Bunbury students get hands-on experience at staged car crash

Partnered with WA Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, they recreated a crash scenario on September 25. 

The students recently completed the Provide First Aid training course as part of their Health and Medical program.

St John South West regional training and services coordinator Annette Mateljan said the simulated exercise was the perfect opportunity for them to practice what they had learnt.

“They had to react to a scene involving a car which had crashed into a group of party goers with 12 casualties in total,” Ms Mateljan said.

“Taking part in a simulation like this is a good way of fine tuning their skills learned in the classroom.”

Guided by St John Community Paramedic Dane Hendry and Volunteer Ambulance Officers Kate Commins and Sarah Vivian, the students acted as “first responders”, applying their first aid skills to casualties.

The Jaws of Life were used on the vehicle to free trapped drivers with the school's drama students playing the part of casualties. 

“Arriving on a scene with little or no information about what injuries people may have can be very daunting,” Ms Mateljan said.

“St John aims to make a first aid a part of everyone’s life and it is great to see young people learning these skills especially when road trauma effects so many people.”

Manea Senior College acting principal Rod Rykers said the school cannot thank the emergency services enough for their efforts. 

"For the health and medical specialist program students it is a wonderful opportunity for them to put their skills to the test without the consequences of real life," he said. 

"We are very grateful to everyone involved and Edith Cowan University South West for allowing us to use their venue." 

St John Ambulance has launched a clicktosave free online training program aimed at new drivers.

For more information or to complete the course, visit clicktosave.com.au