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My First Phase IIWith some apprehension, I enlisted as a casualty in this year’s Phase II, which was my first real training with IRC. I’m eventually hoping to become Overseas Operational and I was keen to see what I’m letting myself in for. I was allocated to the support team as a driver and casualty. The first couple of days were spent training, which included confined space rescue, mud rescue, ropework and cutting through walls. All of this was new to me, so even when I couldn’t take part I took the opportunity to watch and learn. The real exercise began on Wednesday, with the group separating into the main team and the support team. The main team departed for the National Stores, while the support team set up camp in a disused hospital building. Here we managed to find some clean, dry rooms for sleeping and cooking. The facilities were less than basic, but better than could be expected after a real disaster. On Thursday, we used a vandalised and derelict hospital building as an earthquake site. The rooms were strewn with glass and debris; and in places the floors were buckled and uneven. It was spooky and dark inside, with the windows boarded up and the doors banging in the wind. As a casualty, I spent two cramped hours in a small cupboard, listening to the radio and dozing off. Eventually the rescue team arrived, dazzling me with their lights, as I pretended to be injured, confused and helpless. I was checked over and escorted from the building. Friday started with a couple of boat work rescues. I was marooned on an island with a spinal injury, accompanied by two other casualties. Two more casualties rowed off in a dinghy and a fifth had fallen overboard into the bitterly cold water. The rescue team were quickly on the scene, and improvised a stretcher from a piece of tarpaulin. I was carried down to the water, floated out to the rescue boat, lifted on board and taken back. Then it was straight out of the dry suit, and into the cafeteria for a hot drink and something to eat. Magic! Back at camp, the support team were relaxing in anticipation of the final
exercise, when the main team leader arrived, harassed and agitated. She abruptly
explained that one of her team had got lost in an abandoned building and that
there was nobody left to help find him. The support team rapidly assembled
themselves into some sort of order, and followed her across to the building. A
leader emerged more or less, the search began and the injured casualty found.
His broken arm was immobilised to a piece of foam tubing with duct tape, and he
was taken to a place of safety. This was a fun exercise for the inexperienced
casualty team which neatly illustrated how much we have to learn. That night was the final exercise. Everybody was tired by now, but the adrenalin kept us awake. For the casualties, it was a matter of lying around in the cold and the dark, listening out for the rescue team. The night seemed to pass quickly, and soon the last casualty was extracted. The rescue team were fired up, and finished the exercise earlier than expected. It was a good week. Everybody was tired, but morale remained high. We soon became accustomed to grabbing a bite to eat at odd times and sleeping in the back of the ambulance. It was a relatively easy week for the casualties, but I certainly learnt a lot and I’m looking forwards to next year. ... by Jonathan Webley |
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