Strachur firefighters come to rescue of man and dog trapped for nine hours

The man’s 4x4 vehicle skidded off the Succoth Glen road and down an embankment on Saturday December 14.

 

The driver was unable to escape from his car and endured a long wait because the crashed vehicle was hidden from view.

 

Approximately nine hours after the accident a walker was alerted by the sound of banging and discovered the distressed man knocking furiously on the inside of his car and calling for help.

 

When the passer-by raised the alarm the crew from Strachur community fire station arrived within minutes to begin the rescue and were assisted by Police Scotland and colleagues from Dunoon community fire station.

 

After careful assessment of the situation the driver and his dog were brought safely out of the vehicle.

 

“Luckily, despite the condition and position of the vehicle, the crew were able to carry out a timely removal of the occupant onto a rescue board,” Strachur community fire station depute volunteer leader Niall Anderson said.

 

“With the assistance of Police Scotland and passer- by, he was delivered into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.”

 

Niall was keen to stress the importance of seeking the help of the emergency services in such situations.

 

“It is essential that a trapped casualty should not be extricated by a member of the public, unless there is an impending danger to life. SFRS crews are all highly trained for these situations.

 

“The emergency services will always make it obvious that such an event has been brought to the services’ attention using warning tape or stickers or both. Should you come across a vehicle off the road without obvious tape, it may mean there are still occupants trapped, and this should be called into 999 immediately.”

 

Niall explained to the Advertiser that, unfortunately, the Strachur crew was not able to attend as many incidents as it would like due to a serious shortage in numbers.

 

“It has been several years since we have had a crew of 10, which is really what we need,” he said. “During the week we can almost never get out the door as the minimum number to attend an incident is a crew of four.”

 

Niall explained that many of Strachur’s volunteer firefighters work fulltime and are not nearby during the day.

 

“Most recently we were called to assist an ambulance crew but were unable to attend as we only had two available,” he said. “The difficulty is that Strachur has an older population and the fitness tests required by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are very stringent.

 

“We have had, unfortunately, had to turn away quite a few people because they haven’t passed the fitness test due to not meeting the eyesight requirements.”

 

For those that do make the grade, however, the rewards are certainly worth the effort.

 

“The training is all great,” Niall said. “The trauma care skills are really useful and knowing CPR is great too.

 

The initial training takes about two weeks and then we are training all the time throughout the year.”

 

Niall also stressed that there was no upper age limit and that anyone who was over 18 and physically fit could apply.

 

“There’s a firefighter in his seventies on a crew in the islands,” he said. “I would encourage everyone to consider volunteering. Personally I have learned so much and made friends with people I wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise. A lot of people who join are new to the area; it’s a great way to integrate into the community.”

 

Anyone interested in training to be a firefighter is invited to visit the station on a Wednesday evening or to get in touch via Strachur Community Fire Station’s Facebook page.