Emergency Services deliver winter warnings to students

Posted 3 December 2008

Students have been receiving lunch time lessons in road safety.

Firefighters from Newport's retained station staged a mock road rescue at the Edgmond campus.

A crew of seven (Shropshire Fire & Rescue) retained firefighters demonstrated the work involved in extracting a trapped driver from the wreckage of a car.

Harper Adams student Chris North, who hails from Herefordshire and is on the Agriculture with Land and Farm Management Degree course, played the part of the driver, and Firefighter Martin Richardson narrated the rescue process, from the time of the crash to the casualty being taken away by land or air ambulance.

The students learned that time is of the essence in saving the lives of road collision victims.

After cutting the roof off of the car and removing Chris, the firefighters invited students to take a closer look at the wreckage and ask questions, which led to an additional explanation of what a lay-person can do to save the life of a trapped driver.

Firefighter Richardson said: "The idea behind today's demonstration is to make people aware of some of the causes of Road traffic collisions and subsequently reduce the number of incidents, injuries and fatalities on our roads.

"Many of the causes of RTCs, such as drink-driving, speeding, not allowing for road conditions, poor car maintenance, the use of mobile phones and lack of concentration, as well as the consequences of being involved in an RTC, were highlighted."

West Mercia police officers also visited, to educate students about the dangers of drink driving and explain their methods of detection.

They brought marked and unmarked cars, breath testing kits and showed how they use stingers to immobilise vehicles that fail to stop.

Rural Enterprise and Land Management student Matt Porter, had his breath tested by Constable Scott Morgan, while Countryside Management Student Matt Tomkins had a chat with newcomer to the force Constable Mark Hughes.

Telford & Wrekin traffic management officer Constable Rod Lake and Newport community police officer Constable Dave Hancocks were also at the University College campus for an hour and a half, answering the students' questions.