EMERGENCY services put their life-saving skills to the ultimate test in a mock road traffic collision in Rhyl recently.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service joined forces with The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST), BASICS Doctors, HM Coastguard (Air) SAR Team, Consultants, RAF Medics and The Casualties Union at Rhyl Community Fire Station recently for a Multi Agency Road Traffic Collision (RTC) awareness training exercise.

The ‘casualties’ were played by sixth form pupils from Ysgol Glan Clwyd.

Ken Monks, Watch Manager, Blue Watch Rhyl, explained: "This will be the tenth joint exercise of this type that our staff have been involved in alongside WAST in the past five years.

"The exercise featured theory sessions with presentations followed by  a multi agency exercise that involved live casualties provided by the casualties union.  This provided attendees from each agency with a snapshot of each other’s capabilities at the scene of a serious RTC and more importantly it gave us all the opportunity to work alongside each other in a realistic training environment.

“It was also great to see attendees from the Royal Air Force and the new HM Coastguard (Air) SAR Team who have recently taken over the SAR role in North Wales from The RAF.

“We as a fire and rescue service attend a high number of collisions, so it is extremely beneficial for us to practice working together in partnership with other agencies in order to deliver the best possible care, both during and post incident to those unfortunate enough to be involved at the scene.”

Dermot O’Leary, a Clinical Team Leader at the Welsh Ambulance Service, based in Rhyl said: “While the exercise might look and feel very dramatic, the reality is that our crews could encounter a collision like this at any time.

“These simulated road traffic collisions are designed to improve emergency service inter-agency working and enable crews to deliver the best possible care, both during and post incident to those unfortunate enough to be involved at the scene.”