Gordonstoun students took on the role of “live casualties” being trapped in two crashed cars as part of a simulation training exercise with the Fire Service.
The school, situated set in 200 acres of countryside by the Moray Firth, is the only one in the UK to have its own volunteer unit linked to the Fire Service.
The school staff and students make up Station R60, Gordonstoun Volunteer Unit of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
Gordonstoun has its own fire engine driven by school staff and crewed by senior students, all trained by SFRS.
They respond to incidents as part of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and recently the students helped to put out an eight-hour gorse fire in the village of Garmouth, around 20 minutes from the school.
Four Gordonstoun students wearing full PPE and helmets took part in the road traffic collision exercise with Buckie SFRS at a local recycling company based at Spey Bay, Fochabers.
They were then extricated from one of the damaged vehicles – provided by the company – by fire fighters using cutting gear.
Student William Adam, 17, said:
“It was incredibly exciting being casualties for the Buckie SFRS crew, which involved sitting in a simulated car crash made using two cars, one of which was upside down and the other which was the right way up.
“I was the driver, and was the last casualty extracted, as they had to cut the roof off to remove me. It was a fun evening, and I will definitely be volunteering for similar events in the future.”
The school-based service was established by students in 1942 to help put out fires during the Second World War and has continued ever since. Today, around 40 students and five staff are involved in the fire unit.
The fire appliance and one support vehicle – together with all the PPE, uniform and other equipment – is maintained by SFRS as part of their resources in the Aberdeen City and Moray (ACAM) area.
Service to the community is one of the founding principles of education at Gordonstoun, and the fire service is one of the school’s nine community and rescue services.
The students spend around three hours training every week as part of the volunteer unit to ensure they are fully prepared and ready to attend incidents when called upon by the SFRS.
There are three watches – red, white and blue – and the crew on each one must carry a pager one in every three weeks during term time when the Fire Service is on-call 24/7. The fire appliance is driven by a staff member with five students in the back, fully equipped to deal with fire incidents.
Gordonstoun Station Commander Robert Griffiths said:
“This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to see first-hand how casualties involved in a road crash are safely extracted using specialised cutting gear.
“It allowed the firefighters to deal with living human beings, rather than dummies, involved in a crash situation, which made the exercise as realistic as possible for them.
“This is a crucial part of their training, and the four students played their part by remaining claim throughout the simulation exercise. It was a huge learning experience for them being able to observe the techniques and equipment used for this type of incident.
“This was a valuable experience for everyone involved and an excellent example of the Gordonstoun Volunteer Unit being of use to SFRS in addition to attending incidents as a support crew.”
Ewen McIntosh, On Call Support Watch Commander for SFRS in the Moray area, added:
“The crew from Buckie fire station were joined by a crew from the Gordonstoun Volunteer Unit to observe the exercise and see the training in action at Gray’s Recycling Services. The Gordonstoun crew were able to assist with being casualties and were extricated from the vehicle. The Unit’s support is invaluable in helping us maintain our skills and readiness.”
Categories: Gordonstoun School News
