Surrey firefighters and builders team up for crane rescue practice

Firefighters from watches across Surrey have joined together to practice complex crane rescues on a live building site in Epsom.

Building contractor Speller Metcalfe gave the crews access to the site where they are currently building a new headquarters for global design consultancy Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group. Crews from Leatherhead, Epsom and Banstead have attended four training sessions throughout the year, practising line rescue techniques that could be used in the event of ever needing to make an emergency rescue from a tower crane.

In carefully staged scenarios, the fire fighters used lines and an aerial ladder platforms to practice extricating a casualty from the top of a 35 meter tower crane.

The exercises provided the fire fighters a rare opportunity to carry out practical training on a live building site, as well as giving crane operators and other site operatives an insight into how they could best assist the emergency services in the event of a real life crane rescue.

Crane Driver Terry Stephens and Lift Supervisor Theo Dinev were on hand during the training sessions to advise members of the fire service of specific requirements of the crane on site.

Stephen Clark, Site Manager at Speller Metcalfe commented on the success of the training:

“Each practical scenario was a new and valuable learning experience for all involved. We have now been able to adapt our plans on site to accommodate what we’ve learned, ensuring the smoothest possible rescue in the event of an emergency on a crane.”