Edging slowly down Cotmer Road in the lunchtime traffic towards The Flying Dutchman and our Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) does its little doorbell ring. Now our MDT is slow at the best of times and we thought it was just updating our status after leaving Lowestoft South Fire Station a few minutes back.
After a few more seconds and a couple of prods of the screen, Gary announced, “We’ve got a shout!”
I let the traffic in front move off as we waited to see to where and what we were now going to be heading to.
“Horse in mud, Flixton Road, Blundeston”, said Gary…
That’s good – it’s in the direction we’re travelling but right through a very busy Oulton Broad.
Reach forward press the 999 button to get all the blue lights on followed by the 2 C/O button to changeover from the old two tones to the 3 different ‘yelps & wails’ that we now have.
The queue of traffic has already seen us light up like a giant Christmas tree and has started to edge to the side of the road to give me some room. Down the outside of the traffic to The Flying Dutchman with the odd blast on the bull horn to warn the traffic at the lights.
Once round the corner we’re confronted with nose to tail traffic over the rail bridge… So slowly creeping by them until we near the top and oncoming traffic sees us, stops, and lets us through. Then some weaving in and out and we make it through Oulton Broad and out along Gorleston Road towards Blundeston.
Before we reach the incident I stop using the the sirens and then turn off the lights – hopefully this won’t then spook the horse.
Over the radio we hear that the Water Rescue Team and the Unimog have mobilised from Lowestoft South and are following on behind us.
I park our pump out of the way so that the Unimog and the Water Rescue Team have plenty of room to set up. Driving the support pump means staying with the vehicles, fetching and carrying and putting back messages to Combined Control.
The guys got kitted in the dry suits while lines, spades and a length of 70mm hose were traipsed across the muddy field to where the horse was up to its neck in thick, glutinous mud.
Around an hour passed as the crews worked to free the horse – digging around its legs and using the length of 70 around its backside to pull it out.
And, seemingly none the worse for wear, the mare was reunited with her foal and all was well with the world…
We then provided water through a hosereel to wash down the crews and get mud and other stuff (!?) off.
Job done – back to the station for tea and medals…
