Incident 39/2009

At 19:25 on this warm Summer evening, NWAS (Manchester) paged the team requesting assistance at an incident at Queen’s Park in Heywood.

As the incident location was inside the operational area of our colleagues at Rossendale & Pendle MRT, the call was immediately passed onto them via Ambulance control, with our Team Leader, Garry Rhodes, contacting Rossendale & Pendle MRT’s Team Leader, Andy Simpson in the meantime, to discuss the response. At the same time a small number of BMRT personnel were already on standby at our Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ in the event that our team would be asked to assist.

As Garry has been involved through his full-time employment in the restoration of Queen’s Park, he had a good local knowledge of the area and as a result Andy asked Garry and the small number of Bolton team members already on standby to assist RPMRT. Garry responded to the incident, along with one Bolton MRT Landrover ambulance from the Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ with three BMRT members on board, and also two other team members attended in their own vehicle.

During the response, NWAS (Manchester) Control then received a more specific casualty location, of Plumpton Wood, alongside the River Roch, with the access point being through the grounds of the private property of Plumpton Hall (off Rochdale Old Road, Hooley Bridge, Heywood)

Upon our arrival the 18 year old male casualty, who had fallen down a steep sided gulley and was suffering from suspected spinal injuries, had already been loaded onto Rossendale & Pendle MRT’s Bell Mountain Rescue stretcher by their team members, and our team members assisted them with the carry to the top of the gulley and over some adjacent fencing.

The casualty, whilst still on the stretcher, was then loaded into our Mountain Rescue Landrover Ambulance at RPMRT’s request, and he was transported to the NWAS Emergency Ambulance RVP, at Bamford Road/River Roch junction. During the journey he was tended to by Bolton MRT Team Doctor, Clare Whitney, and Rossendale & Pendle MRT Doctor, Bob Stokes.

Upon arrival at the Ambulance RVP, at around 20:30 in the evening, the casualty was handed back over to care of the NWAS (Manchester) personnel for onward transport to the nearby Fairfield General Hospital, bringing the incident to its conclusion.

Andy Simpson, R&PMRT TL & Garry Rhodes, BMRT TL, spookily almost dressed the same and working in perfect harmony.

The following resources were involved in this incident:

• NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance
• Rossendale & Pendle MRT members including RPMRT Landrover Mountain Rescue Ambulances (Mobiles 1 & 2)
• 6 Bolton MRT members including our BM1 Landrover Mountain Rescue Ambulance
• Rochdale MBC Queen’s Park Ranger, Cameron Baines

The team would like to thank the residents of Plumpton Hall for their valued assistance during this incident, and also our thanks are passed to to the NWAS Emergency Ambulance crew, NWAS Paramedic Emergency Control staff, and also to our colleagues at Rossendale & Pendle MRT, all of whom worked together to bring a swift and successful end to this incident.