SIX fire and rescue crews took part in a mock road accident exercise in Malvern.

The teams took part in the simulated rescue to compete for a place in the National RTC and Trauma Challenge later in the year.

Crews taking part were given the chance to develop their search and rescue skills and had 20 minutes to safely rescue a casualty trapped in a vehicle involved in a road crash.

Teams from Droitwich, Evesham, Whitchurch, Ross-on-Wye, Ewyas Harold, Hereford, and Redditch, competed in the challenge, which was held at Malvern Fire Station.

The winning team from Redditch will go on to represent Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service at the national competition in Lincoln in August along with the winning team from Evesham, who took part in the Trauma Challenge.

Watch Commander Steve Andrews, training instructor with HWFRS, said: “The teams have trained for this event in their own time and we would like to pass on our appreciation to all those taking part for their hard work and commitment.

“The teams from Redditch and Evesham are worthy winners and we wish them well as they go forward to the next stage of the competition.

“Fire services across the country get called to high numbers of road accidents many of them serious in nature, often with casualties trapped in their vehicles.

“It’s important that we continue to hone our skills in this area of our work and this challenge certainly helps us to test our procedures and share our learning with colleagues within our own service area, and with other fire and rescue crews nationally.” Station Commander Phil Griffiths, whose Redditch crew won the challenge, said he was delighted with his crew. “I shall be supporting them all the way through to the national finals later in the year. I am really pleased that all of their hard work paid off.”