Crews have been honing their work at height skills ... by rescuing casualties from a 100 metre telephone mast.

Cambs Times: Crews rescued casualties from a 100m telephone mast.Crews rescued casualties from a 100m telephone mast. (Image: Archant)

Cambs Fire and Rescue Service joined teams from Cambs Police and the East of England Ambulance Service for the multi-agency training exercise just outside Wisbech.

With the assistance of BT, the following scenario was set up - a person was located 50 metres up the mast who was unwilling to come down, with another injured person on a platform several metres higher.

Police negotiators talked to the individual, making it possible for the fire and ambulance services to see to the casualty.

A working at height Hazardous Area Response Team provided emergency medical attention to the casualty before the fire service used a specialist stretcher and ropes to lower the casualty to awaiting medics on the ground.

Cambs Times: Crews rescued casualties from a 100m telephone mast.Crews rescued casualties from a 100m telephone mast. (Image: Archant)

Station Commander Carl Pardon said: “The BT teams assisted greatly with the setting up of the exercise and overseeing the work at height.

“All agencies involved stated how realistic the scenario was and how complex and challenging it was for the incident commanders.

“I’m very grateful to all for supporting the exercise and committing substantial resources to make it run successfully.”

Wayne Loeber, tower policy and access compliance manager at BT, said: “The day was a success as it gave us the opportunity to test out our own internal emergency procedures and also to see first-hand how the fire service work, the kit used, rescue techniques and work out ways in which our own BT climbers could assist if needed.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the fire service members that attended the exercise at Wisbech Radio Station, especially to Carl Pardon and Neil Hoskin for planning and setting the exercise up.”