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RIMS emergency exercise simulation a success

4 Sep 2015

Forming part of the mandate to test the capabilities of the emergency services on the national road network, to ensure that should incidents occur they are managed in a quick and efficient manner, the Tshwane RIMS (Road Incident Management System) committee recently facilitated a simulated emergency exercise. The exercise included forensic services, Tshwane Metro Police, Gauteng Traffic, Pathology services, fire, emergency and ambulance services and towing services.

West Cape Metro EMS via Wikimedia Commons

The simulation, which took place on N4 between Donkerhoek and the Diamond Hill toll plaza, was a success with all the objectives set out being achieved and some additional lessons learnt in bringing together the various services.

Liam Clarke, commercial manager at Bakwena, says incident management within road safety management is an operational function, which forms part of the requirements of the concession contract with SANRAL, but is also key to achieving Bakwena's vision of zero fatalities on the N1N4 route. "Accidents contribute to delays, bottlenecks and congestion in traffic flow. This is compounded by the time it takes to detect, activate a response and access the scene of an accident by emergency and law enforcement personnel. The deployment of an incident management programme is, therefore, vital for prudent and innovative measures to be employed to deal with accidents swiftly and efficiently to keep our roads operating as optimally as possible."

The simulation made use of a scenario of an "accident" involving two vehicles. There were three injured" patients and "one fatality". The "injured" patients were treated using standard triage protocol and transported off the scene of the accident timeously. While the incident was being managed, the SAPS and traffic authorities controlled the traffic at the scene to minimise the impact on traffic flow. A debriefing for all emergency personnel was held afterwards in order to see where further improvements could be made in the management of such incidents on the route.

RIMS undertakes simulation exercises on a regular basis to monitor the capabilities of emergency personnel along the Bakwena N1N4 and TRAC N4 route.

"At Bakwena, the safety and driving pleasure of our road users is paramount to what we do. Incident management continues to prove a viable tool in dealing with accidents efficiently to maintain open roads and free traffic flow, we remain committed to strengthening our relationship with all the role-players," concludes Clarke.