The Lancashire Mines Rescue Service

THE EMERGENCY AMPUTATION KIT.

The photograph on the left shows the metal container in the locked position, mounted on the two man, wooden carrying frame. The view on the right shows the open view, ready for use. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BOOTHSTOWN EMERGENCY AMPUTATION KIT. Over the years, there have been many occasions underground, when men have been trapped by large pieces of debris following roof falls. Trapped, in such a way that they were unable to be moved. This would be serious enough in itself but, usually there were always other factors to a lesser or greater degree, attending these incidents, which threatened the life of the casualty and also, the lives of the rescuers who, in most cases were the victims’ own workmates. Roof falls could cause serious obstructions, thus reducing the ventilation pressure and therefore, the quantity of the airflow This, in turn would cause the percentage of firedamp gas in the mine atmosphere to increase toward the lower limit of inflammability. In addition, there was always the obvious danger of further falls of roof. The collapse of the roof on a coalface or an underground roadway is difficult enough to deal with safely, but when there is an injured person, buried or partially buried beneath the fallen debris, the clearing operation is even more difficult. Usually, it was only possible for the clearing of the debris to be attempted from one side of the fall (usually the intake side). Some of the larger pieces of rock could weigh several tons and be so positioned, to be actually helping to support the rest of the roof above the casualty and the previously fallen debris. To disturb one or more of these large pieces could cause more sections of the roof to collapse. In some instances, casualties have almost been completely dug out, only for the rescuers to find that a very large rock was trapping one of the casualty’s limbs. Similar situations on the surface would be difficult enough to deal with but, usually the trapped person could be kept alive and free of pain, by medical personnel, until some mechanical lifting device was brought to the scene. In an underground mining situation, morphia would be given to the trapped man to ease any pain but the rescuers were faced with additional problems and time was never on their side. There were always huge risks to all concerned. Towards the end of the 1950’s, the N.C.B. Medical Department, devised an Emergency Amputation Kit that could be carried underground. The kit contained all the necessary tools and equipment to allow a trained Doctor to perform the amputation of an arm or a leg in an emergency situation. There was also an adequate supply of anaesthetic and means for administering it. All the items were kept in separate, sealed, sterile containers and the whole was packed into a robust, steel box, about 36 inches in length and 18 inches square. It required two men to carry the box underground on a wooden carrying frame. Some years later, the Area Medical Officer arranged for the equipment to be reduced in number and the whole was then packed into a sealed wooden container, about the size of a small suitcase. Whenever a doctor was going underground, the Boothstown Amputation Kit was always, carried by two members of the Permanent Corps, who were there also, to assist the Doctor. On many occasions it was opened at the site, ready for use but fortunately, it was never needed. The trapped men, on every occasion were eventually freed in the conventional way. Speaking from personal experience, when it was realised that the Kit wouldn’t be needed, it was difficult to say who was the more relieved, the Doctor or his two “assistants”. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------