Students become rescue ready

Year 8 students from the South West teamed up with emergency service crews last month to take part in realistic, hands-on training exercises.

Seventeen students from Pemberton District High School worked alongside crews from the Department of Fire and Emergency Service and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, to gain an understanding of what emergency service groups and volunteers do to keep their community safe.

Over seven days, students toured fire sites, developed home fire safety plans and learnt about road crash rescues, general first aid and the difference between bushfires and prescribed burns.  

Pemberton District High School deputy principal, Suzi Franken, said it’s important for students to take a week out of the term to understand the important work the local volunteers do.  

“Emergency service groups and volunteers are the beating heart of small towns, our protectors and our heroes,” she said. 

“Students travelled to Windy Harbour where the local Volunteer Marine Rescue took them through an emergency scenario on the beach and taught them how to tie reef knots that kept them entertained all week. 

“The event was a huge success,” Ms Franken said.  

A highlight for the students was getting to sit in the back of a police van and using virtual reality headsets to explore home fire situations.  

Students delivered presentations at the end of the training on the important information, skills and strategies they learnt from emergency professionals.

The program, designed to include both practical and theory sessions, has been delivered to the school since 2018.  

For further information about emergency programs in schools' visit Department of Fire and Emergency Services.