Laois Civil Defence teams take part in a training exercise to deal with a major road crash.
About 200 volunteers from all over the County Laois participate in a major Civil Defence operation codenamed Red Swan. The exercise aims to test and train all the services within the Civil Defence, getting them to operate together in a situation resembling a real-life emergency.
The Laois Civil Defence organises a major emergency every year to keep members on the alert. In 1978 the emergency was a simulated air crash. The 1979 training exercise centres around a simulated accident between a bus and a lorry.
The prearranged accident prepared by a Warden Team, takes place on the Cork - Dublin Road near Abbeyleix. Every effort is made to ensure the accident is as realistic as possible with 45 people imitating a wide variety of injuries,
At least half of them are in a serious condition.
An Garda Síochána is informed of the accident and contacts Portlaoise General Hospital. Civil Defence personnel are alerted to take the necessary action.
Warden, rescue, casualty and welfare units from many parts of the county are quickly on the scene, along with fire brigade men and Gardaí.
Also called in are ambulances which will bring the casualties to a county clinic 12 miles away. Operation Red Swan is described as,
Another very successful rehearsal which could of course easily turn out to be the real thing.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 August 1979.
