THE Rector at Crediton Parish Church, the Rev Matthew Tregenza has praised firefighters and ambulance crews who undertook a dramatic rescue in Crediton Parish Church this morning, Sunday, January 9.

One of the long-serving Parish Church bellringers suffered from a medical episode immediately after he had finished ringing for the 9.30am service.

While the service, conducted by Rev Tregenza and Rev Lewis Eden was proceeding in the church, the incident was happening in the ringing chamber.

The emergency services were called to the scene at 10.19am and the service continued until it was brought to an end.

Crediton firefighters were first on the scene and found that the man was located in the seriously inaccessible bell ringing chamber.

Specialist fire crews (Urban Search and Rescue in Exeter) and specialist ambulance crews were called to assist.

Other fire crews came from Danes Castle in Exeter, and from Barnstaple.

Access to the ringing chamber is via a very narrow spiral staircase from the back of the church and also via an internal spiral staircase which is narrower than the staircase from the back of the church.

The staircase at the back of the church also has one section which crosses part of the roof of the church.

Paramedics treated the man, who has been a church bellringer for 55 years (not all at Crediton), while he was in the ringing chamber.

Firefighters and ambulance crews were faced with the difficult decision of how to bring the man to ground level.

It was considered if he could be removed to the roof level and then lowered down the side of the church.

It was concluded that using the bell hatches, removing the flooring where the bells were lifted through was the safest option.

Firefighters installed internal scaffolding and used a winch and pulley system to eventually lower the man through the flooring, a long drop, on a stretcher (an Abtec Tripod and Basket Stretcher).

The man was then treated further by paramedics in the church before being taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital by a land ambulance.

The ambulance left the scene at about 12.20pm.

The condition of the man had improved by the time he left the church.

One ambulance and four incident support ambulances attended.

Three fire appliances attended and these parked at Crediton Dairy.

Rev Matthew Tregenza said: "I cannot praise enough the actions of both the fire crews and ambulance personnel. They worked extremely hard and efficiently and their care was exceptional."