Last week, AMSA organised a search and rescue exercise (SAREX) between our Tier 1 contractor Cobham, the Victorian Police Airwing, and Chisholm Institute's Outdoor Recreation Education department. The SAREX involved a member of a group of hikers in the Cathedral Range state park suffering a suspected tiger snake bite during a hike, requiring immediate evacuation.
A training EPIRB was activated upon the incident occurring. The ARC tasked the Essendon Challenger and the Victoria Police Dauphin helicopter to the area to respond. The EPIRB location was homed by the Challenger, and passed to the Dauphin, who dispatched an AMSA radio to the hikers to ascertain the situation.
The inter-agency exercise was a great success, with lots of positive feedback and a lot of invaluable experience gained by all parties.
