AN SES crew from Redlands is set to take on the rest of Queensland at the SES State Disaster Rescue Challenge at Townsville.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They will compete against teams from Warwick, Townsville, Logan, Rockhampton, Cairns and Bundaberg on April 29 and 30.
The winners will represent Queensland at the National SES Challenge in Hobart in November.
Acting group leader Corey Armstrong said the teams would face seven scenarios that centred on the SES responding to damaged locations in Townsville following a cyclone and earthquake.
The competitions tests their general and disaster rescue skills.
“We don’t know prior to the competition what we’ll be walking in on,” Mr Armstrong said.
During the regional competition, one scenario started with an injured man and a child on a kayak and unfolded to include people injured in a fire on the other side of the dam where the kayakers were found.
“There was another which started with an unconscious person on a barn roof.
“We had to work out what had gone wrong, identify the hazards and safely get him off the roof onto the ground.”
The team has trained weekly to learn new skills and work on scenarios they might face in the competition.
The team consists of six competitors, a reserve and a manager.
They are all volunteers with the SES and have various jobs including as a printer, software developer, curriculum writer and an office manager.
Team member Tristan Hardwick said the competition was challenging.
“We get to do some activities that we don’t get to use every day in the Redlands with the SES,” he said.
