It was all part of the HeliOtago paramedics annual training, where high-stress scenarios were acted out and participants got refreshers on all their critical skills.
Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (Hems) clinical manager Jessie McMath Price said they ran specialised training for South Island helicopter paramedics six times per year.
The paramedics were going thorough the pre-hospital, emergency and anaesthesia course.
‘‘Essentially we focus on airway management and ... high-risk but low-occurrence skills so they are equipped to support people in need, particularly where there’s transport required.’’
‘‘That is where, if you have a failed airway attempt, you need to do it surgically through the front.’’
For that, paramedics practised on deer heads given by hunters, and used because their neck simulated a human’s quite well, she said.
Other sessions included a specific paediatric airway session, an adult airway station, suction assistance, as well as two problem-solving scenarios.
Many of the stations used hyper-realistic mannequins which looked like a human on the outside, but also had the necessary anatomy inside.
