Full-scale emergency training conducted

South Boston Speedway recently hosted a real-world large-scale emergency training class.

The Feb. 25 training included personnel and units from the Cluster Springs Volunteer Fire Department, which serves as the speedway’s lead emergency services provider, the Turbeville Volunteer Fire Department, which also serves the speedway’s emergency services needs, the South Boston Fire Department and speedway track services personnel.

“This training is very critical,” said Cluster Springs Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hudson. “We were simulating a lot of things with a varying degree of needs. This is very critical for our training purposes.”

Hudson noted one of the important factors is knowing what resources are available when an incident occurs.

“Each department conducts its own training, and we have our trucks set up our own specific ways,” Hudson pointed out. “When we come together like this, we all need to know what resources each department has. Every person has their own specialty. With something like this we need to figure out who is good and what they are good at so we can get the scene taken care of as soon as possible. You can never have enough training.”

Ray Conner, the deputy chief of the South Boston Fire Department agreed.

“Training like this is very important,” Conner remarked. “What this does is get the departments from the surrounding area working together and figuring out what can be done at the scene. This training allows you to understand better how to respond and what we need to respond. It allows you the opportunity to think a little later on about what if this would have happened or what if that would have happened.”

Hudson praised the efforts of South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears and the speedway staff for its safety efforts.

“The speedway has stepped up its community involvement,” Hudson pointed out. “Everybody wins in that case. Chase has been very good working with local emergency services, getting everybody to come together as a team to raise awareness of what can happen at the track. That same awareness and training can also be applied to the community when accidents and incidents take place.”

The training course featured a varying array of scenarios including treatment, triage, extrication, transport and more.

“We truly believe you can never have enough training, and we are proud of how the entire team has continued to evolve and expand their training scenarios and resources,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears. “This most recent training included utilizing all the speedway’s resources and departments, while also bringing in several outside agencies. We are very grateful to everyone who took time to participate.”

This was the second training of the new year for several members of the South Boston Speedway track services team and Cluster Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Several of these individuals attended a NASCAR-managed training at Charlotte Motor Speedway in January of this year which focused on driver care and safety, among other on-track scenaris.

The speedway will host its annual pre-season test day March 11.

South Boston Speedway’s first NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing event, the Danville Toyota ’23 Opener, is set for Saturday afternoon, March 18, featuring twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stocks, twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.

Advance tickets for all 2023 racing events are on sale on the track’s website, southbostonspeedway.com.