When they visited the tower last year the local firefighters realised that extracting a casualty from the bell chamber could be quite challenging so they asked if they could run a training exercise in the tower. That took place at the end of March, and was a joint exercise with Bracknell Fire & Rescue service, and an Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team, to test the effectiveness of working together.
There were two ‘casualties’ in the pits under the bells, one an 80kg dummy and the other the Fire Service Chaplain – who unlike the dummy was able to complain – like when the lifting harness dug into her neck.
They had to work out how to get the casualties safely out of the pit, and be aware of their own safety. Moving around a bell frame requires care not to fall when you are familiar with it, and they were not.
They carry packs of equipment including ropes, harnesses, and lifting gear. Luckily there are beams above the pits where the casualties were,
The first casualty was fitted with a harness – not easy in a bell pit with an injured leg – and hauled up with ropes over pulleys slung from the overhead beam, and pulled by rescuers in other bell pits. Once they got her to the door she was able to 'bum shuffle' down the stairs, supported by the rope with rescuers guide her and support her injured leg.
The second casualty (the dummy) had to be kept straight. The ambulance team had a special roll-up stretcher that forms a stiff tube round the casualty. But the bell pit was too narrow to open it, so they had to lash the casualty to a conventional stretcher.
The stretcher came out of the pit OK, but turning it to go through the narrow door was a problem with a bell wheel was in the way. They managed though, and lowered it down the stairs, guided by rescuers.
The exercise took 2½ hours, and it was nearly 11pm when they all left.
It was interesting to see a lot of trained people in a confined and slightly hazardous space, working out how to solve a difficult problem together.
The full story with pictures is on the tower website at: allsaintswokinghambells.org.uk/ASTower/Riescue/
John Harrison (April 2025)
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