Cod Beck Rescue

Wednesday 24th June 2020. A number of Team members took part in a mass ‘litter-picking’ exercise spread across wide areas of the North York Moors. Just as one of the training parties was finishing a ‘litter sweep’ of the Cod Beck area near Osmotherley they came across a Yorkshire Ambulance Service crew who were responding to a report of a man having sustained a leg injury near to Cod Beck reservoir. The four Team members informed our call-out officer and then walked to where the casualty was being attended to by one of the Ambulance crew, on a path bordering the reservoir.

The 21-year old man from Middlesbrough had injured his leg earlier that evening when he jumped into the reservoir which was a lot shallower than he expected. As a result he was in a lot of pain and unable to walk. He was treated by the Ambulance crew member assisted by one of our Team doctors, who was fortunately in this training party. Two other Team members then collected the Ambulance stretcher and with the other crew member pushed it a few hundred metres along the path to the casualty. They were then joined by other Team members who had been training on the other side of Osmotherley. With the casualty loaded onto the stretcher he was pushed all the way back to the waiting ambulance and on to hospital for further treatment.

In line with our COVID-19 protocol the Team members were required to wear full PPE – including jackets, trousers and masks. In the hot conditions last night that was unpleasant work. In these particular circumstances all of the Team members were advised to wash and decontaminate their clothing, equipment and cars on return home as a precautionary measure. Eight Team members plus two co-ordinating the response remotely were involved for approximately 40-minutes. Others were available on standby from their training locations but were not required. No Team vehicles were involved as all of those who attended had driven separately in their own cars. It is perhaps worth reminding people about the some of risks of jumping into water – it might be shallower than they think and ‘cold water shock’ is a very real danger. Put simply – it’s very dangerous – don’t do it!