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Mountain rescue safety tips

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Ja1983:

--- Quote from: winchman on January 18, 2008, 20:15:02 ---......I dont feel enough is done to educate people in common sense

--- End quote ---

exactly, it should be taught in schools... the world is rapidly declining in to a plague of idiotic morons!
you only have to look at kids TV/fashion/music to see this.......













......i think i`ve just got old! :dance:

Disco Matt:

--- Quote from: Ja1983 on January 18, 2008, 22:48:37 ---


......i think i`ve just got old! :dance:

--- End quote ---

Hey, I'm 25 and I agree with you!

Devon-Rover:
People are just not educated in the dangers the upland areas of the UK can pose. In this nanny state common sense has been eroded as some of the population live by the daft rules non stop and don't think for themselves. They don't see a sign saying that stepping out into an area that is even vaugely remote Could kill you because of this very unpredictable thing called weather. So they just carry on in there everyday clothes thinking nothing can go wrong as i haven't been told.

A few years ago when i was an explorer scout we undertook a trip to snowdonia. And the amount of muppets out on snowdon wearing clothing which would be more High street than High Hills. It was unbelievable the people walking past us in just trainers and causal clothes and here was us a group of 9 fully kitted out for whatever could happen.
I still think what did happen to those who was going up as we came down as it was closing in behind us. Perhaps it was just because it was a bit of a 'honey pot' for the grockels to go out. As on Tryfan we saw only a few others and they were dressed for the occasion.
A year later in the Brecon Beacons we were yet again confronted by at least 25+ people all under dressed and prepared having lunch on top of Pen-y-Fan. And again on the decent past Craig fan Ddu towards the Neuadd reservoirs it was raining in a way only the welsh know how.
Now my home stamping ground is Dartmoor and as such i know the area very well. And i think in 8 years either myself or the group i have been in has been asked a few times as to our current location and where such a place is. Some people have half a clue and are only a few K out. but a couple noticeable times they have been a few tens of K out.
I await the day when i actually meet some wally wondering around aimlessly in their sunday best on the moor. It's going to happen unfortunatly.  :( And whilst haven't yet, the day i do meet someone under prepared on the hill i would actively point out that they are putting themselves in great danger and should leave and come back when they are ready.
Some just don't get the concept that Death is quite an easy thing to happen when it turns nasty.  :doh:

Defender:

--- Quote from: winchman on January 18, 2008, 20:15:02 ---Why haven't we got a state ran Mountain Rescue teams???

--- End quote ---
Having had a talk at one of our Land Rover Club meetings from one Mountain Rescue team, this question came up.
Their answer was that they prefer to be charity funded rarther than govenment funded, as being govenment funded would result in a "Pen-Pusher" in Whitehall, deciding where the money had to be spent, with no knowledge of the service & where the money really needed to go.
At least with charitable donations, each individual rescue team decides exactly where to spend any money.

crazymac:

--- Quote from: Wolfie on January 18, 2008, 19:12:18 --- Will the insurance companies then be happy with volunteers performing the rescue or will they insist that rescues are conducted by employees of the statutiory body responsivle for land based SAR? Are there enough suitably qualified Police officers to carry out this duty, especially if it also includes the underground rescues? Who would farmers then call on when animals are in need of rescue which is currently undertaken by the volunteer teams?


--- End quote ---

As one of the members of a Coastguard Rescue Team, I think I can talk with a bit of knowledge here?

Land Based SAR is initiated by the Police, who is not equipped nor trained in sufficient numbers to be an adequate resource in the UK. To that end they utilise the Mountain Rescue teams, SARDA (Search and Rescue Dogs Association) and other assets as required. The overall choice of these organisations is to not charge, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, not be government run!! They see the Coastguard Rescue Service and don't want to go down the same route!!

Maritime Search And Rescue is co-ordinated by the Maritime And Coastguard Agency (MCA) who are all Full time, PAID people that do not go out on rescues! The rescues and searches are all done by Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRT's) (of which there are around 350 in the UK) if on the coastline, Cliffs, esturies etc and if the search/ rescue is at sea then the RNLI Lifeboats are tasked BY THE MCA!! (if they need the RNLI, the MCA "Requests" the launching of the appropriate boat) Both these organisations work VERY closely together as often they are on the same rescues http://www.mypembrokeshire.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/08/09/46bb11546483a

In many ways, the CRT's are like the RNLI, in that they are all employed in other careers and carry a pager to alert them to a rescue, at which point they drop everything and go running. The difference, is that the CRT's get paid (Minimum wage incidentally!) for the time they are out on the shout. Most will be paid much more than minimum by their employers and do not get paid by them while on Coastguard Duties, so are losing money for doing a rescue!

The UK Government have a statutory duty to provide search and rescue in the UK and territorial waters, and cannot charge for that service! I know for a fact round here that the RNLI lifeboat dangle the collection box under the nose of rescued parties!! (Quite right in my book, how else are they to fund what they do?) The MCA are government funded as an agency and run HM Coastguard as the rescue wing of the organisation.

In addition to this, the recent flooding in Gloucester saw teams from the RNLI and HM Coastguard assisting in duties there. There was six Coastguard Vehicles in attendance in the area during the floods with some 60 members of the CRT's who had all been allowed time off from their employers to get paid £5.35 and hour to assist with this.

The RNLI DO PAY their crews!! but it is payed as expenses, which allows them to retain their voluntary status!! As far as I know, the Mountain Rescue teams are not paid anything!  

In addition you also have various rescue helecopters around the UK, some of them are RAF who are there for military searches, but will assist with civilian ones if not busy! and around 5 HM Coastguard Helecopters in areas where there is no military cover (such as Portland and the Isle of Lewis)

There is a lot of confusion from the public about the MCA and RNLI, with the names being interchangeable! That is not the case, they are VERY separate organisations. Likewise there is confusion about the MCA and HM Coastguard! The MCA DO NOT do rescues they co-ordinate them, HM Coastguard are effectively paid volunteers and they DO, DO the rescues!

Back on topic, there are any amount of ill prepared people both on the hills and the coast that rely on the emergency services being there to pick up the pieces for them, often they do not realise that they are in the main volunteers that want to give something back to their communities.

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