The St John Emergency Ambulance Service ‘Special Operations Response Team’ (SORT) has been  training with colleagues from the Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service and volunteers from Guernsey’s Cliff Rescue Team.

The recent training involved a scenario at the fire station using the tower to simulate a cliff face and a car which had crashed over a cliff.

Clinicians from the SORT team worked with the other responders to abseil down the ‘cliff face’ to attend and treat the injured casualty in the car, while firefighter stabilised the vehicle and used cutting gear to gain access to the patient.

The SORT team is made up of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians who are specially trained to provide medical treatment at major incidents, or to casualties in remote locations or hazardous environments. They are trained to deliver care in cases where there is a high level of risk. This helps to ensure patients get the best and most appropriate care no matter where they are or what is going on around them.