The group of 31 familiarised themselves with four new vehicles, inspecting their safety features and practising rescue and extraction drills.

Wodonga SES deputy controller Warrick Armstrong said most of the unit’s past training had involved older cars and it was necessary to build an understanding of modern vehicles.

“With the amount of new vehicles on the road we, as the approved road rescue provider in the Wodonga area, are committed to keeping our skills as up-to-date as possible,” he said.

“No longer can we be satisfied with just training on 20-year-old wrecks; our skills need to reflect the vehicles travelling on our roads today.”

Mr Armstrong said volunteers used the jaws of life on the cars — two station wagons, a utility and a sedan — and also practised rescues from the vehicles while they were on their roofs or sides.

“It’s been very educational — lots of input from all of the volunteers, which has brought the combined learning of the entire group up,” he said.

Mr Armstrong said while the SES improved their skills ahead of the Christmas period on the road, the responsibility remained on North East motorists to drive responsibly.