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By Chrys Ayley
The search for interesting topics for practical hands-on students has resulted in twelve Aotea College students studying for search and rescue qualifications. The course is being run by Porirua City Council Emergency Management Office in conjunction with Tai Poutini Polytechnics Emergency Management Academy of New Zealand. Porirua City Council manager of emergency management Trevor Farmer said the students are working towards gaining Orange Cards as NZ USAR ? Urban Search and Rescue Responders which means they will have the minimum industry standard to respond to structural collapse incidents. The qualification helps the students and the community and also counts towards their NCEA levels, he said. Topics covered in the seven day course spread over three terms include personal preparedness, four days of rescue training, stretcher work, risks awareness, rescue techniques, urban search and rescue and two extra days of first aid training. Emergencies are not just confined to earthquakes but could be, for example, someone slipping over in a bath and knowing how to respond. And how are the students responding? ?I?m impressed,? Mr Farmer said. ?There?s the potential to learn skills to help get jobs and it?s a good life skill.? Aotea College Head of Vocational Studies and Gateway, Sue Roberts said the students had only recently started the course but were really enthusiastic. They had been given their own personalised orange overalls, had completed two days of theory and were back at school working on unit standards for NZQA. The year 12 and 13 students will do two practical courses in June and August and will work through unit standards mixed with practical courses. The idea is to get more young people involved and to start taking messages home to their parents about being safe. In the future having people in the community trained in search and rescue could only benefit the community, Ms Roberts said.
