By Michelle Herbison
CHOPPING up old cars is important training for State Emergency Service volunteers.
Bellarine SES’s Dion Henderson said members used the cutting and tearing equipment to practise rescues from car accidents on Thursday nights.
Experimenting with chopping different strengths of steel, knowing where to cut and familiarising themselves with different car models helped SES members save lives, Mr Henderson said.
“We cut our timeframes down for rescues.”
But Mr Henderson said the group’s practise was mostly limited to older vehicles because newer cars were rarely donated.
“We don’t get a great deal of newish vehicles to practise on. We need to keep up with the new technology so we know what we’re getting into when we’re going out to an accident.”
Mr Henderson said Bellarine SES was seeking donations of “midrange” vehicles with modern features like airbags.
“We’ve had airbags in vehicles since back in the mid ’90s, so I guess the cars will be out there.”
Mr Henderson said the group of about 28 members aged in their 20s to 70s “was desperate” for new members available for daytime responses.
He asked anyone willing to help or to donate old cars to phone 0427 074 029.