FOUR teams from the county’s fire service took part in a mock road accident exercise as part of a national competition.

The aim of the challenge is to improve the skills of all crews taking part and to develop good practice that can be applied to real emergency situations.

The event was held at Malvern Fire Station.

Those participating were provided with hydraulic cutting equipment, vehicle stabilisation and glass management tools, casualty protection equipment and trauma packs, and had 20 minutes to safely rescue a casualty trapped in a vehicle.

The team from Hereford was chosen as the overall winners, with Worcester Red Watch the runners up.

The winning team will now go on to represent Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service at the national competition in London in September.

Watch commander and training instructor Steve Andrews said: “The teams have trained for this 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 team from Hereford are worthy winners and we wish them well as they go forward to the next stage.”