AFTER decades of helping victims of earthquakes, explosions and floods around the world, Julie Ryan now focusses on saving people who've fallen into York's rivers.

The 56-year-old from Welburn, near Malton, who was a volunteer for International Rescue from 1991 until 2018, now works for York Rescue Boat.

Julie told how after joining IRC, she underwent three years of intense training before qualifying as a volunteer Urban Search and Rescue specialist in 1994.

"My first earthquake mission was the Kobe, Japan, earthquake in January 1995," she said. "I was the only female rescuer in the city.

"I have been going around the world and the UK to disasters ever since, such as earthquakes, flooding, missing person searches and factory explosions, going to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Columbia and Japan, twice.

" I have held the positions of assistant operational director, national PR and press officer, investigations officer and a trustee for over the 32 years with IRC."

In 2005, Julie told of her efforts in Pakistan after a devastating quake. "We were told somebody had heard something from under a pile of rubble and went to investigate," she said.

"One of our team put his hand into a hole with his torch - and another little hand grabbed the torch.

"It was a little 14-year-old boy and we proceeded to dig him out. It took about half an hour to get him free. He was covered with dust but otherwise fine."

She and her team were then flown by helicopter to a mountain village, where a religious school had been crushed by the quake and voices had been heard from under the rubble.

"I put my head in a hole and shouted out hello - and this voice, as clear as day, shouted back," she said. "There were two boys and they had been entombed on their beds for five days."

With the help of a German dog team the boys, aged 14 and 16, were rescued in a three-hour operation.

Julie, who carried the Olympics torch in 2012 because of her work for IRC, and who works part-time as a senior service manager for the NHS, said she hung up her overseas rescue boots in 2018 but still remained in IRC as an investigation officer and specialist advisor.

"I decided to concentrate my skills locally so in 2019 I joined York Rescue Boat and became operational in summer 2020.

’Unfortunately, due to ongoing health issues, I am unable to continue the operational work but I am the media lead for YRB, so continue to contribute to saving lives in York."

She said she was also the volunteer social media officer for the Ryedale Community Foodbank and had qualified as a St Johns Ambulance volunteer vaccinator.