Bryde McNamara with family and rescuers, 3 September 2023 (photos credit: Ambulance Victoria)

On Sunday morning, a grateful father of three was reunited with his rescuers, including Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Healesville Unit members Andrew Worley and James Rowe, following a serious Road Crash Rescue (RCR) incident earlier this year.

On 18 June this year, a single motor vehicle collision at Healesville High School saw father of three Bryde McNamara trapped inside his car, which had become wedged inside a corridor, and fighting for his life.

Bryde, who was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, went into cardiac arrest while driving and crashed into a school building on McGregor Avenue about 9.45am. His 13-year-old son, who was on school property at the time, made the Triple Zero call.

VICSES Healesville Unit volunteers responded, alongside Country Fire Authority (CFA), Victoria Police, and Ambulance Victoria personnel. It took the multi-agency team nearly two hours to free Bryde, who was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital with life threatening injuries.

VICSES volunteers play a critical role in providing road crash rescue response, and on average, volunteers respond to 1,300 road crash rescues state-wide each year

In the last financial year, 2022/23, VICSES volunteers across the state responded to 1,516 Road Crash Rescue incidents (expending approx.12,051 volunteer hours).

VICSES volunteers are highly trained and equipped to perform road rescues, and provide 85% of RCR coverage across Victoria. This work is one part of an integrated approach with Victoria Police, CFA, Ambulance Victoria, and Fire Rescue Victoria to reduce road trauma.

VICSES provides 85% of Road Crash Rescue (RCR) coverage across Victoria with each of our 104 principal accredited units capability assessed every three years. We also have 22 Rescue Support Units statewide.

To read more stories about our work in Road Crash Rescue (RCR), click here.

Quotes attributable to VICSES Healesville Unit, Controller, Andrew Worley:

“I lost my dad when I was 14, so it was particularly pleasing to return this father to his children, and to see them together this Father’s Day.”

“I joined VICSES in 2010 as a member of VICSES Whitehorse Unit (formerly Nunawading) for about four years, before moving out to Healesville in 2014.”

“While our unit is smaller in size with fewer members compared to some of the inner metro units, we do cover a larger area and also are the principal provider of RCR services in our area. "It is for days like this that we are trained to perform rescue operations. The service we provide is one we hope you’ll never need but, if you do, our volunteers are ready.”