Thousands spent on firefighters rescuing animals in Wigan

While they may be more commonly linked with running into burning buildings, firefighters also play a vital role in helping animals who find themselves in risky situations.

Fire crews from stations in Wigan, Hindley, Atherton and Leigh were called to 26 incidents in 12 months in which creatures needed their help.

They spent nearly 23 hours rescuing animals that were stuck in water or mud, trapped in various places, needed lifting or had to be moved from a height. At £445 per appliance per hour, it was calculated to have cost a total of £22,539.25 to help all of the animals.

The data was revealed after a request made to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service using the Freedom of Information Act and refers to the 12 months between November 1, 2019 and October 31, 2020.

The busiest crews when it came to animals were based at Wigan fire station, who attended 13 incidents over the year.

The most time-consuming rescue - and therefore the most expensive - came on August 12, when four crews spent three hours 11 minutes working to lift a heavy animal. The bill came to £5,666.33.

On June 10, an American-type pitbull dog was unable to get to safety after going into a pond near Wigan fire station. Two fire engines attended and the crews spent 34 minutes there, costing £504.33.

It was hailed as a “lucky escape” by Gareth Gray, watch manager at Wigan fire station, who told the Wigan Post at the time that the dog would have drowned if it had been in the water for much longer.

The crews rescued two trapped animals on May 2 - a wild animal stuck in a fence and livestock trapped in railings. One fire engine attended each incident. It took 54 minutes to rescue the livestock, costing £400.50, and just seven minutes to free the wild animal, at a cost of £51.92.

Most of the incidents attended by firefighters related to domestic animals, which included cats, dogs, rodents, birds and horses.

Hindley and Leigh firefighters were each called to five animal rescues during the 12-month period.

The most significant of their incidents came on July 20, when three crews spent one hour 20 minutes rescuing a wild animal stuck in mud or water, costing £1,780.

They also had animals trapped in railings, fences and buildings.

Atherton fire station received just three calls during the year, one involving a trapped domestic animal and two where livestock needed to be rescued from water or mud.

In one incident on April 11, firefighters on three appliances went to help a horse trapped between two trees and up to its neck in water and mud on Bedford Moss, near Leigh.

They spent two hours 11 minutes working to lift the horse and free it, costing a total of £2,914.75.

A fire service spokesman said: “The fire service will only respond to an animal rescue if there is a risk to human life, for example when someone may try to conduct a rescue themselves without the relevant training or equipment. This could result in someone becoming injured or they may be putting themselves into a dangerous situation. The fire service also sometimes assists the RSPCA with technical support due to the specialist equipment firefighters have access to.

“Firefighters would also attend an animal rescue if the incident was causing significant distress to members of the public, but if there is no threat to human life North West Fire Control would advise the caller to contact the RSPCA in the first instance.”

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