TTHHEE OOFFFFIICC IIAALL NNEEWWSSLLEETTTTEERR OOFF TTHHEE MMOOUUNNTTAAIINN RREESSCCUUEE CCOOUUNNCCIILL OOFF EENNGG LLAANNDD && WWAALLEESS

NN EEWWSS FFRROO MM TTHH EEMM RR CCDevelopments & discussionsfrom MRC, May 2002

NN EEWWSS FFRROO MMAA RR OOUU NNDD TT HHEE RR EEGG IIOO NNSS

VV IIEEWW FFRROO MM TTHH EE TTOO PPTT AABBLL EEAnthony Rich, HonoraryLegal Adviser

OO UUTT DDOOOO RRSS SS HHOOWW2200 0022Dave Little & PennyBrockman on this successfulnew venture for MR

AA CCLL OOSS EE TT HHIINN GGWilliam Lumb on the use ofDiversionary Therapy and Appropriate GoalSetting in self rescue

NN AATT IIOONN AALLFF UUNNDD RRAA IISS IINNGGPeter Panteli reports

AA QQ UUEESS TT II OONN OO FF JJ UU DDGG EEMMEENN TTBill Batson RAF ChiefInstructor

MM II SSSS IINNGG PP EERRSS OONNSS BBEEHH AAVVII OOUU RR SSTT UUDDYYGed Feeney, Dave Perkins &Dave Roberts

FF AAII RRYY GG OO DDMM OOTTHH EERRLL AA NNDDSS IINN KKEESS WWII CCKKFind out more in the regional news...

ISSUE4JJ UU LL YY22 00 00 22

Oxygen. Perhaps one of the mostunder utilised tools in the casualty carearmamentarium. Clearly beneficial to allseriously injured or acutely ill patients andwithout any side effects or complications.Why then is there evidence of lack ofappropriate deployment of this material?

Certainly, there has been a lack ofeducation extolling its advantages in previousyears. Hopefully, with improved and moreuniversally available, in-house training, this hasbeen corrected. Sometimes, it has simply beenforgotten in favour of more obvious and pressingmatters such as stretchers and vac mattresses.

And, of course, there has been thematter of the weight of the containers allied tothe relatively short period of flow of gas. Itseems to be a fairly common practice that,second only to the sac containing ironmongery,the oxygen cylinder(s) are going tobe carried by the last person toturn up on the call out. Relaying aseries of cylinders up the hill tosupport a prolonged rescue is alabour of love not often recorded.

Things are about tochange. The use of lightweightcylinders has been in the processof development for some yearsand now that work has come tofruition. We have been looking at thefeasibility of using these cylindersin mountain and cave rescue forseveral months and are now certainthe time is right to invest in thisnew technology. Indeed someteams have individually tried andtested the equipment and havealready purchased cylinders.

We believe that this isan area where use of nationalfunding will be advantageous and,therefore, a decision has beenreached that will put the purchaseof lightweight cylinders for all

teams at the front of the fundraising agenda.There will be financial advantages to

MR as a whole to have a national contract, butother advantages will accrue. Firstly, it will meanthat the cylinders will be standard throughoutMR, with obvious gain as more and more teamswork together on call outs. Secondly, the contractwill take care of servicing, refilling and repairand thus remove from individual team membersthe responsibility for carrying out checks etc.The company with which we intend to deal usecylinders manufactured in carbon fibre whichhave been thoroughly tried and tested in termsof physical abuse. They are offering to collectand deliver to team bases, although someregional co-ordination would be very helpful.

Initially, the intention would be tosupply each team with the same oxygen supplythat is currently held. Clearly, the major weight

saving may mean thatteams will wish to carrymore. We would hope toaccommodate this as theservice develops. Thealternative, of course, willbe for the last arrival tocarry both the oxygen andthe sac of ironmongery!

Entonox will alsobe included in the plan. Itis not envisaged that moreEntonox will be requiredbut it might find its way tothe site of accidents a bitmore often.

The presentestimate is that we shouldbe entering into a contractfor this towards the end ofthe current year.

David Allan. MRC Chairman& MRC Medical OfficerI TOLD THEM TO BE CAREFUL

WITH THESE NEW CYLINDERS

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR...

© DA

VID

ALLA

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And that’s not all... see inside for the latest developments in the new Cas Bag and the540 Belay...

MM RR CC NN EE WW SS .. KK EE EE PP II NN GG YY OO UU II NN FF OO RR MM EE DD .. PP RR OO MM OO TT II NN GG MM OO UU NN TT AA II NN RR EE SS CC UU EE

DISTINGUISHEDSERVICE AWARDDOUBLE

Mayʼs MRC meeting sawtwo members of theExecutive cited forDistinguished ServiceAwards. Chairman DavidAllan and Vice ChairTony Jones were askedto leave the room whiletheir citations were put tothe vote – and supportedunanimously.

