Students from Cornwall College Camborne have been given a shocking road safety message by teams from Cornwall Fire and Rescue

Six members of White Watch based at Camborne have delivered a presentation to the motor vehicle students before demonstrating how they go about safely removing a casualty from a crashed car.

The fire crew used one of the College’s old vehicles that had come to the end of its useful days as a training vehicle and a couple of willing volunteers acted as the casualties.

Katie George, one of the volunteers, said: “It’s very intimidating being in that situation, there are lots of loud noises, but I felt comforted by the fire crews who kept constantly talking to me.  Having been a pretend casualty in this situation, I certainly would not like to be involved in an accident for real.”

White Watch first made the car stable and then made short work of cutting off the doors from the driver’s side before going on to cut out a door pillar. Next the roof was removed and the students watched how a casualty would be lifted onto a spinal support before being lifted out of the damaged vehicle.

Motor Vehicle lecturer Bob Laity said: “It was refreshing to see the young people who watched the display taking such a serious interest in what was being shown and I really hope that the impact of the event will make them think a little more when they get behind the steering wheel.”

Head of college Don McKenzie added: “This demonstration was a stark reminder about staying safe on the roads and I’m extremely grateful for the support of Cornwall Fire and Rescue.  The students came away from the experience with a renewed understanding of road safety and were surprised at how quickly the fire crews were able to act.”