Four of Australia’s largest general insurers have partnered with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) to put written-off vehicles to use in specialist road crash rescue training – a program that connects the insurance claims supply chain to a frontline emergency need growing in complexity.
Allianz, NRMA Insurance, QBE, and Suncorp have donated nearly 100 wrecked vehicles to launch the initiative, supported by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). The program gives FRNSW ongoing access to modern salvage vehicles for road crash rescue training, including cars fitted with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric powertrains.
FRNSW attended 14,075 vehicle accidents in 2025, including 4,794 involving injuries and/or rescues, according to the ICA. Road crash rescue and general land rescue training courses consume nearly 400 vehicles a year. The program addresses that demand on a coordinated, ongoing basis. FRNSW is encouraging additional insurers to join.
The vehicles appearing at crash scenes today carry risks that older training stock does not reflect. Electric vehicles contain high-voltage lithium-ion batteries with associated risks and hazards including fire and explosion, radiation, heat, chemical, and electrical dangers, according to FRNSW’s published guidance on EV incidents. Damaged EV batteries may also ignite hours, days, or even weeks after the initial incident – a risk that persists well beyond the scene of a crash.
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) has been commissioned to develop a nationally consistent online training package for emergency responders dealing with electric vehicle incidents. Developed in collaboration with TAFE NSW and subject-matter experts, and funded by the Australian government, the training covers EV hazards and safe response strategies and is available to trained emergency responders across Australia.
Physical training on salvage vehicles extends what online modules cannot provide. Firefighters can practise with the actual battery positions, ADAS sensor arrays, and structural configurations present in the vehicles they encounter on roads.
FRNSW deputy commissioner Paul McGuiggan said that hands-on experience is what translates to better outcomes at real crash scenes. “Salvage vehicles allow us to simulate a wide range of realistic rescue scenarios and prepare firefighters for the complex conditions they face at road crashes. As vehicle design and technology continue to evolve, firefighters must be prepared for increasingly complex rescue environments. This program will strengthen our road crash rescue capability and help protect motorists when they need us most,” McGuiggan said.
Australia recorded 1,300 road deaths in 2024, a 3.3% increase on 2023, with road deaths rising at an average of approximately 4% per year since the 2020 low, according to BITRE’s Road Trauma Australia 2024, published in September 2025. Around 35,815 people were hospitalised from road crashes in 2022, the most recent year for which hospitalised injury data is available.
ICA CEO Andrew Hall said insurers see the impact of serious road crashes directly through the claims they handle. “Insurers understand the devastating impact of serious road crashes, and supporting firefighters to prepare for these complex rescues is a practical way we can help make New South Wales roads safer. Vehicles that can no longer be safely returned to the road can still serve the community by giving emergency services crews realistic vehicles and scenarios to train in,” Hall said.
There is a commercial thread running through the program alongside the community one – and it is relevant to anyone placing motor or fleet risks in NSW. Total loss claim frequency has risen approximately 20% since 2019, as higher repair costs and longer wait times push more vehicles past the write-off threshold, according to the ICA’s March 2025 motor insurance policy paper. Total loss now accounts for approximately 25% of motor insurance claims costs.
In most Australian states, insurers recover a portion of those costs through salvage auctions, where vehicles can be repaired and re-registered after safety inspections. NSW does not permit this. All written-off light vehicles must be declared statutory write-offs and can only be sold for scrap or parts, according to Transport for NSW. The ICA estimates this reduces salvage recovery values by an average of 30% and has called on the NSW government to reform the rules. That reform remained outstanding as of September 2026.
For the participating insurers, vehicles donated to FRNSW are salvage stock that cannot reach full auction value under current NSW rules regardless. Redirecting them to emergency services training recovers community value from assets that would otherwise yield scrap prices only.
Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services Charishma Kaliyanda said the program showed what government and industry could build together. “These written-off vehicles will get a second life through a program that demonstrates how government and industry can work together to serve the community. By supporting realistic rescue training, this will help firefighters strengthen the skills they need when responding to serious crashes across NSW and help save lives,” Kaliyanda said.