David Allan joinedFurness MRT as teamdoctor some twentyyears ago, taking withhim a respectable experience of climbingand mountaineering. Hisimpact on the teamʼs cascare abilities was radicaland he quickly becameinvolved in helping neighbouring teamsworking on the LDSMRAmedical group. He wasappointed to the MRCmedical sub committeeand, subsequently, itschair. ʻWith characteristicenergy and leadershipskills, he set about thetask of modernising themedical sub committeeand certainly stepped itup a gear!ʼ states thecitation, signed by MikeMargeson and JohnBarstow, FMRT TeamLeader and Secretary, onbehalf of their team. ʻWehave all seen and benefited from the highstandards now set andexpected by the host ofpositive initiatives inrecent years.ʼ David alsocontributes to the international perspective,representing the MRC onthe IKAR medical committee. When another challengepresented itself in theform of the vacant seat of

MRC Chair, at a crucialtime in the Councilʼs owndevelopment and movement forwards, itwas a difficult decision tomake. A family man,busy professional andrescue doctor, he wasstrongly supported by histeam and region, yetsought advice widely andwisely, including suchlocal people as SidCross. ʻSince Davidbecame Chair of theMRC, he has navigatedus through times of significant change anddevelopment, making nomean call on his considerable leadership,diplomacy and communication skills.ʼAdd to this the volume ofwork behind the scenesand it represents a considerable contributionto mountain rescue.

Tony Jones, proposedfor the Award by PeteSmith, began his careerin mountain rescue in1954. Pete held up threekey items by way of illustration. The first ofthese was a book writtenby Tony in 1973 – SomeThoughts on theOrganisation of MountainSearch & RescueOperations. He remarkedthat, though the last thirty years have seenMR become more professional, the bookremains relevant andpertinent. Indeed, it formsthe basis of our currentmethods of response andcould have been writtenthis year. Next was anMRC Handbook 1976,the year of the first MRCConference at Plas yBrenin. Pete recountedhow his predecessor asCalder Team Leader, aman normally regarded

with a combination offear and respect, quakedat the prospect of sharinga room with Tony, whomhe, in turn, regarded withthe same qualities.Finally, we heard thestory of a particular exercise in 1993 when,situated above Ogwen,Tony was signalling thelanding of an incomingSea King. Michael Aspeldisembarked andremoved his helmet.Realising that Tony didnʼtrecognise him, heannounced himself. Moreblank looks promptedhim to point to the infamous Red Book.More blank looks still.ʻYou must have seenThis is Your Life on televisionʼ, says Aspel. ʻIknow nothing about youor your red book,ʼ saysTony. ʻI do not own a television.ʼ ʻLater, in thestudio,ʼ commented Pete,ʻTony was so quiet andpolite that we thought wewere watching a standin!ʼ Pete concluded bysaying that it was a privilege to make the proposal and that it wasextremely fitting that itwas taking place inTonyʼs adopted homelandof North Wales.Both Awards will be presented in Septemberat the UK Conference inEdinburgh.

PETER ANDREWAWARDED

Gaynor Andrew and herthree sons came to Plasy Brenin to collect theCertificate ofDistinguished Service,presented by TonyJones. The posthumousaward to Peter Andrewwas agreed earlier thisyear, as reported in

January. Gaynor thankedTony Jones and RayDavies, in particular, fortheir support when Peterhad fallen ill with anginaand an urgent bypass.She told how, when Peterhad received his MBE,he said that it was verymuch for the whole ofMR. However, this wouldhave been especiallyimportant to him becauseit was from his peers.ʻWe are all very proudand we say thank youvery much indeed,ʼ saidGaynor.

BMC CARE & MAINTENANCEBOOKLET

This booklet, which covers equipment standards, equipmentwear and failure, androutine checks and care,is ʻa must for everyteamʼ, says MikeMargeson. Thirteenchapters written by specialists in their field –Ben Lyon on ascenders,Dave Brook on helmets,Neville McMillan on karabiners and the principal degradationmechanisms – effectivelypull all the informationinto one resource. TheMRC has bulk purchased, at a reducedprice, one copy for eachteam, to be distributedthrough the Equipmentsub committee. Copiesare, of course, also available from the BMC –price for MRTs is £4.

