Inquest hears of efforts to 'save the children' after jumping castle tragedy

One of the first responders to the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy, which killed six, has described in court the "organised chaos" of efforts to save the children.

First Class Constable Dean Wotherspoon said he had never been exposed to a mass casualty event of that scale.

The coronial inquest into the children's deaths is being conducted in blocks this week, and in November and February.

A police officer has told a court the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy in north-west Tasmania was nothing like he had seen in almost 30 years in the service.

First Class Constable Dean Wotherspoon gave evidence before Coroner Olivia McTaggart on Wednesday, in the inquest into the deaths of six children who died when a freak wind gust tossed a jumping castle across the school oval during end-of-year celebrations on December 16, 2021.

Years five and six students Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt and Zane Mellor died in the tragedy, while three of their classmates were seriously injured.

Constable Wotherspoon told the court he was one of the first police officers on the scene that day, and it was the worst casualty event he had seen since becoming a police officer in 1995.

"I'd never been exposed to another mass casualty event of such scale."

Constable Wotherspoon began his evidence by describing the day from the first radio call.

He told the court he was on the scene of a fatal car crash south of Ulverstone when all available resources were called to the school.

Asked to describe the scene upon arrival around 10:30am, he said he had given it thought and considered it to be "organised chaos".

"There were a lot of people doing their utmost to save the children," he said.

He said the division of responsibility was unclear initially, but that on reflection it would not have been possible for the emergency response to be more clearly coordinated.

"Ambulance Tasmania were obviously dealing with the medical side of it, but it was beyond their resources to provide all that capability," he said.