Jan 11 2015
Incident 19/2014 – Operational deployment for our DVSD Search Dog north of the border
Early this morning, raising at 04.45hrs, our DVSD Search Dog Handler Dave Marsh met up with colleague Bolton MRT team member Dave Cook (our Equipment Officer – Water) at 05.30hrs our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ to journey up to Dumfries to take part in an on going search enquiry operation.
They journeyed in our Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulance, Bolton Mobile 4, along with our 3.4 metre long semi rigid inflatable SAR Boat, arriving in Dumfries after a three hour journey, at the appointed meeting time of 09.00hrs.
This request for Dave and his DVSD Sasha came from Police Scotland, and involved a search of the River Nith, using the highly specialist skills of our DVSD Sasha.
Dave Cook acted as driver, navigator and the ‘chap who looks after the chap’ during the course of searching.
Once their search areas were allocated, Dave Marsh, Dave Cook and Sasha alongside a member from Nith Inshore Rescue [Ronnie acting as guide] formed a small party undertaking specialised searches in the watercourses in and around the floodplain of the River Nith.
The ground conditions underfoot were appalling due to unabated rain which had been falling since the unfortunate man had gone missing.
Large areas were searched in conjunction with other search and rescue assets present.
Vast tracts of the marshland of the Solway Firth were covered before the tide once more engulfed the areas.
Some areas were tasked for searching at a later date when local conditions would allow.
Also present and involved during todays extensive search operation, to try and locate the whereabouts of a missing 18 year old male, was Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, Galloway Mountain Rescue Team, Nith Inshore Rescue, HM Coastguard and Police Scotland resources.
Dave Marsh, DVSD Sasha and Dave Cook, following a debrief, all returned to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ at 18.30hrs this evening, after a long and tiring day.
Police Scotland enquiries continue, in an effort to locate the whereabouts of this missing young man.
Please also view the websites and Facebook sites of our colleague teams at Galloway and Moffat Mountain Rescue Teams for their reports on this search operation.
Dec 5 2015
Incident 90/2015 – Team called out to major incident / flooding incident at Lancaster, Lancashire
At 22.39hrs the evening of Saturday 5th December, the team was contacted by Lancashire Constabulary regarding the flooding events in Lancaster, and what assistance could be provided by Bolton MRT.
A call was also received from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service from the Gold Control set up for this incident.
This involved a full Bolton MRT call out with all our available assets, including four Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, our Incident Control Vehicle, our Minibus and our SAR Boat, along with twenty team operational members, with the team then returning back home, following relief from additional out of county Fire Service and Army resources, with our completion in this incident at 10.58hrs on the morning of Sunday 6th December 2015.
Throughout this incident, at the flooding on Cable Street, Lancaster, we deployed our SAR Boat and personnel alongside LFRS and Lancashire Constabulary resources.
Other team members, in three team vehicles, initially stationed at Lancaster Hospital, were involved in assisting NWAS Lancashire and Cumbria with responding to Ambulance calls, which included emergency responses and patient transfers, transporting essential staff to their employment at Lancaster Hospital, and transporting evacuated persons to a rest centre.
Throughout a large part of the time we were at Lancaster and responding to incidents in the area, it continued to rain, alongside strong winds at times.
A widespread power failure in the entire Lancaster area added to the flooding problems, with all emergency services personnel and other organisations deployed working in conditions of poor weather and total darkness over a very wide area.
During this incident we worked directly alongside resources and personnel from NWAS Lancashire and Cumbria Area EOC, LFRS multiple resources including boats, Lancashire Constabulary Officers including local Divisional Officers, Traffic and even Armed Response Officers drafted in to assist, our colleagues from Rossendale and Pendle MRT, North West Police Underwater Search and Marine Unit (with two boats) and Lancaster Hospital NHS Trust, amongst other resources. (we were relieved following handover by assets specifically from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and British Army vehicles and personnel from Weeton Camp)
We would also like to thank the two woman from Blackpool, who deployed with the Salvation Army Catering Unit, and kept those of us at the flooding incident scene at Cable Street, Lancaster, fed and supplied with warm drinks throughout the very wet weather of this early morning incident.
During this incident, and due to the nature of some dynamic events and multiple taskings, mention is made of the great team work all Bolton MRT team members (as is usual) displayed, particularly those members who through circumstance, found themselves on taskings they are not normally involved in, such as Matthew Morris who acted as a link between Lancaster Hospital taskings and our members deployed to do such, and Paul Copley who assisted in our Incident Control Vehicle.
We would like to extend our thanks to Shaun Walton, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Group Manager, Response and Emergency Planning, who embedded within the Gold Control throughout our involvement in this incident, did much to assist the team with regards to our activities, and information requests during this incident.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted this same day;
@Bolton MRT thanks for helping us out with your boat and other resources in Lancaster. we make a good # Team.
By Paul Brain • 2015, Incident • • Tags: Lancaster, Water