The Hampshire extrication team. From left to right – Watch Manager Trevor Griffin, Firefighter Steve Morris, Watch Manager Lee Havey, Firefighter Brian Saunders, Firefighter Martin Gritt and Crew Manager Paul Jarrett, courtesy of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has been crowned World Extrication Champions at the world’s biggest rescue challenge competition.
After battling against teams from all over the world in road traffic collision scenarios, the Hampshire team have taken the winner’s title, beating a team from County Carlow, Ireland who were runners up and a team from Valencia, Spain who took third place.
To add to the list of achievements, the Hampshire team also brought home the titles of Best Overall World Extrication Team Leader, Best Overall World Extrication Team Medic and Best Overall World Extrication Limited Tools Challenge. The team also took second place in the challenges for Best Technical Team and Best Trauma Team, narrowly beaten by a team from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.
Hampshire’s Extrication Team Leader Lee Havey, who took the title of Best Overall World Extrication Team Leader, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to take away the winner’s title from the World Extrication Challenge. We are very confident in our firefighters’ abilities when they attend road traffic collisions and now that we have been crowned world champions, it just shows that what we do, we do very well.”
Road traffic collision scenario, courtesy of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
The 16th World Rescue Challenge, which was hosted by The Fire Service College in Gloucestershire, saw teams taking part in a number of multi-vehicle road traffic collision scenarios where casualties needed rescuing – some of which had deteriorating conditions. They also had to show experience of using all types of rescue equipment used in extrications.
Hampshire’s extrication team are the current UK champions in extrication and have previously held the winners trophy at the World and European championships during the team’s 28 year history.
The Hampshire team was made up of, Watch Manager Lee Havey (Team Leader/Incident Commander), Firefighter Steve Morris (Medic/Trauma), Firefighter Gary Cross (Trauma), Watch Manager Trevor Griffin (Technician and Second Medic), Firefighter Martin Gritt (Technician), Firefighter Brian Saunders (Technician) and Crew Manager Paul Jarrett (Technician).
