Wigan safety equipment company celebrates major RSPCA deal
A Wigan safety company has won a major order to supply the RSPCA with vital animal rescue equipment.
Reach and Rescue says it has become a health and safety industry trailblazers with its innovative pole rescue system.
The Reach and Rescue Pole is the longest, most versatile rescue pole in the world and can extend to a length of 17m.
The company has developed a number of attachments for the pole which can be used in a wide variety of rescue situations.
After an extensive series of trials the national animal welfare charity has now placed an order for more than 500 of the company’s special animal rescue poles.
It means that every RSPCA officer in the country will carry the life saving piece of kit enabling them to take more animals from peril whilst keeping themselves as safe as possible.
RSPCA chief inspector Ben Strangwood said: “The RSPCA are pleased to be working with Reach and Rescue and are excited about the benefits that this equipment will bring to officers and animals alike.
“The equipment will improve the health and safety of our officers on the frontline, improve animal welfare, as we hope to be able to resolve animal rescues more quickly and efficiently, and provide the officers with modern, bespoke rescue equipment.”
RSPCA officers work in a huge variety of animal rescue situations, from cats up trees, birds in roof eaves, to the recent case of a lamb stranded on the wind-torn slopes of Snowdon.
The organisation receives a call every 28 seconds to inform them of an animal on land or in the water that is in need of their assistance.
The bespoke rescue kits have been put together, complete with the RSPCA’s logo, and now form an essential part of every rescue van’s kit.
More than 70% of the UK’s fire services currently use the Reach and Rescue pole.
Reach and Rescue was recently declared the winner of the Innovation Showcase Competition in this year’s Venturefest North West conference and the product innovation category winners. The Reach and Rescue Pole was also the overall winner of the Mersey Innovation Awards in 2016.
Reach and Rescue director, Jo Taylor, said: “We are delighted to be working so closely with an organisation like the RSPCA.
“The officers are extremely passionate about what they do and will go to all sorts of extremes to ensure animals are safe and well.
“We wanted to provide them with a piece of equipment that would be lightweight and easy to deploy, even in the harshest of conditions, which means they could get to the animal quickly without causing it distress.
“Crucially, officers will be able to deliver their expert life-saving skills whilst ensuring their own safety.
“We look forward to seeing the poles used successfully in animal rescues for many years to come.”
