AN action-packed exercise saw fire fighters from across York perfect the way they handle major road crashes.

Crews from Malton and Acomb worked alongside emergency responders at Huntington station to work on the way they deal with a multiple vehicle smash.

The one of two annual training sessions involved four vehicles, including a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) fuel vehicle on its side and three cars lying in the road, and one vehicle involving an electrical sub station, all of which produced a complicated situation for the fire fighters.

Steve King, exercise director and crew manager at Huntington station, said: "We wanted to share new ideas and practices so when we do go to incidents like road traffic collisions we are all trained and able to go to work quickly and carry out rescues in challenging situations because we practice for all eventualities.

"That's why we put cars on their side so when we get to these things we can tackle them because we've done them before.

The exercise was also supported by Yormed, a private ambulance service who provided critical care assessments for the live and dummy casualties involved.

"They are very helpful and we are working with different people who may not have come into contact with anything like this very often.

"There's different ways to do certain things so if you haven't used a technique before or you're not used to that point of view, you can help others.

"Great energy, enthusiasm and professionalism was demonstrated throughout by all the crews involved, demonstrating a good understanding and underpinned knowledge of a “ casualty centred” approach.

"Malton Retained attended in addition to there normal drill nights and additional personnel attended in station vans to lend their support."