April 4, 2014 4.03 pm This story is over 119 months old

Lincolnshire firefighters up high with new rescue platforms

Easier to reach: Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue invested £1.3 million in two aerial ladder platforms to help them rescue people from heights more effectively.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue invested £1.3 million in two aerial ladder platforms to help them rescue people from heights more effectively.

The new platforms extend up to 32 metres high, while the old vehicles could only reach 22 metres.

The new aerial platforms for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.

The new aerial platforms for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.

They can also reach seven metres below ground level to rescue someone from a steep bank or to lower rescue boats onto water and spaces as narrow as three metres.

Last year Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue used the specialist equipment 63 times last year.

In the latest rescue, Norman Abel (83) was rescued from the bell tower of St. James Church in Louth, after he collapsed 120 steps up.

Firefighters used an aerial appliance to safely carry him down on a stretcher.

One ladder platform will be based at Lincoln South to cover the north and the west of the county, the other will be based at Skegness or Boston to cover the south and the east.

Special thanks to HPs Mark Jeffery (left) and Simon Coxell (back) for the ride on the new platforms.

Special thanks to HPs Mark Jeffery (left) and Simon Coxell (back) for the smooth ride on the new platforms.

Simon York, Station Manager for Operational Support, said: “It is important that we invest in equipment that will help us reach people in an emergency – these new appliances will replace our existing ones which are about 20 years old.

“Sometimes the best way we can rescue someone or fight a fire is by using an aerial appliance, so it is essential we have these technologically advanced engines to protect and save the lives of county residents.”