Local Firefighters based at Newcastle Fire Station received prestigious citations from the Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dale Ashford in recognition of their outstanding work in a dramatic rescue of a 19-year old man who had fallen over 30-feet onto rocks near the Bloody Bridge car park on the outskirts of Newcastle, County Down on Sunday 20 July 2014.
Two fire crews from Newcastle Fire Station assisted by colleagues from the NIFRS Specialist Rescue Team responded to the incident, as there were concerns about gaining access to the casualty due to the very difficult conditions in the area. The incident Crew Commander Kenny Annett and fire crews worked in partnership with the Police, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, British Red Cross and the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team to help save the stricken man.
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The Newcastle Fire and Rescue team with Assistant Chief Dale Ashford following the presentation of the citation for a brave and difficult rescue of an injured man last summer.[/caption]
The attending fire crews, as part of a multi-agency effort, located the casualty and helped the Ambulance Service gain access to the scene. This allowed the transfer of essential medical equipment and expertise to the accident site. Both Crew Commanders Paddy McGarry and Alan Johnston stayed with the casualty who was immersed in the cold waters of a rock pool where the man lay before he was then taken by helicopter to a local hospital for treatment. The injured man remained in a stable condition drifting in and out of consciousness following the rescue and eventually made a full recovery.
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Assistant Chief Dale Ashford presents the citation to the Newcastle rescuers.[/caption]
The man had been camping at Bloody Bridge and took a straight fall of thirty feet onto the rocks below after a late night walk. He received serious injuries to his pelvis, arm, leg and head and experienced blood loss and was lucky to be alive. The weather at the time was very settled but the tide was in-coming and he had landed in a shallow rock pool. The man was only wearing a t-shirt and, as time slipped by, he stood a chance of becoming hypothermic. The rescuers stayed with him in the cold conditions until the air lift arrived.
Firemen had clambered down the very difficult and dangerous terrain to the injured man and stayed with him until the rescue helicopter arrived.
Dale Ashford, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service said: “It is my privilege to present Newcastle Firefighters with the Chief Fire Officer’s Citation. They were faced with a serious situation in which a young man’s life was in danger. This accolade is to recognise their clear thinking and bravery, their decisiveness and the resourcefulness they displayed at the incident.
“In extremely challenging circumstances the team worked tirelessly to rescue the injured person and have received widespread praise for their response to this incident highlighting the excellent partnership workings between all of the Emergency Services in saving this man’s life.
“It is important for us as an organisation to recognise our personnel who go that extra mile, who go above and beyond the call of duty to help protect others.
“This incident demonstrates the calibre of Firefighters in the Newcastle area. They are a credit to the Fire & Rescue Service and to their local community. Everyone across Northern Ireland should be justifiably proud of their local Firefighters who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.
”This is what we all joined the service for and it make sit all worthwhile.”
NIFRS District Commander for Downpatrick Neil McGrath added: “Kenny, Paddy and Alan’s professionalism and bravery are a fantastic example of Fire Crews protecting the community. The excellent partnership working between all of the Emergency Services at the scene, along with the local knowledge and understanding of the area displayed by NIFRS Newcastle personnel lead to the saving of this young man’s life. Their actions allowed other members of the Emergency Services to quickly treat the casualty despite the difficult conditions they faced.
“I am delighted that the Chief Fire Officer has recognised these three Firefighters for their efforts by awarding Citations for their work. The people of Newcastle have an excellent Fire and Rescue Service that ensures the safety and wellbeing of everyone.”
JJ McAllister, Group Commander based in Portadown had been working in Bangor at the time and said: “I rushed to the scene and the rescue was well on its way and all services were working seamlesslesly. The Coastguard had already made the call for the rescue helocopter. The Mourne Mountain Rescue team were also on hand in the co-ordinated services rescue. It was a very well-organised mult-service rescue and our training certainly proved to be very useful.”
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