Incident 45/2010

At 17.53hrs our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was contacted directly by NWAS (Lancashire) with the report of a woman ’fitting’ in the Terraced Gardens at Rivington. (the womans party having specifically advised that Mountain Rescue would be required in regards to the location)

An immediate team response was possible as our Team Leader, Mike Marsh, Steve Fletcher and Elaine Gilliland were all still at our Ladybrdige Hall Base / HQ following the conclusion of the days activities. (Which as events unfolded had not quite finished yet for the four of them)

At 17.57hrs a full team pager call out was initiated, with our Deputy Leader Geoff Seddon arriving at the Rivington Hall Barn Car Park RVP at 18.05hrs, shortly followed by the responding NWAS (Lancashire) Rapid Response Vehicle (Chorley Ambulance Station) and Emergency Ambulance (Darwen Ambulance Station)

At 18.10hrs our BM1 vehicle and our Team Leaders vehicle arrived at the RVP (with at this stage our Team Leader in consultation with Lancashire Contabulary regarding what was to become Incident 46)

Meeting members of the womans party at the car park, it was quickly established that a 25 years old woman from Chorley, originally in a party of three other adults and four children, had sadly suffered an epileptic seizure on one of the footpaths within the Terraced Gardens at Rivington.

Thankfully due to the expert local knowledge of our Deputy Team Leader and other team members present, it was quickly ascertained where the woman was, which helped with this potentially serious incident given that alongside the womans collapse it was also dark and getting very cold.

Our BM1 vehicle and our Deputy Team Leaders Land Rover Freelander, along with an informant on board and carrying an NWAS (Lancashire) Paramedic, accessed the Terraced Gardens track network, (We carry access gate keys on all our team vehicles, which are also held by selective team members) and managed to drive quite close to the womans location.

Appropriate care was given, with the woman being treated by the NWAS Paramedic who administered Oxygen.

The woman was then transported in our BM1 vehicle back down to the waiting NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance at the Rivington Hall Barn Car Park, where she was then taken to Chorley Hospital, with the ambulance departing the car park at 19.15hrs.

As usual this incident illustrates the close co-operative working we have with NWAS in this case NWAS (Lancashire), which undoubtedly made for the smooth and successful conclusion of this incident.

In total 11x Bolton MRT team members were involved in this incident, alonside an RRV and an Emergency ambulance from NWAS (Lancashire)

Special thanks are recorded here to hill walkers Sue and Steven from Prestwich, Manchester, who ending their days walk in the darkness by descending through the Terraced Gardens ’chanced’ upon this incident, the woman involved and her party. They very kindly agreed to take the four young children involved and some of the adult members of the party back down to their car at Rivington Hall Barn Car Park, where they all met up with our Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon and the responding NWAS (Lancashire) resources.

Steven then kindly guided our BM1 and Geoff Seddons vehicle back to the incident location, whilst his wife Sue and team member Gillian Leigh, looked after the four young children in the back of the NWAS Ambulance. (aged 7, 4,3 and 5 months old)

This incident ended on scene for our members involved at 19.45hrs.