Tameside-based demolition contractor Windmill Group (UK) teamed up with the local fire brigade recently to help create an unusual, and very valuable, training exercise for the Urban Search & Rescue Team (USAR).
A 16m-high training tower at Philips Park fire station in Manchester was scheduled for demolition as it was beyond repair. But rather than just pull it down, USAR decided to use it as a training exercise. Demolition specialist Windmill was called in to oversee safety on site. The exercise also gave the contractor an opportunity for a bit of R&D of its own, to compare equipment and techniques.
Known as Exercise Pisa – the tower had a slight lean in it – the operation took place in January and February with USAR members from Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Merseyside and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Services.
Teams worked with drills, breakers and hot-cutting equipment to demolish the structure from the top down, all overseen by Windmill and CDM co-ordinator McBains Cooper.
Windmill managing director Adrian Kelly said that his company often gets called in to assist the emergency services in making safe various dangerous and fire-damaged buildings and structures, so he was happy to be able to help with their training.
Kelly says: “Following extensive collaboration between Windmill and USAR, method statements and risk assessments were drawn up, with detailed guidance from the Health & Safety Executive, enabling our qualified site manager to supervise the different teams as they carried out the actual removal of the tower.”
He adds: “We hugely admire the courageous work these teams do in very difficult, dangerous and stressful situations around the world following major humanitarian disasters, so if we can assist by sharing some of our specialist knowledge, as part of our normal day to day demolition operations, we are delighted to help.”
With demolition completed, the 1960s drill tower will now be replaced by a new steel structure.
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