3 June 2017
Firefighters tested out their rescue skills on a 30-metre high crane at a Clegg Construction site in Derby.
The rescue simulation took place in Agard Street, where Clegg Construction is building new student flats.
One firefighter remained on the ground, one went in the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service cherry picker and three climbed the ladder within the 30-metre tower of the crane.
Greg Newbold, Assistant Site Manager at the Agard Street site, said they were happy to help Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
He said: “We were happy to support the fire service with this practice run. It took the firefighters about five or six minutes to climb the ladder within the crane tower and once they reached the cabin they were looking for points which they could clip on to and seeing where they needed to be.
“It was all about looking at best practice and they are planning on coming back in July to carry out a full practice rescue with someone acting as a casualty. The scenario would be that someone in the cabin of the crane had hurt themselves or had suffered a seizure.”
The crane is attracting plenty of attention in Derby at the moment as it is situated in the heart of the city centre.
As well as the interest from the fire service, a journalist from BBC Radio Derby broadcast live from the top of the crane during the station’s breakfast show last week.
Greg said: “The crane is proving quite popular at the moment. I think it’s because it’s so high and is a focal point in Derby city centre.”
Clegg Construction is building 244 bedrooms for students in Agard Street, in Derby’s historic Friar Gate quarter.
The building will comprise of en-suite rooms based around a series of communal areas featuring kitchen, dining and lounge areas.
Outside there will be cycle parking provision for up to 50 bikes, landscaping and pedestrian access points from both Agard Street and Friar Gate and the block will be connected to the old Friar Gate Station Bridge via a new stairway.
The accommodation is based next door to the University of Derby’s Law School, which is situated in the One Friar Gate building, also built by Clegg Construction. A site office has been set up in a former shop in Friar Gate.
