Congratulations to Crew Managers Gary Sands, Gary Lawson, and Station Manager Craig Farrage who have been awarded a Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation today for saving the lives of two men who were trapped down a mine workings at High Skears, last April.
On arrival at the incident, Station Manager Craig Farrage was met by Crew Manager Gary Lawson who had already been into the mine to find the casualties. He then informed him that the actual location of the incident was some considerable distance into the mine workings, down 2 vertical ladders, across a wooden bridging ladder and through a very restricted crawl space which opened to a final chamber that was a 25-to-30-meter vertical shaft that the 2 gentlemen were stuck down. One of which was stuck suspended in a harness.
Due to Gary’s brave decision making on first arrival, he was able to give first-hand description of the nature of the route in, hazards present, potential risks to both the trapped men and any rescue party as well as an accurate assessment of the casualty’s condition.
Crew Manager Gary Sands was also a vital part of the team as the incident progressed. Approx. 20 mins after they had recovered the suspended casualty, and whilst still assessing options for the recovery of the second person the Mines Rescue Team arrived. Station Manager Craig Farrage provided a hand over and looked to withdraw all Fire Service personnel however it became very apparent that their plan to rescue the second person involved more personnel and they would probably have to wait for an additional team which they expected could take up to an hour to arrive.
At this point, Gary volunteered to stay and assist with the rescue as he understood rope systems, could rig hauling systems, and provide the required strength to operate the rope system required. It should be kept in mind that by this time Crew Manager Sands had been below ground for some considerable time in an environment so far from his comfort zone it’s hard to imagine and all the while remained calm and effective contributing to an already successful rescue.
On conclusion of the incident, it became very apparent that Gary was an integral part of the Mines Rescue Teams plans for the recovery of the second casualty and that without him volunteering to stay and help, the rescue would have been delayed approx. 1 hour causing serious threat to life for the casualty.
Chief Fire Officer Stuart Errington commented: “This was an exceptionally difficult set of circumstances, requiring a high level of professionalism, courage and utilisation of skills and training. Luckily, both men were rescued safely and uninjured and I’d like to thank our crews and all the agencies involved for their professionalism in what was an extremely complex rescue in challenging conditions. I am certain that the exceptional brave decision making and initial actions at the scene were what led to the implementation of a successful rescue plan.”
