North East Ambulance Service puts emergency response to the test
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) staged a multi-casualty crash to show how their teams would respond to a serious incident.
The NEAS staged the crash at their training site in Washington on Tuesday, November 10 ahead of Road Safety Week, which runs from November 15 until November 21.
As part of the demonstration, ambulance commanders showed members of the press how a 10-second triage can be used at incidents involving multiple casualties to quickly assess patients and identify those who need the most urgent care.
Clinical team leader, Rebekah Hunter, said: “Road traffic collisions can be challenging for our crews, particularly during the winter months when darkness, poor visibility, freezing temperatures and severe weather can make an already difficult scene even more complex.
“As a clinical team leader, my role is to support crews at these incidents, from helping with clinical and operational decision-making to coordinating the response and making sure colleagues have the welfare support they need.
“Our crews are always here when people need us, but we also want to help prevent incidents where we can.
“Through our winter safety campaign, we’re encouraging everyone to take simple steps to protect themselves and others as the darker nights and winter weather return.”
In October 2026 alone, the NEAS attended more than 300 road incidents, up from around 260 incidents in October 2025 and 240 in October 2024.
Last winter, between October 2025 and February 2026, the NEAS attended more than 1,300 road incidents across the region.
Deputy head of emergency preparedness, resilience and response, Andy Sessford, said: “When crews arrive at a serious road traffic collision involving multiple casualties, there can be a lot happening at once.
“We need to quickly establish how many patients are involved, assess their condition and identify who needs our help most urgently.
“Ten-second triage allows us to make that initial assessment quickly and consistently.
“It helps ambulance commanders build an early picture of the scene, prioritise patients and make decisions about how best to use the resources available to us.”
Specialist paramedic in critical care, Thomas Mortillaro, added: “As specialist paramedics in critical care, we can be called to some of the most seriously ill and injured patients.
“Our role allows us to provide advanced clinical assessment and treatment at the scene, working alongside ambulance crews and other emergency services to support patients who may have complex or life-threatening injuries.”