At 12.42hrs we were contacted by NWAS (Lancashire) EOC to assist at an incident in the moorland village of Edgworth, where a bariatric female casualty had collapsed in her house, which was in an area completely snow bound, following a fall of some eight inches plus of snow overnight and into the early morning.

Following the gathering of information from NWAS (Lancashire) EOC and liaison between our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE and very experienced team members Steve Fletcher and Mike Marsh, who co-incidentally were at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, a full team member call out was paged at 12.56hrs.

NWAS required the team to possible assist their responding crews, given the reported nature of the road network in the centre of Edgworth, where the lady involved lived, ie deep snow.

Our first responding team member, John Dickinson, who lives local, arrived on scene at 13.08hrs followed by team member Tony Dawson at 13.10hrs and then the initial responding NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance, which had travelled along snow bound roads from Darwen Ambulance Station.

Ultimately a quite protracted rescue operation took place involving the Bolton MRT, joint with NWAS (Lancashire), NWAS (Manchester), Lancashire Constabulary, local residents and a tractor with bucket from a nearby Riding School, the woman was eventually transferred from her house to a specialist Bariatric Ambulance at 17.33hrs and taken onwards for treatment to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

At 17.45hrs all involved team members departed the incident location, whilst one of our members in a Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance journeyed to Royal Blackburn Hospital to retrieve our equipment used.

The following resources were involved in this incident;

• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team ; Two Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances and eleven team Call Out list members on scene.
• NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Operations Centre.
• NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance and two crew from Darwen Ambulance Station.
• NWAS (Lancashire) Rapid Response Vehicle with a Manager / Advanced Paramedic.
• NWAS (Manchester) Specialist Bariatric Ambulance with two crew members.
• NWAS HART Team; Initially were deploying to this incident but were re-tasked en route to another incident.
• Lancashire Constabulary; Local Rural beat Officer acting as Police Liaison.

Members of the public from the surrounding properties also assisted team members with initially clearing a route to the property where the lady involved had collapsed, by digging a channel through the snow for the Bariatric Ambulance to get close to the property.

Thanks also to former Team member and now GMP Officer Dave Kehoe, who lives locally, and arranged for the tractor (With bucket) from a nearby Riding Scholl at Affetside, to better clear a pathway to the house.

The team would like to thank the casualty involved and her husband for their understanding, particularly with our ‘intrusion’ (Albeit necessary) into their home, and to local residents for keeping us supplied with tea and biscuits whilst we awaited the arrival of the specialist Bariatric Ambulance.