Published: Thursday, 31st December, 2009 6:07am

Woman falls 40ft trying to save pooch

DUNBAR firefighters came to the rescue of a woman who fell 40 feet down an embankment in Cockburnspath on Tuesday - while attempting to save her dog.

The county crew were involved in the operation, near Pease Bay Holiday Park, to save the 47-year-old after she left the rural path in an attempt to rescue her pet pooch, which had became stuck at the bottom of a steep embankment at 2pm.

Having walked down the first 40 ft of the wooded bank, the woman slipped and fell on snow and wet grass as the ground became steeper.

The firefighters, led by crew manager John Hannan, administered first aid to the woman, who was later taken to Borders General Hospital by ambulance with a broken ankle and suspected broken ribs.

The Dunbar crew was joined by three crews from Tollcross fire station in Edinburgh, who carried specialist line equipment - similar to mountain rescue teams - including harnesses and stretchers.

Fire crews formed a pulley system using the line equipment to allow medics to tend to the casualty, and she was placed in a basket stretcher. Eight officers then helped lift her 80 feet back up to solid ground in a paraguard stretcher, before carrying the injured party to a waiting ambulance.

Her unharmed dog was also pulled up from the bottom of the embankment.

Mr Hannan noted that the woman was fortunate as the freezing weather could have made the fall more severe.

He said: "She was very, very lucky, it was absolutely treacherous and you just couldn't keep your footing at all.

"Especially in these conditions and at this time of year, I wouldn't advise anyone to go wandering off a footpath. The casualty was properly dressed, it was just due to the conditions that she slipped.

"We had the equipment to get down there but we've not got the specialist equipment to lift someone up 80 ft."

Only two fire stations in the Lothian and Borders Fire Rescue Service have the resources to perform this kind of rescue operation.

The woman, believed to be from England, was staying at the nearby holiday park.