Rescue squad tests new heavy lifting gear

MEMBERS of the Tweed District Rescue Squad have tested new heavy lifting equipment during a training exercise, marking a major upgrade funded through community support.

The squad, which operates under VRA Rescue NSW, has added 10-tonne Paratech stabilising struts to its heavy rescue capability, allowing responders to safely brace large vehicles, including buses.

The equipment is designed for “crushing” or “underriding” incidents, where a smaller vehicle becomes trapped beneath a heavier object.

“In this training session we had to deal with a bus that had tipped onto a vehicle, and the new equipment has been purchased for situations just like this,” VRA vice-president Drew Carr said.

The squad has also commissioned a new heavy rescue truck fitted with specialist gear including 40-tonne airbags and hydraulic road crash rescue tools.

Carr said the equipment was made possible through strong local backing.

“From raffles to local grants, it was a massive push from our community to fund this equipment,” he said.

He said road crash rescues were among the squad’s most common callouts, alongside domestic, vertical and large animal rescues.

“We train up to 130 hours a year to make sure that when we turn up, we know what we’re doing,” Carr said.