Middleton Fire and Rescue Service volunteer praised

Rick Leicester from Middleton and Dale Murray from Salford, GMFRS Post Incident Team (PIT) members

Two Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) volunteers have been praised for their quick-thinking that helped a man trapped in a car at the scene of a collision in Salford.

The GMFRS Post Incident Team (PIT) members were on their way back from helping out clean-up at the home of someone who had suffered a fire when they came across the collision.

Showing the can-do attitude of regular staff and firefighters, Rick Leicester and Dale Murray stopped to see if there was anything they could do when they spotted two cars had collided on Belverdere Road, Salford.

Rick and Dale provided invaluable support to the police officer helping out with the injured people and protecting the scene until more help arrived.

Watch Manager Neil Mercer from Salford Fire Station was part of the crew that went out shortly after to help free the man trapped in the car and was impressed with what Rick and Dale did before firefighters arrived.

Watch Manager Mercer said: "I can't praise their initial actions enough. Their professionalism was excellent and they proved to be a great help to me.

"Their willingness to help and their enthusiasm were second to none.

"One of them maintained c-spine control of the driver while the other helped the police and paramedics and me when I arrived. He gathered all the relevant information and helped set up outer cordons amongst other things.”

Rick, from Middleton, said: "We had been to a job in Wythenshawe as part of the PIT and were going to do a patrol when we saw this.

"The police were there but we got out and introduced ourselves to the police.

"I went to shout up for an ambulance and found they were already on their way and Dale performed c-spine control on the driver.

"I taped off the scene, the ambulance turned up and they got Dale to keep up what he was doing with the driver.

"We played quite a role and it was really good to be involved - the best part is that everyone got out injury free. I felt really proud to have helped out the way we did."

Dale, from Salford, recognised the people involved as being local to him so was really pleased to have been able to do something for members of his own community.

Dale said: "It was scary but good and it felt particularly worthwhile because the guy I was looking after lives near me.

"We picked up the technique for c-spine control from drills and demonstrations we've done with the crews."

Both crews from Salford Fire Station went out to the collision on Thursday, October 18 at 5pm and got the 42-year-old man out of the car.

He was taken to hospital but allowed to go home the following day.