With this evening being bonfire night, our training exercise reflected this with an exercise on the use of signalling flares, smoke and rockets.

After a demonstration by Full Team Call Out member Fred Taylor of the various kinds of rockets, flares and smoke carried by the team, together with explanations as to when each signal could and shouldn’t be used, it was the teams turn to let off some rockets.

Prior to the event, as with all our training sessions of this nature, we informed the Lancashire Police of our intention to set off rockets and flares, to prevent any false sightings indicating persons in distress. When told we were setting off rockets, and with it being November 5th, the police said ’you and everybody else..!’

So folks any sightings this evening eminating a red glow from Winter Hill, which wasn’t followed by repeater bomb sounds, or the lights on Winter Hill mast, that was only your local friendly Mountain Rescue team on one of their regular Wednesday night training exercises.