60 Holden Vehicles to be Crushed for International Road Rescue Challenges
8th July 2011Media Release
From Saturday to Monday, 140 cars including 60 late models donated by Holden, will be dropped from three stories, rolled, and crushed – all so that 24 international rescue crews can hone their vehicle extrication skills during the World and Australasian Road Rescue Challenges being held in Upper Hutt from 14 to 17 July.
Fire and rescue crews from Hong Kong, Russia, Spain, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, and New Zealand will compete in the Australasian World Rescue Challenge - an event designed to test their skills in the science of rescuing people injured in motor vehicle crashes, and raise public awareness of the global problem of road death and injury.
Teams representing New Zealand will come from Morrinsville, Whitianga, Greytown, Feilding, Hawera, and Rolleston.
Holden is a long-term partner of the event and this year has provided 60 of the 140 cars that will be used to create scenarios for the events of the Challenges. The Holden vehicles are all current-model cars that rescue crews will encounter on the road today so they add a degree of realism to the training, which is unrivalled in other parts of the world. They expose the rescue crews to real challenges of tougher, stronger cars that they will face when they get called road crashes.
The Road Rescue Challenge has rapidly gained traction with rescuers worldwide as road crash fatalities and injuries continue to rise globally – the World Health Organisation predicts that it could rank third among causes of death and disability by 2020.
“This is a huge event for the Wellington region, and promoting road safety is one of our objectives,” says George Verry, Chief Executive Officer of the United Fire Brigades’ Association, the host organisation. “It’s an important message for the public and an important event because road crashes are unfortunately incidents that any of us can find ourselves in.”
“For the teams that compete, winning is a bonus,” says Verry. “But the real focus is learning and refining their skills so that when they return home, they are better equipped to respond to the unpredictable range of road crash scenarios they see in real life.”
The event was originally taking place in Christchurch but was moved to Wellington after the February Earthquake. The UFBA is hosting the event with support from the New Zealand Fire Service on behalf of the Australasian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO), and the World Rescue Organisation (WRO).
Although the initial crushing of the cars will not be open to the public for health and safety reasons, media can arrange a visit by contacting media liaison Christa Lawlor. Members of the public are encouraged to check out the Challenges from Friday to Sunday to watch the rescue crews in action as they cut live patients free from vehicles. The event will be held at Unit 16, South Pacific Tyre Complex, Blenheim Street, Upper Hutt.
For more information, visit www.ufba.org.nz
Ends
Media Contact:
Christa Lawlor
0210 266 1299
christa.lawlor@ufba.org.nz