Six people received treatment from the ambulance service last night after the ceiling of a banqueting venue collapsed during a school prom in Birmingham.
West Midlands Ambulance Service received several 999 calls to reports of a ceiling collapse inside a venue holding hundreds of people on Wordsworth Road in Small Heath shortly before 8.00pm (Thursday). Three ambulances, two paramedic officers, the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team and a MERIT trauma doctor were immediately sent to the scene along with police and fire colleagues.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Upon arrival ambulance staff found hundreds of people outside the venue who had managed to escape after the ceiling had collapsed. Working in partnership with police and fire, five casualties were quickly identified and received immediate treatment by ambulance staff.
“A 10-year-old girl was treated for minor facial injuries caused by glass before being taken to Heartlands Hospital. A nine-year-old girl and a woman in her 40s were treated for the effects of shock but didn’t require hospital treatment. A man in his 20s suffered leg pain and a second man in his 30s sustained a shoulder injury. Both men were checked over by ambulance staff and were discharged on scene.
“The ambulance service also treated a 6th patient, a young boy who had been taken home by a relative following the incident, after receiving a 999 call to a property at around 9pm. He was suffering from leg pain and the effects of shock. The boy was assessed and given pain relief by ambulance staff before being taken to Heartlands Hospital for further treatment.
“The Trust’s HART paramedics, who are specially trained with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) capabilities, worked with the fire service inside the venue to help conduct a search for any potential people trapped inside. Thankfully, everyone had managed to escape and there were no further patients found.
“HART remained on scene as a precaution whilst the fire service worked to stabilise the ceiling to make the building safe.
“Whilst we treated six people following the incident, it was incredibly lucky that no one was more seriously or even fatally injured. The incident demonstrated the excellent teamwork between all three emergency services.”
ENDS
Notes to editor – picture credit ‘West Midlands Ambulance Service’