Injured man rescued from the forest

(From an e-mail from Fede Jiménez, one of our local firefighters, and other sources) Today, the firefighters belonging to the Jimena brigade of the Provincial Fire Brigade Consortium of Cádiz have carried out some 15 operations caused by the storm: pumping water from flooded homes in Jimena, Estación and San Pablo, two electrical fires, etc... However the most significant of all was the rescue of a man in the cork forest. The call came in at 1.30pm: a Jimena resident was out in the Los Gavilanes area , about an hour away from Jimena, picking mushrooms, in a forest he knows well and from which he makes a living . Suddenly, he falls down a ravine breaking his leg very badly:.>

the bones have torn through his skin and he is bleeding heavily. Having applied a tourniquete made from his own clothing, he somehow manages to drag himself to where there is some coverage on his mobile phone (he was very lucky, there is very little coverage in that area) and calls his wife at home. He knows exactly where he is and how to get there.

The emergency call goes out and the reaction is immediate. First out is a medical team from Jimena Medical centre, followed in quick succession by a 061 ambulance, a fire/rescue brigade and Local Police.

The state of his leg andthe amount of blood he has lost advises the use of a helicopter Photo) to get him to hospital. The medical helicopter from Salvamento Marino (Sea Rescue, in Algeciras) flies him to the Punta Europa Hospital, where he is reported to be in stable condition.

An advisory note from Protección Civil says that we should never go out into the hills and forest on our own; always take a mobile phone (we could be as lucky as this man) and always call the emergency number 112 directly.

Prospero note: Martín (photo, left, while filming a documentary), the injured man, is a friend and the husband of Elo, with whom I have worked on many occasions. They have three children, one of whom has been a classmate of my son,'s since infants  school. I have always liked and admired this close-knit family; they are hard working and good people. Martín is also the brother of José 'El Niño de los Brazos', an excellent flamenco singer. The brothers are well described as 'campo people', young, tough and knowledgeable of the cork forest in all its wildness. I can but wish Martín a speedy recovery.)

Protección Civil y Emergencias del Municipio de Jimena aconseja que en época de temporal si se va al Monte o zonas difíciles nunca se haga solo, siempre llevar un teléfono móvil para casos de emergencia, y si ello ocurriera llamar rápidamente al teléfono de emergencias 112.