VICSES units put skills to test ahead of national road crash rescue event

27/02/2026, 4:59 PM
VICSES South Barwon Unit volunteers are headed to the 2026 Australasian Rescue Challenge in Townsville after showcasing their skills at a state challenge last week.

Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) road crash rescue (RCR) specialists from across Victoria have battled it out in the hopes of representing their state at the upcoming 2026 Australasian Rescue Challenge.

Volunteers from VICSES South Barwon, Frankston and Knox units gathered in Geelong at the weekend to showcase their emergency rescue capability in a series of mock rescues, with the most adept six-person team earning automatic qualification to the international event slated to be held in Queensland later this year.

Other local volunteers played the role of patients trapped inside complex vehicle wreckages and wore realistic make-up to simulate injuries volunteers may come across in a real emergency response.

Volunteers carried out complex rescue scenarios in the presence of assessors from across the state as they vied to represent VICSES on the national stage.

Rescue scenarios included complex mechanical entrapments where vehicles had overturned or were partially crushed by concrete barriers or power poles, requiring volunteers to safely stabilise the vehicle before using hydraulic tools to gain access and carefully extricate a patient.

Under the watchful eye of qualified VICSES RCR assessors from throughout Victoria, as well as VICSES Chief Officer Operations Alistair Drayton, VICSES Deputy Chief Officer Greg Swindells and Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch, it was VICSES South Barwon Unit which bolstered its reputation as one of the state’s finest RCR response teams.

Local members showcased outstanding skill, teamwork and efficiency to be named victors on the day and book their tickets to Townsville’s Australasian Rescue Challenge.

One of the most prolific RCR units in the state’s west, VICSES South Barwon Unit volunteers have been called to 75 road crash incidents so far in 2025/26, having attended more than 100 the previous financial year.

VICSES Frankston Unit volunteers will also have an opportunity to attend the event, having narrowly beaten Knox at Saturday’s Victorian qualifiers.

Both VICSES Knox (88 RCR incidents in 2025/26) and Frankston (81) have historically been among metropolitan Melbourne’s busiest RCR units.

As Australia’s largest network of RCR providers, 104 highly trained VICSES units across the state are accredited to respond to road-related emergencies, often responding alongside emergency service partners such as Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and fire services. In the 2024/25 financial year VICSES volunteers called were to more than 2,500 RCR-related requests for assistance (RFAs), a figure more than 500 higher than in 2023/24 and a nearly 70 per cent increase on 2022/23 data.

A further 20 units provide general support to other services during road crash emergencies.

To learn more about VICSES’ role in road crash rescue in Victoria, visit www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer-opportunities/road-crash-rescue.

Quotes attributable to Gerry Sheridan, VICSES Operations Officer – Capability Improvement

“Events such as these provide the perfect opportunity for our highly-trained volunteers to showcase their incredible skills, share knowledge with their fellow volunteers and build important relationships.

“VICSES takes great pride in its road crash rescue capability and we look forward to our units demonstrating their proficiency on the national stage.”