4-6 August. This year’s main training weekend was planned as a snow based programme on the Buffalo Plateau but was relocated to JB Plain to ensure snow cover. Despite the absence of continuous snow even at JB, the programme was comfortably rejigged for the conditions and participants enjoyed a stimulating programme. Training had a strong emphasis on hypothermia, but also included navigation exercises, search technique instruction and practice, and communications. Sunday was devoted to a mock search culminating in patient care and extraction.
Training Weekend Fryers Range
4-5 June 2022. BSAR members and prospective members attended the training weekend in the Fryers Range. The training included participation in the VRA rogaine on the Saturday followed by workshops on Sunday. Workshops covered topics including line searching, GPS, hypothermia and communication. Given the various challenges leading up to the weekend, the training organisers are to be commended for their efforts in pulling together an informative program.
2021 BSAR search and rescue training at Lyonville, May 15-16
Forty two BSAR volunteers attended a search and training weekend at Lyonville. We used the Lyonville Public Hall as a base and we received some great support from the local community.
Everyone was very keen and motivated to get out in the bush after the restrictions encountered during 2020 when we unable to hold any training in the field.
Two Police Search and Rescue Squad Officers provided us with briefings on search organisation and police radios and supported our training.
Continue reading “2021 BSAR search and rescue training at Lyonville, May 15-16”2018 Annual Training at Chewton – June 23-24
BSAR’s annual training weekend was held on 23-24 June 2018 at Chewton, with 28 members, 23 prospective members and 6 Police Search and Rescue attending in delightful June weather.
On Saturday our new and prospective members completed an induction session while experienced members participated in group leader scenarios covering hypothermia treatment, stretcher carry and helicopter evacuation.
The afternoon moved to the focus of this training; navigation. Skills were developed and practiced with the GPS and in bush navigation using map and compass. The evening included a night navigation session to put those skills to the test.
Continue reading “2018 Annual Training at Chewton – June 23-24”
BSAR training day in Williamstown
43 BSAR members attended; 10 on their first BSAR event and 8 members travelling from regional Victoria.
4 members of the Search and Rescue Squad participated.
The training included:
- Tour and talk at the Police Search and Rescue facility
- GPS and Police radio field exercise around the Williamstown waterfront
- Search group leader workshop.
The Williamstown waterfront provided a good venue for a GPS and Police radio skills field exercise. The radio element was structured around search groups reporting specific information to the command post at each control.
Search group leader workshops, built around group discussions of scenarios based on actual BSAR search events were very well received.
2017 Annual Training Korweinguboora – March 25/26
BSAR’s 2017 training weekend was held on 25/26 March at Korweinguboora.
Forty-three participants enjoyed a very successful training weekend. Support from Victoria Police Search and Rescue was also much appreciated.
The training on Saturday included workshops on radios, line searching, feature searching, stretcher evacuation followed by a GPS rogaine and night searching.
Simulated search exercises were conducted on Sunday.