This evening twenty two Team Call Out list members took part in tonight’s weekly routine training exercise. (Two other members were at the Greater Manchester 3rd Sector (Voluntary Agencies) meeting, and our Treasurer was fully absorbed in the financial affairs of the team!)

The exercise scenario organised by our Equipment Officer – Vehicles, Neil Aspinall, and our Training Officer Neil Warburton, had all the essentials of one of our ‘routine’ exercises; multiple casualties, difficult extrication and evacuation, darkness, and a ‘bystander’ to deal with.

Add in a ‘criminal’ element in that one of the casualties had a stab wound, and Team member Michael Eddleston, acting out the role of a GMP Officer (No acting actually required, as he is a GMP serving Inspector) and there was enough going on to entertain all our members present.

Starting at 20.00hrs all was completed by 21.50hrs, with thanks to two friends of our Training Officer Neil Warburton, who acted out roles as an exercise casualty and ‘bystander’ on tonight’s exercise.

We even had the assistance of Police Helicopter NPAS 21 (Based at City Airport Manchester – Barton) which following its involvement very nearby with an RTC on Lever Park Avenue, Horwich, kindly then took part in our exercise for a short period, using its very high powered ‘Nite Sun’ underside mounted searchlight, to illuminate the exercise incident scene, which also provided an impromptu training opportunity for the NPAS 21 air crew.

Tonight was an excellent opportunity to show the dedication and commitment of the team membership to training, given that virtually every member out tonight had also been out the full evening the previous day on Incident 46, searching for a missing woman.