In between the Junior and Senior Fell Races today constituting the Rivington Pike Fell Race, at 13.10hrs today our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, was contacted directly by the NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Control Centre ‘ Air Desk,’ requesting the teams assistance with the report of a collapsed woman in the Rivington area.
The exact incident location was unknown at the time to NWAS ECC and whilst The NWAA Helimed 72 had been despatched, our Team Leader attempted (Unsuccessfully as it turned out) to contact the mobile phone of the informant, to find out where the incident scene was.
Almost at the same time a member of the collapsed woman’s party had run down from the Rivington Pike location of the incident to nearby team vehicles covering the Fell Race to directly request assistance.
A call was also received by the Great House Barn Information Centre in Lever Park, Rivington, regarding this incident.
NWAA Helimed 72 lands next to one of our vehicles, below Rivington Pike
Just as our first team members actual arrived at the incident location at 13.23hrs, the NWAA Helimed 72 landed nearby, and its crew and our members jointly assisted the woman.
The 65 years old woman from Warrington had enjoyed a walk up to the summit of the moorland landmark of Rivington Pike in the company of twelve family members, including her husband, three sons, daughter in law and grand children.
On the descent she unfortunately slipped, falling and injuring her head, and her family quite rightly dialled 999 requesting emergency assistance.
Team members and the Helimed crew placed the injured woman on a specialist mountain rescue stretcher and she was carried the short distance down from the slopes of Rivington Pike to the waiting Air Ambulance helicopter which had landed on the nearby moorland track of Georges Lane, near to Rivington Terraced Gardens.
By 13.57hrs the NWAA Helimed 72 had lifted off for the short direct flight to Royal Blackburn Hospital, with another family member accompanying the woman in the helicopter.
The remaining family members including the grand children were then transported down to their vehicles in Lever Park, Rivington, in our Team Leaders car, and our BM2 and BM3 vehicles, with this incident concluding at 14.35hrs.
In total eighteen team call out list members were involved in this response, some directly and some held in reserve, with two team vehicles from the four present also directly involved.
The North West Air Ambulance, ‘Helimed 72’ came from its base at City Airport Manchester (Barton), with three crew involved.
United Utilities Ranger Andy Ryding (A former Bolton MRT member and an ex Team Training Officer) was also involved on scene.
Our thanks are also expressed to the NWAS (Lancashire) ECC Air Desk Despatcher.
Another excellent example of our close co-operative working with the NWAA greatly helped by the NWAS ECC staff.
