Exploring the UKRO Lincolnshire Festival of Rescue

The United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) hosts an annual fire service festival each year and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue had the opportunity to host this year’s event – UKRO 2023 Lincolnshire Festival of Rescue. The event unfolded over a weekend dedicated to safety and rescue awareness all within Castle Quarters and the Brayford.

Having been unable to use the Castle grounds and Cathedral by English Heritage until now, fire and rescue hosted challenges from vehicle extrication, rope rescue, trauma care and water rescue all within Lincoln’s historic backdrop. And yes that lady is hanging in mid-air.

Following success in 2012 using the university and Brayford area of Lincoln as the previous location, opportunities have now been opened up for USAR canine demonstrations and challenges with new access to the lawn complex and the Westgate Water tower to provide further interest to the public.

Lincoln saw services from all across the UK competing with one another in training exercises designed to showcase extreme scenarios and how they would handle them. Working on rope training down at the Cathedral, fire rescue worker Paul Turner added “It is a competition but we get more from learning from it… it’s a lot going on”. Here you can see a rope training exercise of a woman who had fallen 50 feet and “sustained heavy injuries”.

Various carriage rides and market stalls surrounded the Quarter seeing many taking the climb up Steep Hill to enjoy all the training simulations taking place.

Onto the Castle itself, medical sectors and other fire rescue services lined the walls with information to the public about being more aware of UKRO tips for pushing professional rescue, education and skill development as part of their World Rescue Organisation.

By putting on the festival, it ensures that rescue and trauma professionals both in the UK and internationally are able to adapt and respond to existing and emerging risks. Giving a platform to more trainee positions saw a fire cadets’ challenge showcasing the skills of young people in relation to casualty care even further.

Medical services completed exercises with the general public on CPR and various medical training to better provide the public with safety information even more.

Dynamic water training had been given its own area in the Brayford to let the public see how Fire and Rescue services are able to combat the increasing risk of pluvial, coastal and fluvial flooding within their authority to better deliver a professional service to the public.

Water training consisted of using both powered and non powered boats to complete various rescue scenarios within the water spanning across the Friday and Saturday. To the end of the event, there was a live closing ceremony to announce Hampshire & Isle of Wight to host next year’s festival.

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