Firefighters home from mercy mission

A WARRINGTON firefighter has returned safely from a challenging missions to Bosnia, where he was one of a team battling with difficult conditions to rescue people trapped by flood water.
John Turner, who is based at Warrington Fire Station, was one of six Cheshire firefighters who went on the mercy mission.
They formed part of a 33-strong UK flood response team who helped cope with the widespread flooding which resulted in a state of emergency being declared in parts of the Balkan region.
Watch manager Mark Coleman, leader of the Cheshire team, said: “The flood water had had a devastating impact on the communities out there. Many people had found themselves completely cut off without clean water, food or medication for days.
“We took with us boats and other equipment that enabled us to reach these remote areas and rescue people, who I am certain would not have survived if we had not reached them when we did.
“Many of those we rescued were located in the remote areas of northern Bosnia, which was where the floods had first hit. On just our first day out there we rescued 19 people including a grandmother, her daughter and grand-daughter who had not had anything to eat or drink for more than three days.”
The rescue team had to deal with some tough conditions as they attempted to reach people trapped by the waters.
Mark added: “The temperature was between 36 and 38 degrees and because of the amount of debris in the water we found ourselves having to row the boat rather than use the motor – hot work especially when wearing a protective dry-suit!
“However, the look of relief and sheer gratitude on the faces of the people we met more than made up for any discomfort we encountered. Many of them knew they would not have survived much longer. Their first instinct was to throw their arms around us in a big hug – it was just so moving.”
In addition to rescuing people the team also worked alongside engineers to restore power to a large number of homes that had been without it for more than seven days.
Although attending to people was the team’s first priority they were also able to help transport food to livestock and animals who had also been cut off by the water.
The six from Cheshire worked alongside firefighters from Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, West Midlands and West Sussex.
Pictured: The Cheshire team.