QUEEN’ S GOLDENJUBILEE MEDALFLEECE JACKET

In recognition of theaward of the QueenʼsJubilee Medal to longserving members of

MRTs, the PDMRO hasarranged for a suitablefleece jacket to be available for sale to anymedal recipient. Thenewly cut black KeelaSkye 200 jacket will beproduced in Zetland 200micro fleece and featureelasticated cuffs, 2 outerzipped pockets, shockcord in hem withadjustable cordlock andloops at cuff and collarfor attachment to jacket.All at the knockdownprice of just £15!Available in sizes XS toXXL, the jacket will havethe MRC logo embroidered on the leftbreast, with the textʻQueenʼs Golden JubileeMedalʼ, or similar.Sample jackets arealready available. Blockorders are invited, fromteams only, to JohnEdwards, Oldham MRT –jmemr@talk21.comor by post to John at 5Valley Cottages,Manchester Road,Greenfield, Lancashire.Payment on deliveryplease. For further info,contact John via email or telephone 01457 870734.

NEW SYLLABUS

The new cas care syllabus has now beenwritten and is expectedto appear on the web sitein early August.

WANTED – NEWMEDICAL OFFICER

David Allan has givennotice that he intends tostand down as MRCMedical Officer – a replacement will berequired. He believesthat it is time for achange, some newthoughts and ideas.

M R C N E W S L E T T E RJ U L Y 2 0 0 2

MRCNEWS

P A G E 3

Well itʼs started!! A combination of theweb site, the handbook and the Outdoor Showare beginning to put the Mountain RescueCouncil, and MR in general, firmly in the publiceye. In addition, during the past year weʼve hadarticles published in Country Walking, the

Independent on Sunday and variouslesser known publications, togetherwith a distribution at the OutdoorShow of around 10,000 leafletsexplaining how MR works in England& Wales.

Arguably, much of thisactivity was generated from a needto support the work of Peter Pantelion national fundraising, the theorybeing that a corporate body is morelikely to donate to a charity itʼs heardof rather than one it hasnʼt.

Nevertheless, almost daily Ireceive e-mails from people all over

the UK asking for advice or information and,quite often, from television or national press

asking for stories from rescues so they can beincluded in programmes like ʻ999ʼ or so thatpeople can be nominated for awards.

Now, I know how shy and retiring MRpeople are in general but I believe that we havean opportunity for this organisation to raise itsprofile and become a valuable, marketablebrand in itʼs own right. Already weʼve had to takeone company to task for inferring that theirproduct was endorsed by ʻmountain rescueʼ –they could see the value so why canʼt we?

Whilst I wouldnʼt advocate prostitutingthe MRC by endorsing any company whoasked, I can see the value of judicious logoplacement on certain products or advertisements,in return for suitable monetary or sponsorshipreturn. This benefit, in turn, will cascade down tothe teams in the form of free or subsidised trainingcourses or kit – who knows, the MRC may buyyour next Land Rover.

For that to work we need regular,accurate information and, more importantly, awillingness for that information to be brought tothe publicʼs attention. With that in mind Iʼd bedelighted to hear from any team about any rescuethey feel has merit. I can be contacted at:press@mountain.rescue.org.uk or 0161 2737080 (fax) or 0161 273 4846 (office).

A N D Y S I M P S O NM R C P r e s s O f f i c e r

Mountain and cave rescue is undergoingwidespread changes in many areas as we adaptto the 21st century. In many ways, the ʻdeadʼyear of Foot & Mouth will probably be looked onin retrospect as a dividing point between old andnew. National fundraising is now underway andwe will start to become something of a ʻbrandedproductʼ. Please do not be so unkind as to pointout that branding is a rather offensive, smelly,unpleasant and painful process historicallyapplied only to animals, criminals and slaves.

One area where the wider communityʼspriorities are changing is the aftermath ofaccidents involving youth. The authorities arebecoming increasingly ready to bring criminalprosecutions in the aftermath of accidents in themountains. This applies not only to fatalities butto lesser accidents as well, especially whenyouth is involved or reference can be made tohealth and safety law.

This poses a problem for the mountainrescue community that we must address.Historically, we have been a voluntary serviceby mountaineers for mountaineers. In theory, weare called out by the Chief Officer of Police to

help him fulfil his responsibilities for rescueunder his public order duties and powers.

To what extent, however, do we wantto become involved in the enforcement process?Do we wish to be part of a process that will makeus no longer a simple rescue service but part ofauthorityʼs system for investigating thecircumstances of accidents and bringingprosecutions where the relevant inspector orcrown prosecutor thinks it appropriate?

If we do see a role in supporting thepolice or health and safety authorities by assistingin the assembly of evidence, how far should wego? Should we be giving expert advice or opinionevidence and, if so, how are we going to makesure that the quality of that opinion evidence iscontrolled so that it reflects not just one personʼsviews but a full and careful analysis of thesituation?

On what terms should such assistancebe given? Should we be expected, for example,to fit in with the enforcersʼ other administrativeproblems or should we be making it clear thatout support is available only on our terms?

