local - 2026-05-28

Emergency Services Unite at North Head for Major Mass Casualty Drill

NSW Ambulance leads Exercise Paratus at Manly's North Head, bringing together six agencies in a large-scale mass casualty simulation

On the morning of Thursday 21 May, the former School of Artillery parade ground at North Head, Manly, was transformed into a scene of controlled chaos. Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles, and a rescue helicopter converged on the headland as six of New South Wales' most critical emergency service agencies ran through one of the most comprehensive mass casualty exercises the Northern Beaches has seen.

On the morning of Thursday 21 May, the former School of Artillery parade ground at North Head, Manly, was transformed into a scene of controlled chaos. Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles, and a rescue helicopter converged on the headland as six of New South Wales' most critical emergency service agencies ran through one of the most comprehensive mass casualty exercises the Northern Beaches has seen. Exercise Paratus — the name drawn from the Latin word for "prepared" — was the initiative of NSW Ambulance Inspector Mark Whittaker, a Northern Beaches-based paramedic who began planning the event more than a year ago. While the exercise had been in development well before the December 2024 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, that tragedy underscored the urgency of training for exactly these kinds of large-scale, fast-moving incidents. The exercise brought together NSW Ambulance, NSW Police Force, Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service, the NSW State Emergency Service, and St John Ambulance Australia. Aeromedical teams, representatives from NSW Health, Northern Beaches Council, and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood also attended as observers. The scenario was deliberately...