The East Hill lift is now in its centenary year and has a record of 100 years of operating safely.
It carries around 250,000 passengers a year and is the steepest funicular railway in the country. In January this year on a very windy day, the Council, fire and ambulance services carried out a planned emergency exercise to check that the emergency plans we have work well.
Dozens of firefighters and ambulance personnel with the help of the Council's Country Park Rangers and the lift operators put the plans to the test when they simulated the lift getting stuck halfway up the railway with passengers in it.
The rope rescue team, firefighters and paramedics working from the top lift terminal made the descent down the cliff to carry out the rescue.
The operation was filmed by both the BBC and Meridian television.
The exercise tested all the current emergency plans which are in place for community safety, and feedback and debriefing sessions followed to make any adjustments to the plan. The exercise also enabled the staff involved to make use of their training and practise their skills.
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This page last updated: 12/11/2003