THE emergency call was routed direct to Evesham fire station. Three sheep had strayed off course and tumbled into the River Avon.

Within a few minutes, the brigade's rescue launch was on its way to the scene to deal with one of its most common emergencies.

"We get quite a few cases of sheep wandering into the river," said Sub Officer Julian Jenkins. "It's usually not too difficult to help them back on to dry land."

The Evesham-based launch, which is little more than inflatable dinghy, is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the fire service's armoury.

Although not pressed into service that often - only half a dozen calls in the past four or five months - it can play a vital role in the service's mission to save lives.

On one occasion this summer, for example, the crew was called out by police in the middle of the night.

A man had climbed onto Abbey Bridge in Evesham and was threatening to throw himself into the river.

As police negotiators tried to talk the man down, the fire launch moved quietly into position.

In the end, the man was talked into climbing down from the bridge and was taken away for treatment. Had he jumped, the launch would have been in place in seconds to pluck him from the water.

The men who crew the launch - and many of the firefighters at Evesham are qualified to do so - train regularly to ensure they are ready to cope with any emergency.

"A lot of the work we are called to is fairly mundane," explained Julian. "But there are more dramatic moments as well. The thing is, we have to be ready to deal with anything and everything."

The crews normally train under the supervision of Paul Tredwell, a national standard instructor, who oversees most of the preparation work Another enthusiast in Adrian "Adie" Mayhew, who also spends a fair proportion of his spare time working as a lifeguard and surfing in Cornwall.

On call, the launch normally carries a crew of three - one to steer the boat and two to effect a rescue even if, on a number of occasions, that involves only a dead body.

"That is one of the most depressing aspects of the job," said Julian. "We are often called out to recover bodies from the river. Nobody likes it but it's part of the job."

The launch is stationed at Evesham fire station in Merstow Green and is normally launched locally near the Workman Bridge, although it has been despatched to other areas including Worcester.

Swan rescue is another common task for the men who are the only ones allowed to break the Avon's speed limit of six knots upstream, four down. The launch has a maximum speed of eight to ten knots, although that speed would be used only in an emergency.

"Our job is to be ready to deal with any emergency at any time," said Julian. "We have well-trained crews in Evesham who are more than up to the task."