Man rescued after Blows Down quarry fall

A dog walker was rescued by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service yesterday afternoon (Sunday 22 May) after he fell down a steep slope at Blows Downs Quarry, Dunstable and broke his leg.

Fire Control received a call about the accident at 13.09 on Sunday after the man, who had been trying to retrieve a ball for his dog, slipped and fell down the side of the old quarry behind Tescos near Skimpot Road, Dunstable.

The Fire Service’s Rope Rescue Team were mobilised from Dunstable Community Fire Station and arrived at the old quarry just ten minutes later. Supported by Fire Crews from Dunstable and Toddington they lowered a Firefighter down to the injured casualty with the equipment required to complete the rescue and assist paramedics already on the scene. They then lowered him to the ground using their specialist equipment so he could be taken to hospital.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ade Yule, Borough Commander South, explained: “We have a special Rope Rescue Team trained especially for this kind of rescue. We train regular to ensure we are always ready for this kind of incident. I’d like to congratulate the team for an excellent text-book rescue.

“The gentleman had tried to retrieve a ball for his dog but had fallen and broken his leg. We lowered a Firefighter down to him and assisted the paramedics in lowering him to the ground where he could be taken to hospital.

“While we don’t have any mountains in Bedfordshire there are locations such as disused quarries that pose a serious risk to the community and I would advise people to be careful around the edges of these and not to go into these to retrieve anything that might have fallen out of reach.”

Related topics: