News

Shepparton Search and Rescue ready to take to the sky for road rescue

By James Kleeman

Oct 26, 2022

Air support: Pilot Peter Row, Seymour SES section leader Norm Duell, Werribee CFA Lieutenant Neil Davie, Shepparton Search and Rescue Commander Michael D'Elia and Kestrel Air Crew member Peter O'Brien.

Emergency services from across the state have teamed up to form the Victorian Road Crash Rescue Air Support team for aerial road rescues across north-east Victoria during the Goulburn Valley flood emergency.

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Shepparton Search and Rescue Commander Michael D’Elia said the squad had been equipped for road crash rescue, for the purpose of reaching emergencies that SES vehicles could not due to road closures.

“Because of the floods, there are a number of areas that rescue units across CFA and SES will have difficulty getting to, (such as) road crashes or any industrial or farm rescues that need to be undertaken,” Mr D’Elia said.

“Particularly where motorised hydraulic or battery hydraulic equipment needs to be used for extrication.

“We have a cache of equipment here that has been supplied; it’s all battery equipment that weighs approximately 220kg and goes into the back of the aircraft.”

Prepared: The Shepparton Search and Rescue chopper and rescue equipment.

The team, based at Mangalore’s Kestrel Aviation facility, is equipped to cover a significant portion of northern Victoria.

“We’re covering along the Murray River from Swan Hill down to Wodonga, then from there along the Hume Fwy back to Seymour, from Seymour across to Bendigo and from Bendigo back to Swan Hill,” Mr D’Elia said.

“We can do most of that in about 30 minutes.”

Mr D’Elia said he and the team were part of a new operation that was introduced during the 2019 bushfire season, and that the system was only rolled out during major emergency events.

“This system was put in place during the 2019-2020 bushfires; this is the second time that this system has been put together for a major emergency,” Mr D’Elia said.

“It’s a new system of work and we’re all learning as we go; I’ve never been at a road crash while being supported by this gear and there’s not too many people that have.”