NSRI TRAINING: COVERING ALL BASES

Cherelle Leong shares a training-scenario-turned-real-life rescue, and chats to NSRI’s training manager Graeme Harding about the variety and intensity of crew training.

ALPHA CREW HAD ALL three vessels on the water for a routine training exercise. The plan was to practise a shore-based medical scenario, stablise the patient and then extract them from the shoreline. ‘Patient’ and ‘medic’ had just been dispatched to the beach using a JetRIB when a call came from Spencer Oldham, Station 8 (Hout Bay) station commander. There had been a report of a medical emergency at Sandy Bay and crew were to stand by for a possible call-out.

While investigations were made, the shore-based crew were called back from the beach. We were fortunate to have an advanced life support (ALS) paramedic and crewman Storm Schumann training with us that day. Class 4 Coxswain Warrick Bristow ferried the two crew to the fastresponse 7.3m RIB Albie Matthews (call sign Rescue 8 Alpha) and all three vessels headed out the bay.

There was a relatively big swell running and the route to Sandy Bay involved passing through an area known as the washing machine, because of the way the swell bounced back off the steep shoreline. Recently qualified Class 3 coxswain Chris Westcott was at the helm and made excellent time getting to Sandy Bay. Upon our arrival on the scene, it was confirmed that there was indeed a critical medical incident – a surfer was lying on the beach surrounded by concerned bystanders.

As duty coxwain, I took over the helm from Chris – a seasoned rescue swimmer – as he and Storm prepared to swim ashore with the medical kit. Large waves were dumping on the shoreline, but the JetRIB was able to drop them 20m from the beach. The casualty was a teenager who had been surfing with friends. A wave had dumped him in the shallows, wedging the back of his board into the sand and dumping him on top of it. In the process he’d been impaled under his armpit by the front of his board and was bleeding severely. Fortunately one of the bystanders on the beach was an intermediate life support (ILS) paramedic. He had initiated care, prioritising stopping the bleeding. Storm’s assessment revealed that while it was a critical injury, the artery hadn’t been severed. With swift medical care, the patient could make a full recovery. Skymed arrived on scene while the patient was being stabilised, and then transported the patient to Groote Schuur Hospital.

THE REAL DEAL

It’s uncanny how often a scenario that crew are training for becomes a reality in Sea Rescue. The story above is a prime example. It’s one of the reasons our crew have to be committed. It takes a minimum of 50 hours’ practical sea training and even more hours of theory just to qualify as a crew member. And that’s just the start of the learning process. No two rescues are ever the same and each is an experience that teaches you more. Seven years ago, Head Office identified the need to broaden training experiences in Sea Rescue and created a dedicated nationwide training department. Headed up by Graeme Harding, former station commander of Opposite: NSRI crew train with a specialised Knysna, this department capsize dummy vessel. is currently supported by four full-time Above: Station 8 (Hout Bay) crew attended to a real-life emergency at Sandy Bay during training officers. It’s an incredibly rewarda routine training session. ing job but it’s anything but glamorous.

In the first nine months of 2022, the team drove more than 48 000km between bases around the country. That doesn’t include the air miles accumulated travelling to international rescue conferences.

In June, Graeme attended a Mass Rescue Conference in Gothenberg, Sweden. Earlier in the year, Sea Rescue had been instrumental in assisting hundreds of people in KwaZulu-Natal who had to be helped and evacuated from their homes and vehicles after severe flooding.

While this is one scenario of mass rescues, more challenging rescues could involve cruise ships that navigate South Africa waters with thousands of passengers on board. These types of events are infrequent, yet rescue crews need to be prepared for every possible rescue. Creating standard operating protocols (SOPs) requires looking at international search and rescue best practices and adapting them to resources that are available locally.

NSRI is unique in that it doesn’t operate under a national coast guard like most other international volunteer rescue organisations. Although the rescue expertise within NSRI certainly matches international standards, we don’t have the same levels of funding and resources. In Europe, for example, in a mass rescue scenario, each rescue base may have three or four large rescue vessels available. South African Sea Rescue bases have only one Class 1 rescue vessel each, supported by smaller Class 3 and 4 rescue craft. A mass coastal rescue would require mobilising significantly more resources. This is one of the reasons the NSRI works closely with other emergency services and maintains close ties with local communities. This kind of support is often critical when major rescues take place. It also means a lot to crews – they’re all volunteers, so they’re part of their local communities too.

ALWAYS EVOLVING

Sea Rescue training is constantly evolving and it’s paying dividends. In recent years, the number of requests for maritime extrications from large ships has increased. Ideally these would be done by helicopter, but helicopters aren’t always available and often cannot fly in poor weather conditions. Maritime extraction training involving high-angle rope work has enabled Sea Rescue crews to extricate a number of patients from large ships onto rescue vessels successfully. Our vision to expand this training would involve securing funds for a simulator so that Class 1 coxswains can get an opportunity to experience what it’s like coming alongside a 200m long ship in varying sea conditions. The many successful extrications that have already been carried out with coxswains applying their skills to the scenario at hand are testament to the depth of training and expertise they benefit from.

Scenario training, which mimics real-life rescue situations, is an important part of practical crew training.

Scenario training, which mimics real-life rescue situations, is an important part of practical crew training.

Looking ahead, the Sea Rescue training department plans to expand their resources to broaden the reach and frequency of training. They hope soon to employ two additional full-time training officers so that the training teams can operate in two different locations simultaneously. E-learning modules cover most of the theoretical training, and crew members are encouraged to keep up to date on courses. New equipment is being added, including ropes and inflatable river ARCs with paddles that are suitable for reaching areas where flooding is increasing in frequency. Inter-base training is also strongly encouraged. Each base will do things slightly differently based on the area it operates in and the equipment it has. Visiting other bases around the country is an opportunity to learn and gain additional rescue experience. What’s more, it is an excellent way to develop and refine best practices. Many regional stations collaborate in setting up joint scenario training for up-and-coming coxswains, thereby putting their skills and knowledge to the test and helping to prepare them for their certification assessments. As younger trainee crew members join the organisation, it’s good to be reminded that experience matters. Knowledge can be learnt, but knowing how to apply that knowledge to various rescue scenarios is even more important. Putting in many hours of training is what makes Sea Rescue crews proficient at what they do, on par with international maritime rescue organisations from around the world. Training in all weather, at all hours of the day or night, and for every possible scenario is a key part of being an NSRI volunteer.