At 14.42hrs this snowy afternoon, whilst still present at Incident 16 at Rivington, we were paged by NWAS (Cumbria and Lancashire) Broughton EOC, to respond to assist with a snow sledging accident in fields near to Stand Lane, Whitefield, within Greater Manchester.
The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, with team members being diverted from the previous incident at Rivington, to lend assistance to NWAS with the stretcher evacuation of the injured 50 year old woman sledger.
By 15.28hrs our first Land Rover was on scene at the Stand Lane, Chapelfield, roadside RVP, and essential equipment started to be despatched to the casualty site very quickly, where the woman concerned, had suspected back injuries, and was being treated by responding NWAS personnel.
By 15.44hrs a mountain rescue stretcher evacuation was commencing, part carry and part sledge, when the third consecutive call of the day came to the team from NWAS.
As with Incident 16, team members from this incident were immediately diverted to deal with this third incident.
By 15.55hrs the injured woman was safely evacuated to the Stand Lane RVP, and quickly in to the warmth of the NWAS Emergency Ambulance and on route to Royal Bolton Hospital.
By 16.02hrs this incident was completed and remaining members at this location went on to respond to Incident 18.
During the response to this second incident of the day, and in the general Whitefield area at the time, whilst traveling on ‘blues and twos’ (Emergency lighting and sirens activated) with poor conditions during a snow fall, a youth within a group of youths threw a deliberately aimed large compacted ice ball, at the front windscreen of our Incident Control Vehicle.
Fortunately this hit the passenger side of the front windscreen, but still caused considerable distraction for the driver, both from the shock and sound of the impact and from obscuring the view out of the windscreen albeit temporarily.
Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was present in the front passenger seat at the time, and comments that this was an extremely foolish and dangerous act that endangered the response being made.
The driver, our Training Officer Alistair Greenough equally commented on this act, which was totally unexpected and had the real potential to endanger all present in the vehicle.
The following resources were involved in this incident;
NWAS (Greater Manchester Area); EOC Parkway, Emergency Ambulance and two crew from Rochdale Ambulance Station, one Rapid Response Vehicle with solo crew / Paramedic.
NWAS (Cumbria and Lancashire); EOC Broughton.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Two Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, Volkswagen Sprinter Incident Control Vehicle, seventeen team operational members on scene.
At 14.12hrs this snowy Sunday we were paged by NWAS (Cumbria and Lancashire) Broughton EOC, to respond to assist with a snow sledging accident at Rivington, involving a thirty year old woman.
Due to the existing snowy conditions, team members were present at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, with one team Land Rover already out mobile in the teams operational area.
The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, with members quickly responding at the same time from within the team area and from our Base / HQ.
With three team vehicles already responding, at 14.20hrs a full pager call out message was sent.
Also at 14.20hrs our first team Land Rover, ‘Bolton Mobile2’ arrived on scene at the RVP stated, in the vicinity of Rivington Hall Barn, Lever Park, Rivington.
At 14.27hrs our second responding Land Rover arrived closely followed by our Incident Control Vehicle.
By 14.32hrs our first team member had located the actual casualty site, and led in the rest of our team to assist the NWAS emergency crew already on scene, with the injured woman.
Located by the former plant nursery site to the Terraced Gardens, the injured woman was carefully lifted over a fence, and in to our Land Rover ‘Bolton Mobile 2’ which had managed to closely access the incident scene, thanks to the network of local tracks.
By 15.00hrs this incident was complete, with the woman sledger on route to hospital for further treatment.
Thanks are expressed to United Utilities Ranger Andrew Ryding, a former Bolton MRT member, who also attended, in his capacity as the local Ranger on duty, to lend his valued assistance.
During the latter stages of this incident the team was paged at 14.42hrs by NWAS to a second sledging incident, which team members responded to concurrent to this on going incident.
The following resources were involved in this incident;
NWAS; EOC Broughton, Emergency Ambulance and two crew.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Two Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, Volkswagen Sprinter Incident Control Vehicle, seventeen team operational members on scene.
At 12.05hrs this chilly afternoon, with a large amount of snow lying on the local moors, including still freezing conditions, we were paged by NWAS EOC Broughton, regards a twelve year old boy “fallen from sledge – leg injury,” on a track near Rivington Hall.
A duplicate pager call out was also received a minute later from NWAS EOC Parkway.
Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE immediately answered the pager call, whilst Team Call Out Contacts Steve Fletcher and Mike Marsh, along with our Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh, all made their way to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, to mobilise the two team Land Rovers there, as did team members Nigel Booth and Michael Eddleston (just flown back from New York!) to our GMFRS Bolton North Community Fire Station garage.
