Last night (25 October) crews from Newport and East Cowes fire stations participated in the scenario which saw them respond to an incident at Briddlesford Farm in Wootton, where a roleplaying motorcyclist had become impaled onto a tractor.
Firefighters are trained to respond to a wide array of different incidents, stretching beyond just fires.
Around 15 Island firefighters were on the scene, working to stabilise the casualty and the vehicle.
The training allowed firefighters to practice their skills on realistic agricultural heavy machinery, at the same time as using their Immediate Emergency Care medical skills to stem the bleeding, made from fake blood.
The crews cut the telehandler from the front of the tractor and successfully transferred the casualty to a board ready for transportation to hospital, as if it were a real incident.
The exercise was set up by Newport’s Watch Manager Matt Horne:
“Exercises like this are vital in developing and maintaining our skills and getting valuable experience.
“This kind of scenario gives you a level of realism you can’t recreate on the drill yard or classroom – they help us keep people safe.
“Thank you to the team at Briddlesford Farm for the use of their site and equipment.”