Public Services Students Take to the Road

Date published: 03 July 2010

Public Services students at Hyde Clarendon recently took part in a pre-driver awareness day at Hyde Fire Station. The day involved a number of activities and was designed to make the students aware of the dangers associated with driving.

After taking part in an accident workshop the students were shown around a car and a cockpit drill by two driving instructors. After the extraction demonstration the students finally got to drive. With all of the staff and other students standing well back they were coached by the driving instructors and everyone had a 15 minute driving experience. A number of the students booked lessons on the day and Ben Parr, the winner of the road safety quiz won a free lesson.

The students saw the exact capabilities that the patrol cars have and had the opportunity to use the video system and loud haler. Public Services lecturer and Firefighter Alan Kirk, gave a running commentary on the casualty extraction demonstration. Students Dan Wilson and Jack Smith were fully kitted and “extracted” by the team who used hydraulic equipment to cut the roof off. The students were also shown how the “Trauma Technicians” sit with the casualty throughout the extraction and how fluent the whole operation is.

The day was very well organised and beneficial for students and our thanks go to Phil Howard from the Road Safety Unit and the staff from Hyde Fire Station. More days are planned for the coming months and we hope to involve students from other departments at Hyde Clarendon College.