Our Team Leader liaised with NWAS EOC Broughton Air Desk despatcher, to try and better determine the actual casualty site, as contact could not be re-established with the casualty party / informant.
With three team vehicles about to mobilise, and now with better information regards the likely casualty site (based on our Team Leader’s expert local knowledge of the area concerned) a full team pager call out was made at 12.23hrs.
The initial RVP of Rivington Hall Barn (locally known as the Top Barn) was used by the responding NWAS Emergency Ambulance, but upon arrival at circa 12.04hrs the crew had not located the casualty site, which led quickly to our involvement.
Our first responding Land Rover went to the ‘Top Barn, but by this time the NWAS Ambulance had relocated to Lower House Car Park, Rivington, based upon the suggestion of our Team Leader.
All team vehicles were requested to RVP at Lower House Car Park, where our first arriving Land Rover with our Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh and Matthew Hailwood on board, turned up at 12.37hrs, to find the NWAS Ambulance having traction difficulties on the partly ice and compacted snow covered car park.
Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE next arrived here at 12.40hrs, and Matthew Hailwood was quickly despatched up the likely track of Old Kates, where we thought the casualty site to be.
Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh commenced a control point whilst our Team Leader briefed other arriving members on the situation.
Team member Mark Scott, out walking with his wife Megan, in the vicinity of the Pigeon Tower – a local landmark, descended the Old Kates track, and at circa 12.47hrs, at the same time as Matthew Hailwood, came across the casualty site.
A twelve year old boy, sledging, has suffered a very serious femur fracture, and was being comforted by other members of his party, who had a casualty shelter to hand.
The group of three adults and five children, all from Manchester, had been on a winter walk and snow sledging, when this incident occurred.
By 12.57hrs, medical care, splintage and evacuation equipment was on scene at the casualty site, which was alongside the Old Kates track, just below a small stone quarry (known as a delph)
The assistance of the NWAA Air Ambulance was requested and agreed, whilst team members treated the young boy’s serious injury.
Morphine and Entonox were used for the boy’s pain, whilst his leg was splinted with a Kendrick Leg Traction Splint.
At 13.17hrs Helimed 72 landed very close to the casualty site, managing in an excellent piece of flying from Pilot / Captain Alan Bryers, to put the aircraft safely down on a small flat area atop the nearby quarry, to offload the on board Doctor and Paramedic.
It was decided once the Helimed crew had been off loaded, to reposition the helicopter to the fields, next to the Lower House Car Park area, to enable a casualty handover, with Helimed lifting off at 13.22hrs.
The casualty was stretcher evacuated, commencing at 13.35hrs, using our SAR Alpine Lite Mountain Rescue Stretcher, with most of our attending members at the scene (13x) wearing boot chains or crampons, due to the very icy and snowy conditions on the Old Kates track.
Passing members of the public, and the adult helpers with the boys party, kindly helped us carry kit down the track.
With the casualty loaded in to Helimed 72, and further treated and assessed, at 14.12hrs, Helimed 72 lifted off for the short direct flight to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
By 14.36hrs our last members had departed the RVP.
Team members Nigel Booth and Matthew Hailwood in our Land Rover BM3, then travelled directly to Manchester MRI to retrieve and recover team equipment despatched with the casualty in the helicopter.
Due to traffic conditions, they didn’t return to our Ladybridge Hall base / HQ until 18.30hrs in the early evening, where they also replenished the Entonox used and checked over the equipment used.
The following resources were utilised and involved on this rescue incident
NWAS (Greater Manchester) Emergency Ambulance and two crew (Paramedic and EMT) from Bolton North Ambulance Station.
NWAA Helimed 72 from City Airport Manchester (Barton), crew on board, Pilot / Captain, Doctor and Paramedic.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
Four Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, radio call signs ‘Bolton Mobiles 1,2,3 and 4.’
Fourteen team Call Out list members present during the rescue, with thirteen of these at the casualty site, whilst Deputy Team Leader maintained our control / RVP point.
One further team member arrived after the incident conclusion.
Members of the casualty’s party who initially comforted and cared for the boy, and passing members of the public, who assisted us to carry back our equipment.
Following the period of standby for NWAS reported below, two team Land Rover vehicles then travelled in to the teams moorland area checking on road conditions, given the recent snowfall of the morning.
Whilst nearing Rivington Village at circa 15.40hrs, our BM1 vehicle crew met up with an NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance, (From Preston Ambulance Station) which was responding to the report of an injured snow sledger at Rivington Primary School.
Jointly arriving together at Rivington Primary School, it was established that a 15 years old girl (From the Adlington area) whilst snow sledging with friends in the vicinity of Yarrow Reservoir, had sustained an injured ankle.
