A major rescue operation took place after a child tumbled 200ft down Westbury White Horse on Saturday evening (7 March).
Emergency services were called to the local landmark after receiving reports of the young boy falling a significant distance down the hillside at around 6pm.
Wiltshire Search and Rescue (WILSAR) and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were deployed to help the ambulance service attend and recover the patient.
Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics were already on scene with local ambulance crews.
As light faded, around 45 personnel were involved in the major rescue operation, with temperatures dropping and fog rolling in across the hills.
25 WILSAR volunteers, including a Lowland Rescue Incident Commander, responded. The first team members arrived within 19 minutes of the call for help.
Specialist equipment including scene lighting, a basket stretcher, hypothermia blanket and stretcher wheel was brought in using an off-road vehicle.
The casualty was located just under half a kilometre from the nearest track. Crews were able to drive part of the way off road, but the final stretch had to be completed on foot due to steep terrain and obstacles.
With fog reducing visibility, a breadcrumb trail of cyalumes was laid to mark a safe route back to safety.
A helicopter was considered to winch the stretcher from the hillside. However, commanders agreed that a rope rescue system would be the most appropriate method of extraction.
The technical rescue team from Westlea Fire Station led the operation, assisted by three WILSAR volunteers.
Ground anchors were used to secure twin lines, allowing an attendant in a harness to be lowered down the slope. A mechanical advantage system was then set up to haul the stretcher and attendant approximately 200ft back up the hill.
The child, who remained immobilised, was then carried and ‘catterpillared’ over obstacles by a stretcher team to flat ground.
From there, WILSAR volunteers used a stretcher wheel to move him smoothly to a waiting ambulance. The boy was rushed to hospital, where he remains today (Sunday).
A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the young lad and his family; thankfully his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“It was noted by all involved that despite his young age, he showed remarkable maturity and calmness in a situation that some adults would struggle with!”
