At 12.35hrs early this afternoon the team was paged by NWAS (Lancashire) Broughton EOC, Airdesk Despatcher, to respond to an incident at the Turton and Entwistle Reservoir.

Our Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon answered the call, and at 12.39hrs a full team pager Call Out message was sent.

Two Bolton MRT Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances responded, leaving our GMFRS Bolton North Fire Station Garage at 12.49hrs (BM1) and our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ at 12.52hrs (BM3)

The incident involved a 60 years old woman walking in the company of her husband and their daughter, along with their three dogs on the very narrow footpath to the northern shore of Turton and Entwistle Reservoir, near to the Cadshaw Valley area.

A dog belonging to a passer by had apparently ‘knocked over the woman’ resulting in her sustaining a suspected fractured leg, and also falling completely in to the water of the reservoir.

The woman was then assisted back on to the path from the water, and her husband took their three dogs back to their car, whilst the daughter and passers by awaited the arrival of the emergency services.

Our first team member John Dickinson, arrived at the initial RVP given by NWAS at 12.51hrs, with our first team vehicle BM1 arriving shortly thereafter.
Once the actual casualty site was established, NWAS and Team members were quickly on scene, with the woman being treated by the NWAS Emergency Ambulance crew present and team members.

Her injured leg was splinted, and pain killers were administered, following which at circa 13.40hrs she
was then evacuated on our specialist SAR ALpine Lite Mountain Rescue Stretcher, to one of our Land Rovers which had driven in to the upper reaches of the Cadshaw Valley area.

Our Land Rover BM1 then transported her on the stretcher, via the Cadshaw Quarry track, to the waiting NWAS Emergency Ambulance, parked at the A666 RVP near to its Greens Arms Road junction.

From here at circa 14.17hrs the NWAS Emergency Ambulance departed en route for Royal Blackburn Hospital with the injured woman and her daughter on board.
The team and NWAS would like to express thanks to the many walkers who patiently waited on the narrow footpath where the woman had fallen, until she was treated and then moved, before they could recommence their walk.

The following resources were involved in this rescue;

• NWAS (Lancashire); Broughton EOC Airdesk Despatcher, Emergency Ambulance with two crew members based at Darwen Ambulance Station.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Seventeen Team Call Out list members, of which sixteen were involved on scene, plus three further Team Call Out list members stood down responding. Two Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles, BM1 and BM3.