Participants had to access, stabilise, and extricate seven patients from the scene of a simulated helicopter crash. The simulated patients were located in the water, on the beach and in the surrounding heathland.

Senior lecturer in paramedicine in the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Port Macquarie Mr Phillip Ebbs said it was a privilege for the paramedicine and outdoor recreation students to have been invited to participate in the emergency training exercise with the North Haven Surf Life Saving Club and State Emergency Service units from Camden Haven and Wauchope.

“It is imperative that we provide our students with real-world experiences such as this to develop their skills and perspectives, and to learn how various emergency response agencies interact and cooperate,” he said.

Dr Prue Gonzalez, lecturer in environmental practice in the School of Environmental Sciences at CSU in Port Macquarie appreciated the invitation by other agencies to participate.

“Our paramedicine and outdoor recreation and ecotourism students have similar needs to practice risk assessments and first aid in outdoor environments.”

Mr Ebbs and Dr Gonzalez attended the exercise to observe and provide feedback to students.