Lancashire Fire Service cut roof off car in mock crash in Blackpool

Emergency services in Blackpool have carried out a live demonstration of how they work together to respond to a road traffic collision.

The public were able to watch police officers arrive as first on the scene at the staged crash on Blackpool prom on Sunday 6 August.

They were then joined by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service as they showed exactly what happens when they arrive at a road crash.

The demonstration involved the driver of a car being breathalysed and arrested, and then an eight-year-old boy being rescued from the car by fire crews with specialist cutting equipment.

Members of the public saw them cover the boy with a protective blanket, before carefully smashing the glass out of all the windows and then using cutting gear to remove the roof before lifting it off.

Usually, the only people who get this close are the casualties, but emergency services wanted to show people the reasons for roads being closed, and to ask for patience as they deal with accidents.

Rhiannon Leeds from Lancashire Road Safety Partnership said: "I think we want people to understand that if somebody is trapped and they're injured, it's really really scary, and they don't know what's going on.

"I know that the crews explain everything that's happening, they talk it through the best that they can, when they've got pressure from the public asking 'Why is the road closed? 'Can I just nip through there?'

"That just puts even more pressure on them that they don't need at that time.

"We want people to understand and know when roads are closed they're closed for a reason."

Lancashire Police, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service all say their priority is saving lives, and the next step when the casualties have been dealt with is for the police to preserve the scene for any investigation work.

Mark Winder from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Nobody wants to have an accident, we understand that, but these things do happen, and then obviously from our point of view, we ask for the patience of the public.

"We totally understand that can be difficult and frustrating for people but our priority and the police's and North West Ambulance Service's priority are the casualties that are involved in that crash and we do the best for them we can, as quickly as we can."

Also on display at the event was a car which was involved in a crash which claimed the life of a young dad from Burnley.

Corey Hudson, 24, suffered a head injury when his car crashed into a tree in Padiham in 2017. He died in hospital a day later.

Investigations showed the car was speeding, and Corey's mum now allows Lancashire Road Safety Partnership to put his car on display to show the reality of road traffic accidents and to spread the message about safety.

Other organisations at the event included Blood Bikes, South Lancashire Advanced Motorcyclists, National Highways and Institute of Advanced Motorists, all of whom are involved in emergency responses across the region.

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