Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 10/09/2010 14:28

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service vehicle extrication team have taken to the skies with Air Southwest flying them to Cork in the Republic of Ireland to represent England at the World Rescue Challenge.

The World Rescue Challenge sees the top international rescue teams compete annually in an event designed to challenge emergency service personnel and raise awareness of the global problem of road death and injury.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service’s Vehicle Extrication Team, made up of 6 firefighters, took part in three gruelling days of competition. Thirty eight teams representing countries from as far north as Highlands and Islands, as far east as Russia, as far south as South Africa and as far west as the United States of America took part. CFRS Extrication Team have been ranked 20th in the world which is a magnificent achievement and one that Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is very proud of.

The three separate challenges were:

to remove a casualty from a vehicle within ten minutes.

a more technically difficult scenario, where the team is given 20 minutes to complete the task.

a multiple casualty extrication, which they were challenged to achieve within 30 minutes.

Firefighters from Camborne, Redruth, Mullion and St Mawes, including Robert Martin (captain), Keith Boyd, Darren Rowe, Paul Brown, Chris Williams and Steve Miles, make up the CFRS team which is sponsored by Sims Metal Management who allow them to practice and improve their skills at their scrap yard in Camborne.

Lance Kennedy, Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “I am very proud of our team and congratulate them on achieving the skill level to represent the country. Firefighters train for these events to improve fire and rescue service response to incidents on our roads. It proves again the high standards of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service personnel in whom we can safely put our trust.”

Roz Mears, Sales and Marketing Manager at Air Southwest, said: “When the team first approached us and said the championships were being held in Cork this year we were only too happy to help because we fly from Newquay to Cork up to four times a week. We made special arrangements to carry the team’s gear and we are delighted to hear that they did so well against international competition.”

The team is supported by Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service but also rely on raising funds for equipment and training. They are extremely grateful to all of their sponsors over the years and would like to thank everyone who is supporting them.

The team are currently looking for additional corporate sponsorship to assist with long-term fundraising plans and would welcome any support.

For further information about the Extrication Team, contact Station Manager Richard Gibbons on 01208 72312.

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=24530