At 16.03hrs this afternoon, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was contacted directly by NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Control Centre, for the teams assistance at an off road motorcycle incident.

Initially the North West Air Ambulance had been considered but was on other operational taskings.

At 16.11hrs a full team call out page was made, to the RVP at the end of Warth Fold Road, Warth Fold, Bury, immediately next to the Metrolink Level Crossing by the River Irwell.

Our first team member Sam McKay arrived at the RVP at 16.26hrs and made initial contact with one of the friends of the injured youth and the NWAS (Manchester) responding crew.

At 16.42hrs our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE then arrived on scene, with Sam now en route to the actual casualty site, on meadow land alongside the River Irwell at Warth Fold, Bury.

Our first responding Land Rover arrived at 16.44hrs and with heavy rain now starting to fall, equipment was immediately despatched to the casualty site.

On scene, the NWAS crew were treating a twenty one year old male for serious shoulder and arm injuries sustained in a fall whilst off road motor biking, including the provision of pain killing gas.

Provided by the team and administered in co-operation with the NWAS crew, a powerful pain killing drug was then given to the casualty, as the weather turned from heavy downpours to torrential rain.

Just after 17.00hrs the evacuation of the injured male started, using our specialist mountain rescue stretcher, on a short but very awkward stretcher carry, involving having to traverse part of the river bank of the River Irwell under a very low bridge (With only four feet of headroom) and then on a very narrow pedestrian bridge over the River Irwell, and along narrow very densely vegetated footpaths, all in now torrential rainfall.

By 17.10hrs the casualty was in the warmth and (More importantly) dry of the NWAS Ambulance, which then departed for North Manchester Hospital.

Our last members left the RVP by 17.32hrs, with one of our two responding team vehicles travelling to North Manchester Hospital to retrieve team equipment items used in the evacuation.

Once back at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ we then started the long task of drying out a large amount of totally wet through equipment used on this rescue.
The following resources were involved in this incident;

• NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Control Room, with thanks to them for their help and guidance in locating the RVP and casualty site.
• NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance, Ramsbottom Ambulance Station, two crew members.
• Bolton MRT, two Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles (BM1 and BM3) eighteen team members on scene, and a further three stood down responding.
• Friends of the injured male, who gave help with directing us to the actual incident site.