Last updated 11:18, Wednesday, 09 July 2008

A DEDICATED tem deals with 100s of major acccidents each year.
But without blue flashing lights their commitment goes largely unnoticed.
Rporter JO DAVIES met the shipyard's emergency responders.
PICTURES BY JON GRANGER

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A WORKER has collapsed on the second-storey platform in BAE Shipyard’s Devonshire Dock Hall.

Vessel fire safety officer David Kendall-James scales the flights of wrought iron steps to the platform, assesses the victim and carefully manoeuvres the casualty on to a stretcher.

He then steps off the platform, supporting the weight of the casualty with an intricate harness system, and begins to abseil down to the emergency response team on the shop floor below.

It’s a dramatic scenario but for the emergency response team it’s how they train for lifesaving rescues.

Standing from the sidelines fire and incident liaison officer Dave Stevenson interprets the rescue.

He says: “We’ve got a casualty who’s unwell at height and we need to rescue from height so that involves lines, rope equipment and rescuing the person. We’ve been called to a red call, attended it, dynamically assessed it, dealt with the casualty and got them ready to be transferred to Furness General Hospital.

“We can provide a number of different types of rescues with a vast range of equipment we carry and we’re all trained to handle them and use them.

“We’re trained in the use of breathing apparatus, stretchers, medical equipment, resuscitation equipment and how to use the rope rescue equipment.”

Given their experience and sophisticated training Mr Stevenson winces when they’re referred to as “first aiders”.

Although they patch up cuts, they also know how to deal with noxious gases, precarious rescues, burns and a host of other industrial incidents.

And they will always be the first to respond to any emergency within the shipyard.

The shipyard mandate is a two-minute response time to a 777 call, the site’s treble nine equivalent. All 777 calls are routed through Dave John, security and fire manager for the Barrow site.

The shipyard’s emergency responders work 24/7 in shifts which correspond to Cumbria’s Fire and Rescue Service. Each incoming call is colour-coded depending on its severity. Green is non urgent and red requires an instant response.

If a response is required Mr John immediately alerts one of the yard’s five fire and incident liaison officers – the yard’s point of contact with the emergency services.

Together the five FILOs have more than 140 years experience as industrial firefighters.

“They’re the leaders of the team in relation to live incidents,” explained Mr John. “We’ve got the FILOs on one side and the rest of the guys working for Reliance (the yard’s security firm), but they all gel together as a team.

“The teams are supported by two emergency medical technicians which again provide 24/7 cover. They are trained to a similar standard as ambulance technicians.

“We have a pool of personnel on each shift and they do work well together in a team.”

The emergency responders also respect the great working relationship they have with Barrow firefighters and Barrow ambulance crews.

“We’ve worked with Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for so long that we have a great relationship with them,” said Mr Stevenson, 52, from Allithwaite. “They know when they come here to speak to me and nobody else. I speak their language and understand where they’re coming from and they know where I’m coming from.

“If there’s a fire call they attend, but I’m always here first. We use exactly the same equipment as Cumbria fire brigade to be compatible with them.

“If we start a rescue they come and see what we’ve got in place so they can join in.

“One casualty can soak up a lot of personnel.

“The FILOs would do that and then we’d cascade our training to the other guys.”

Mercifully traumatic incidents are few and far between in the shipyard, largely thanks to comprehensive training.

Mr Stevenson confesses to being a stickler when it comes to health and safety but the shipyard employs a policy that prevention is better than cure.

“A lot of training is ‘what if’ rather than training for what occurs on a regular basis,” he explained.

On top of the ongoing training and incident responses the emergency responders also treat members of the workforce for injuries or strains picked up at home.

After all, a healthy workforce is a productive one.