| |
Dean Farrar Street, London |
| |
London Fire Brigade’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams were called on to use
their full range of specialist equipment to rescue a trapped construction worker from a
collapsed building in Westminster in mid-June.
Three USAR modules were mobilised to the building in Dean Farrar Street – a few
hundred yards from New Scotland Yard - at around 4pm on Tuesday,12 June 2007. The top
two storeys (fourth and fifth floors) of the five storey office block, which was being
refurbished, had partially collapsed, leaving a builder trapped on the third floor. |
|
| |
Successful Rescue |
|
| |
The successful rescue operation, which hit the national
news headlines, involved seven fire engines, three Fire
Rescue Units and over 50 firefighters, as well as the
USAR teams.
State of the art USAR equipment was used during the
operation, including listening devices and special
cameras which were used in small voids to assist
operators to locate the trapped casualty. A 150 foot
crane was used to lift rubble away.
Steady progress was made by the Brigade’s USAR
teams throughout Tuesday evening and into the early
hours of Wednesday to rescue the trapped man. |
| |
Contacting the Casualty |
|
|
| |
The trapped man, a builder from Eastern Europe, was conscious during the rescue, and
voice contact was made with him at an early stage. Rescue teams were able to lower
communications equipment to him so he was kept updated on the progress of the
rescue via an interpreter.
Other specialist equipment enabled the USAR teams to
make safe areas to work in and to shore up the building
as they made their way towards the trapped man. The
rescue process took 9 hours because of the risk that the
whole building structure could collapse if the debris
trapping the man was removed. At around 2.30am, the construction worker was rescued
by the combined use of both USAR and line rescue
techniques and taken by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital. |
|
| |
Coordinated Response |
|
| |
Area Manager Dave Scott, Head of London Fire Brigade’s Special Operations Group,
said: “This was a difficult, hazardous, but ultimately highly successful rescue, which took
several hours and demonstrated what a valuable addition to the Brigade’s capabilities the training and introduction of specialist USAR and line rescue equipment and training
have proved to be. “ |
| |
“Throughout, our urban search and rescue teams worked closely with the London
Ambulance Service, the Helicopter Emergency Response Service, the Metropolitan
Police and Westminster Council. The co-ordinated response was a testament to the
close working relationship of all the emergency services and local authorities.”
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the cause of the building collapse. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
