AN electrician from Henley was pulled out alive from the deep waters of a disused quarry last night, in a dramatic rescue by the combined emergency services.
The ‘rescue’ was all part of a co-ordinated training exercise between Thames Valley Police, the ambulance service and Thame fire officers, filmed especially to create a DVD to be shown as a warning to young people.
THE SITE
A deep water lake, left behind after the closure of Chinnor Cement Works when it closed in 1998, has recently been attracting young people who have been using the area in the recent warm weather for social gatherings, often advertised on social networking sites.
THE DANGERS
The dangers of the combination of alcohol use, swimming in the chemically poluted water and jumping from highsided cliffs around the lake, have prompted recent warnings issued by the police, and the employment of security guards and fencing by the sites owners, Taylor Wimpey. A teenage girl recently broke her leg when she jumped into the water and hit an obstacle beneath the surface.
THE RESCUE
During the ‘rescue’ a man found floating in the water complaining of back and leg pains, was slowly and carefully extricated from the water using ropes and the imaginative use of a fire hose inflated with water. This was used as a boom in the water to protect the ‘casualty’ and guide his injured body nearer the shore so that ambulance crew could slide him carefully onto a stretcher.
The rescue was made all the more difficult by the steeply sloping and muddy sides of the lake, as well as reeds and other obstacles in the water.
The DVD of the ‘rescue’ will be shown to school children, youths, parents and other groups, all round the country to warn of the dangers of bodies of water in isolated spots, not designed for recreational use.
Hopefully, Station Officer Andy Ford and his fellow fire officers from Thame, will not ever be called out to this isolated and difficult location, for real. But if they are, they will be all-the-more prepared after last night’s ‘dummy run’.
WHO WAS ‘THE CASUALTY’?
Steve Butcher, an electrician from Henley, volunteered to be the casualty, which involved laying still in very cold water for around an hour and a half.
More used to being the rescuer, Steve is part of the new probationary Lowland Search and Rescue team, ISIS, which, among other tasks, helps the police search for missing people.
Once on dry land and warmed up, Steve told Thamenews.net: “Within a year, after five special assignments and assessments, we shall be a fully fledged team in the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue, ALSAR (the opposite number of the Mountain Rescue service). But we need more members, more support and more money! We currently have 14 members, over half of them women.
Anyone who would like to find out more about supporting or volunteering for ALSAR, can contact Steve via email: steve_butcher@isis-sar.org.uk or
Email: steve@selectrixservices.co.uk
PHOTO: ‘Casualty’ Steve Butcher is carried away to a waiting ambulace after being ‘rescued’ from the water at Chinnor quarry last night.