Smithfield sets the scene for Road Crash Rescue

Today, the SA Country Fire Service is synonymous with being an all-hazards emergency service, particularly when it comes to Road Crash Rescue. However, it wasn’t always so.

At least not until the Smithfield CFS, as it was then known, created what became known as the Special Service and Salvage Unit.

As car ownership increased through the 1970s, the brigade, which would later merge with Evanston Gardens CFS to become Dalkeith CFS, found itself attending an increasing number of motor vehicle accidents, but without the tools to provide adequate response.

Compounding the issue was that responsibility for road accident rescue was firmly in the hands of South Australia Police, whose response time was dictated by its ability to travel from Thebarton Barracks.

In life-or-death situations, brigade members felt a stronger response was necessary. Following a particularly nasty crash at the intersection of Main North Road and Uley Road, Smithfield, brigade members resolved to better equip themselves to undertake rescue operations.

The brigade was aware that the Sellicks Beach brigade was working in the road crash rescue space and, further inspired by vehicles they had read about in Europe, a plan was formed.

“We had a good fundraising committee and bought an old postal International Transit van from Darwin that had slight damage from Cyclone Tracey. We converted it and built the interior ourselves,” former brigade member Mark Hewitson recalls.

“At the time, we would go to lots of fires at the old Munno Para dump and we’d have half the brigade dealing with the hot stuff, while the other half would scrounge for bits of salvageable iron that we could use.”

Bit by bit, the vehicle came together. As brigade members started to better understand their rescue role, they began adding equipment to make their task easier.

To be classified as a fire truck, the vehicle needed to carry water and a means to pump it. This challenge was met by adding a 44-gallon drum and a Wisconsin Powered Pump with a hose reel – a simple measure with an important outcome.

The pump had been salvaged from Smithfield’s old Chev Blitz.

Other equipment carried aboard the vehicle included:

• Generator
• Floodlights
• Tarps
• Bench seat with tools in boxes underneath
• Chocks, shovels, brooms, crow bars
• Rams, spreaders, cutters, heavy chains

“We were there to assist and get someone out of a vehicle and help St John by attending to the vehicle. It was a lot of hard work, unlike today which is all mechanised,”
Mr Hewitson said.

“We were able to help get treatment started quicker than waiting for the police road crash team to come from Adelaide. It was essentially country back then.”

Mr Hewitson praised the work of then brigade captain Ken Clark and Dave Lamplough for having the vision and will to bring the vehicle into existence and acceptance.

A 54-year member of CFS, Mr Lamplough said the vehicle was met with some initial resistance, with people misinterpreting the brigade’s aims.

“There was a sense from some other emergency services that we were encroaching on their territory. But all we wanted to do was provide a rescue service to assist people out of their vehicle so the paramedics could get them to hospital in a timelier fashion,” Mr Lamplough said.

“Very slowly it came to be accepted and, eventually, even the police rescue squad gave us some training which proved very beneficial.”

Over his time with the CFS, Mr Lamplough has witnessed plenty of change and, while he enjoys reflecting on the past, he is glad to see the organisation continues to evolve, introducing new equipment and techniques to help volunteers better service their community.

“Today, the rescue equipment is very good and CFS seems to be updating with the latest equipment where it can,” he said.

“At Dalkeith, we recently had some training for a new heavy pumper we were getting and someone came from the State Training Centre and brought additional equipment to practice, it’s very impressive.”

CFS now provides road crash rescue response across more than 90% of South Australia, with rescue vehicles located at nearly 70 specialist brigades statewide. Significant training hours are committed to the discipline each year at brigade and state level.