At 20:45 tonight the team was contacted by Greater Manchester Police with the report of a serious incident on the moors above Bolton.

A 54 year old male from the Bolton area had been participating in the popular pastime of GeoCaching in the vicinity of Winter Hill, when he became unwell and complained of chest pains.

Team members immediately mobilised and met with other members of the casualty’s group at the Winter Hill TV transmission station, along with colleagues from t…he North West Ambulance Service. The casualty’s friends were initially unsure of the exact location of the unwell man, and so Sarloc Rescue, a method for locating mobile phones, was used to pinpoint his location. He was found to be 1km away from the nearest road, and in about the most remote location you can be, on the marshes of Rivington Moor.

Two team members immediately set off on foot to confirm the location of the man and his companion, and they both rendered assistance whilst more team members assembled at Winter Hill. Due to the location of the casualty an early request for air support was made, initially to National Police Air Service and then to HM Coastguard Caernarfon, where a Sikorsky S92 helicopter was scrambled at 21:20.

A second party of 12 team members was accompanied by an NWAS paramedic and emergency medical technician and travelled onto the moor with additional medical, shelter and evacuation equipment.

Upon the arrival of the HMCG S92 helicopter from Caernarfon, the male was further assessed by the NWAS and HMCG Paramedics. With concern for his condition, it was decided to “hot load” the casualty for onward transfer to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, where the aircraft was met by a second NWAS vehicle for onward transfer to hospital.

This incident was a fantastic example of team work between multiple organisations to effect a successful rescue in a remote location at night.