The officers abseiled off the Denison Bridge with the emphasis on setting up, anchoring and roping techniques.

The original plan was to abseil at Mount Victoria, but the officers were called to Trunkey Creek to assist with the fires.

Facing time constraints, they then opted to use the old Denison Bridge.

“We needed something a bit closer,” Constable Matt Holden said.

“The principles of abseiling are the same whether you are dropping five metres or 500 metres, so we used the bridge where we trained with anchor knots with a focus on safety procedures.”

While demand for vertical rescues in the Bathurst region is low, Const. Holden said the unit must still be proficient in conducting them.

Bathurst personnel are not called to assist with vertical rescues in the Blue Mountains, as the area has its own full time rescue unit.

Const. Holden said the most likely scenario in the Bathurst region for vertical rescue would be someone trapped in a crane.

“As far as I know we’ve only had to use it once,” he said.

Last week’s training exercise is part on an ongoing program all officers involved in rescue must undertake.

Officers wanting to be part of the rescue unit undertake a rigorous training course, which is generally run in Sydney. As part of the training, officers have to abseil off The Gap, and off the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“It’s a great course, he said. “It’s five weeks long with an exam every week.

Const. Holden said he loves the variety of working in rescue.

“It’s something different, and you get to deal with people who need help. Working in rescue you get to see people in a different light,” he said.