At 18.28hrs this evening the team was paged by NWAS (Greater Manchester area) EOC Parkway to lend assistance to an incident at Astley Green, involving the report of a collapsed male on the tow path to the Bridgewater Canal.

An NWAS Rapid Response Vehicle Paramedic had initially responded, with the team being requested to stretcher evacuate the male along the towpath back to the responding NWAS Emergency Ambulance.
Our first arriving member was our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, who living nearby arrived quickly at the Ambulance RVP at 18.42hrs, closely followed by our Chairman Craig Lamb at 18.44hrs who also lives nearby.

The ambulance RVP was set up at Astley Bridge which crosses over the Bridgewater Canal, on Lower Green Lane, Astley Green, Astley, Manchester.

Garry and Craig went straight away to the incident site along with the Emergency Ambulance Paramedic, whilst team member Mike O’Brien waited at the RVP for the arrival of our responding vehicles.
The male involved, a 60 years old man from Leigh, had collapsed on the canal towpath, with suspected chest pains and possible injuries from his fall.

The responding RRV Paramedic was initially assisted by a passing GMFRS Firefighter, who left shortly after MRT members arrived on scene.

Our first two of three responding Land Rovers arrived at the RVP at 19.05hrs, and equipment and more personnel were quickly despatched to the incident site, which was by Whitehead Hall Bridge, over the Bridgewater Canal.

The male involved was treated for possible head, neck and back injuries, as well as the report of chest pains, and with pain killing drugs was placed on a long board with head blocks.

At circa 19.23hrs a short distance stretcher evacuation on our SAR Alpine Lite Mountain Rescue Stretcher commenced, along the canal towpath, with care having to be exercised at various parts where the towpath narrowed!

Within ten minutes the man was at the ambulance RVP, and by 19.50hrs was on route to Hope Hospital, Salford, for treatment.

By 20.00hrs all MRT and NWAS involved resources had departed the RVP, with the crew of our Bolton Mobile 1 vehicle travelling onward to Hope Hospital to retrieve team kit items used in treating the man.

The following resources were involved in this incident;

• NWAS (Greater Manchester area); EOC Parkway, Rapid Response Vehicle (Estate car) with solo Paramedic crew, and one Emergency Ambulance, two crew ; Paramedic and EMT.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Three Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances responded, Bolton Mobiles 1,2 and 4. twenty one team members involved on scene, one further member assisting with SARCALL log information. Three further team members were stood down responding.