BROKEN down and unwanted cars can still help save lives, as Jimboomba emergency services proved recently.
Jimboomba Fire Brigade and Jimboomba Ambulance staged a combined training exercise at the fire station, simulating a two-vehicle accident with people trapped in real cars.
Firefighters practiced securing the scene, cutting their way into the wrecked vehicles, safely extracting the occupants, then handing them over to paramedics for first-aid.
Fire captain Bernie Savage said the exercise had gone well and being able to conduct a real-life exercise provided invaluable experience to emergency services crews.
"It went well, they removed the rear door on the station wagon to gain access to casualty there," he said,
"Then they stabilised the vehicles and managed to get the casualty out."
Captain Savage said the exercise was a refresher of the skills the fire crews had and they planned do do more interagency and cross-training work with the paramedics.
However, to make the exercise a regular event the Jimboomba Fire Brigade needs old vehicles to practice cutting up and rescuing people from.
They are looking for a variety of vehicles, anything from old cars to light trucks to vans to four-wheel drives, as it would give fire crews experience with different types of situations.
Captain Savage said the fire brigade would arrange for donated cars to be removed free of charge from donor's properties and brought to the fire fighters.
For more information or to offer a vehicle for donation, phone Jimboomba Fire Station on 5546 9000.
