PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay rescue workers last week took part in a large-scale training exercise to sharpen their skills in case of an emergency.
More than a hundred volunteers and emergency personnel participated in the search-and-rescue exercise aimed at developing cooperation among local volunteer organisations and the improvement of search, communication and rescue skills required in the event of a search, rescue and recovery of a missing person.
The exercise, which took place on 23 August between the Central beach and the Robberg Nature Reserve, involved two scenarios.
The first was a sea search and rescue operation off the point of the Robberg peninsula, and the second was a wide-area land search for three missing people.
While the NSRI in Plettenberg Bay hosted the planned joint training exercise, other organisations also participated as the nature of the two scenarios was such that more people and resources were needed than those at the NSRI’s disposal.
Among the organisations that participated were the Mountain Club of South Africa, Wilderness Search and Rescue: Western Cape, the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA), Associated Fire Management Units of Bitou, local police, the police dog unit, Medlife ambulance services and Bitou law enforcement.
PBCPA operations head Otto Olivier said as newcomers to this type of training exercise, it was a valuable experience.
“It showed us how well we can cooperate and also highlighted weaknesses we can work on. We definitely will do more of these exercises in the future,” Olivier said.
ARTICLE: YOLANDÉ STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD CORRESPONDENT
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