Friends of the injured girl, and a passing member of the public, had then ‘sledged’ her to Rivington Primary School to meet the responding Ambulance.
Staff at the school had then taken her inside the school whilst awaiting the arrival of the Ambulance.
Following an assessment and initial treatment of the girls ankle injury, including pain killing gas, our team members present were requested by the NWAS crew to stretcher the young girl from the school to their Ambulance, which they duly did using the specialist mountain rescue stretcher carried on their vehicle. (Vehicle access to the school was not possible, and so the Ambulance had to park close by)
By 16.20hrs the young girl was on her way to hospital in the warmth and comfort of the NWAS Ambulance.
(Just prior to this our BM3 vehicle, also in the area, had arrived to assist with the short stretcher carry)
In total eight team members were involved in this incident.
During the previous sledging incident at Eagley Brook, the team was contacted at 13:32 by the NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Operations Centre at Broughton, and we were asked to attend another sledging incident, this time near to Rivington.
The North West Air Ambulance Helimed 72 had just landed at an incident on the Yarrow Reservoir embankment at Rivington, having previously been working with us at Eagley. The air crew requested our assistance in carrying a male in his 20’s, who had sustained a broken lower leg whilst sledging down the reservoir embankment.
Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon and probationary team member Jess Ellsmore attended immediately, travelling in Geoff’s vehicle, followed later by two Bolton MRT Land Rover ambulances who responded directly from the scene of the previous incident at Eagley Brook at 13:52.
Pending the arrival of the two responding Bolton MRT Land Rovers, Geoff & Jess also commandeered the assistance of two suitably equipped members of the public, and together with the North West Air Ambulance aircrew the injured male was carried to the top of the reservoir embankment to the waiting Air Ambulance helicopter (NWAA Helimed 72)
The two responding Bolton MRT vehicles were then stood down as they arrived on scene, along with an NWAS Emergency Ambulance which had also been despatched to this incident, and the aircraft departed with the casualty on board, to Royal Preston Hospital.
Our thanks are of course expressed to the two helpful members of public who assisted in carrying the casualty on this incident.
This is my friend Chad. Chad is a bloody good Paramedic Yesterday he succumbed to COVID after a long battle
COVID is real & is killing. Please for all our sakes stay at home DO NOT TRAVEL. Your Christmas gathering may well take another life it’s not worth it
WEAR A BLOODY MASK! pic.twitter.com/0INgGLVMRO
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Jan 17 2016
Incident 17/2016 – Snow Sledging accident at Stand Lane, Chapel Field, Whitefield
At 14.42hrs this snowy afternoon, whilst still present at Incident 16 at Rivington, we were paged by NWAS (Cumbria and Lancashire) Broughton EOC, to respond to assist with a snow sledging accident in fields near to Stand Lane, Whitefield, within Greater Manchester.
The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, with team members being diverted from the previous incident at Rivington, to lend assistance to NWAS with the stretcher evacuation of the injured 50 year old woman sledger.
By 15.28hrs our first Land Rover was on scene at the Stand Lane, Chapelfield, roadside RVP, and essential equipment started to be despatched to the casualty site very quickly, where the woman concerned, had suspected back injuries, and was being treated by responding NWAS personnel.
By 15.44hrs a mountain rescue stretcher evacuation was commencing, part carry and part sledge, when the third consecutive call of the day came to the team from NWAS.
As with Incident 16, team members from this incident were immediately diverted to deal with this third incident.
By 15.55hrs the injured woman was safely evacuated to the Stand Lane RVP, and quickly in to the warmth of the NWAS Emergency Ambulance and on route to Royal Bolton Hospital.
By 16.02hrs this incident was completed and remaining members at this location went on to respond to Incident 18.
During the response to this second incident of the day, and in the general Whitefield area at the time, whilst traveling on ‘blues and twos’ (Emergency lighting and sirens activated) with poor conditions during a snow fall, a youth within a group of youths threw a deliberately aimed large compacted ice ball, at the front windscreen of our Incident Control Vehicle.
Fortunately this hit the passenger side of the front windscreen, but still caused considerable distraction for the driver, both from the shock and sound of the impact and from obscuring the view out of the windscreen albeit temporarily.
Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was present in the front passenger seat at the time, and comments that this was an extremely foolish and dangerous act that endangered the response being made.
The driver, our Training Officer Alistair Greenough equally commented on this act, which was totally unexpected and had the real potential to endanger all present in the vehicle.
The following resources were involved in this incident;
By Paul Brain • 2016, Incident • Tags: Radcliffe, SnowSledging