An Emergency Services Training Day held recently at the Gum Bend Lake in Condobolin was an important day for the safety and wellbeing of locals.  

Condobolin SES Unit Commander, Susan Bennet, along with the NSW Ambulance Station Officer, David Truscott and Condobolin RFS Captain, Tristan Wallner, coordinated the day that intended to build trust and cooperation between the emergency organisations.  

"There is a State Rescue Board requirement for interagency training," Ms Bennett said.  

"Working together builds trust and understanding between the teams and leads to efficient and effective emergency response at incidents." 

The day saw Emergency Service Volunteers take the time to respond to two simulated incidents. The first, was a ski boat accident at the Lake where a boat had run aground on the island, one of its passengers had been thrown onto the island, and the boat was leaking fuel into the Lake. 

The second incident required a quick change of direction to the other side of town, where emergency crews were faced with a car accident requiring difficult extraction of trapped patients, who then needed assessment and treatment. The discovery of a dangerous chemical being transported in the back of one of the vehicles was also a cause for concern for the crews involved.  

IMAGES: Susan Bennett

The training day was supported by Condobolin's Rapid Relief Team, who provided everyone involved with a free lunch.  

Condobolin's team leader, Jeremy Voss, explained that the Rapid Relief Team work hard within local communities to provide "front-line support in times of crisis through providing free meals and drinks and wellbeing support." 

"We source all our food locally to support local businesses and are funded by donations from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church," said Jeremy.  

The Condobolin Fire and Rescue Station, Condobolin Ambulance Service, NSW RFS – Condobolin HQ Brigade (NSW Rural Fire Service Mid Lachlan Valley Team), NSW SES Condobolin Unit and volunteers from the Forbes and Lake Cargelligo SES Units were all active participants throughout the day.  

"Lachlan Shire locals should feel confident in the capabilities of their local emergency services," said Ms Bennett.  

"We constantly undergo important training to ensure we are capable of working together to respond quickly and effectively in times of crisis." 

The teams involved all agreed that the interagency training day is important to ensure the safety of our community is at the top of their priority list.