DURING the hour of the wolf, four Teignbridge fire crews came together in the outskirts of Ilsington for a joint training exercise.

The exercise, which took place in the late hours of Tuesday night, September 20, saw crews from Ashburton, Bovey Tracey, Buckfastleigh and Moretonhampstead work alongside one another.

The scenario was a mock road traffic collision, or ‘RTC’ as they are known in the field, involving a vehicle that had rolled down a steep hill, trapping a number of occupants inside.

Securing the vehicle in place so as to provide a safe working environment was a top priority.

In spite of less than ideal terrain, crews quickly stabilised the vehicle using chocks and straps of various kinds, all the while under the watchful eye of the Operations Incident Commander, who instructed crews to remove the roof to gain access to the casualties.

An all-terrian vehicle (ATV) was used by the fire fighters to ferry equipment and crew members back and forth from the site.

The ATV proved itself invaluable throughout the exercise, being pushed to its limits yet never faultering.

Those trapped inside the vehicle were, upon being freed, loaded onto stretchers and carried away to receive appropriate medical attention – an outcome only possible thanks to the effective communication between the crews.

It would be fair to say that the joint exercise was a textbook example of team work.

► We are grateful to Bovey Tracey Fire Station for this report and pictures