.
Louis Jones, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, explains: “As firefighters, our involvement with road safety goes beyond our statutory requirement which is to attend road traffic collisions to release casualties trapped in vehicles. On a daily basis we witness the carnage on our roads and the lives completely destroyed as a consequence of irresponsible road user behaviour such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, inattention or drink/drug driving.
“We have a responsibility to help make our roads safer and to reduce the number of people killed and injured. Our Road Rescue Team provides a focal point for all our road safety activity and the work we do with our partner organisations.
“NIFRS is one of the most highly skilled Fire & Rescue Services in the world at responding to road traffic collisions and rescuing people trapped in vehicles. In recognition of this NIFRS will be hosting the World Extrication Challenge event in 2013, an international competition testing Firefighters skills at rescuing people trapped in vehicles.”
Watch Commander, Paddy Quinn, Head of the Road Rescue Team, adds: “The five members of the Road Rescue Team are committed to making a real and lasting difference on our roads and to the work firefighters do at the scene of a collision. As a firefighter it doesn’t get any easier attending road traffic collisions. If you witnessed what I do on a daily basis you would realise that life is precious and can be so easily taken away on our roads.
“The team will be looking at enhancing road traffic collision training by developing new techniques and skills to release people from vehicles as quickly and safely as possible so they can receive urgent medical attention. We will be exploring new technology and equipment and will be working with the other emergency services on joint training exercises to further develop how we work together at the scene of a collision.”
In June 2007 NIFRS became the first Fire and Rescue Service in Europe to receive the prestigious European Road Safety Charter, in recognition of its commitment to improve road safety and in assisting to reduce the number of road traffic collisions, deaths and serious injuries happening on Northern Ireland’s roads.
