Pictures: Shropshire fire crews prepare for the real thing
It looks like the scene of a terrible accident in Shropshire.
Firefighters and ambulance crews scale a ladder to rescue a casualty from a large drainpipe, just moments after arriving amid a whir of flashing blue lights.
Fortunately, on this occasion, it is just a training exercise and the casualties are just dummies. But this could become a reality one day – meaning experience of the situation is key.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service was joined by West Midlands Ambulance Service for training at Telford-based FP McCann yesterday .
The construction company allow the services to use their site in Doseley, where fire crews take advantage of the drainage systems.
One of the 'rescues' the emergency services staged was a casualty trapped in one of the sewers, which was pumped full of smoke.
The Wellington-based fire crew then rescued the trapped casualty, before they were treated by ambulance crews.
Craig Jackson, watch manager at Wellington, said: "It is very important we carry out these exercises as it prepares us for any emergency.
"Our crews are specialists in different types of rescues, such as animal rescues and explosions, so we carry out regular training so we can learn and improve.
"The key objective we took away from this, is how the fire service and ambulance crews can work together, and of course how we can safely rescue anyone trapped.
"It's great that FP McCann allow us to use their facilities, as it really helps us with our training. We don't always put these skills to work, but it is crucial for us to know what to in case we are faced with such an emergency."
In January 2010 firefighters were faced with a similar emergency when a block of flats exploded in Shrewsbury town centre.
The explosion was caused by a gas leak and left a number of people injured.
Mr Jackson said: "The last time we put these skills into practice was the gas explosion in Shrewsbury.
"If we don't carry out training like this we would never be able to deal with such a situation as we did then.
"The whole training session went very well and we have learnt a lot."