Iʼm sure that there will be as many viewsas there are mountain rescuers but I am alsosure that, in conjunction with the other interestedparties involved, a solution can be found and amethod of working agreed with which we can alllive and which will not deter the organiser of aparty in distress from seeking our help.

A N T H O N Y R I C HH o n o r a r y L e g a l A d v i s e r

ISSUEFOUR

WW EE LL CC OO MM EE TT OOII SS SS UU EE 44

NEXT ISSUEIssue 5 will be January 2003.

You can send articles, news items,photographs, anecdotes, letters...

complaints even... hard copy or disc (inMicrosoft Word/Quark XPress format for

copy and JPEGS/Photoshop EPS orTIFF for scans, please) to the editorsJudy Whiteside & Andy Simpson8 Bridgefoot Close, BoothstownWorsley, Manchester M28 1UG

via telephone/fax on 0161 702 6080or via email to

newsletter@mountain.rescue.org.ukWe look forward to hearing from you...

Every care will be taken of materialssent for publication however these are

submitted at the senderʼs risk.

...AND FROMTHE PRESSOFFICER...

...A WORDFROM THETOP TABLE...

EDITORSJudy Whiteside Rossendale SRTAndy Simpson Rossendale SRTWEB SITE • TECHIE STUFF

Paul Baxendale Bolton MRTPaul Horder Keswick MRT

WEB SITE • DESIGN & GRAPHICSDave Freeborn Patterdale MRT

HANDBOOKEve Burton Buxton MRT

STATISTICSGed Feeney Penrith MRT

PRESS & PRAndy Simpson Rossendale SRT

Editorʼs Note.Articles carried in the MRC News do

not necessarily reflect the opinions of the MRC.

P A G E 2 M R C N E W S L E T T E R J U L Y 2 0 0 2

The Mountain Rescue service in England & Wales is provided by around 2000volunteers, a highly trainedbody of individuals available24 hours a day, 365 days ayear – whatever the weather.

The fifty rescue teams recruitcompetent, all-weathermountaineers who are thentrained in the additional skillsessential to such a specialistservice. Off-road driving, cliffrescue, first aid, casualtyhandling, communications,search management andnavigation – all are taught to a high level.

So, should you be unfortunateenough to need our help, youʼll receive a professional,world-class service – frompeople who willingly take onwhat most would describe as a very demanding, unpaid, part-time job!

You’re miles from anywhere. It’s cold, it’swet, visibility is down to zero and one ofyour party has had an accident.Who you gonna call – ghost busters?

The Mountain Rescue Council

of England & Wales

To find out how your business can become a Mountain Rescue Business Partner orfor more information about Mountain Rescue National Fundraising contact PeterPanteli at: nationalfundraising@mountain.rescue.org.uk or call 01943 607391Registered Charity Number 222 596

You’re miles from anywhere. It’s cold, it’swet, visibility is down to zero and one ofyour party has had an accident.Who you gonna call – room service?

Our first ad... in Modern Management magazine

M R C N E W S L E T T E R J U L Y 2 0 0 2

MRCNEWS

NEW CAS BAG TOHIT REGIONS

More than a year downthe line and, several prototypes later, the newcas bag has beenlaunched with the help ofAiguille Alpine Equipment.The next step is thedelivery of one to eachregion for field trials andfeedback via the regionalreps. ʻI see this as a veryimportant part of equipment testing anddevelopment and one ofthe strengths of our system of specialist subcommittees,ʼ commentsMike Margeson, MRCEquipment Officer,responsible for drivingthis project forward. Themain points of the newbag are – all roundaccess rather than downthe middle; slightly longerand wider to allow betteraccess for casualty invac mattress; change ofbuckles, therefore easierwith gloves or coldhands; see-through pocket in chest area forcas card and other documentation; rubberbase to reduce sliding on

slope, snow or slippery grass;front opening likemedical bags rucksack to easeputting away;same or betterinsulation qualitiesdue to new basesurface and clip onextra to cover invery foul weatherconditions.

DRIVINGSTANDARDS & BLUE LIGHTS

A Blue Lights UsersExpectations documenthas now been produced(the full document can be downloaded from theMembers area of theweb site) setting out thecore competenciesrequired by drivers usingblue lights and audiblewarning lights in emergency situations.The Blue Light UsersWorking Party responsible comprisedrepresentatives fromPolice, Fire, Ambulanceand the Ministry ofDefence, led by theDriving StandardsAgency.The core competenciesidentified divide into threekey elements and includeperformance criteria,range statements and therequired underpinningknowledge ie. relevantlegislation, the HighwayCode, roadcraft, radioprocedures and thehuman aspect of policedriving. Element Oneconcerns the ability toassess the need foremergency response;Element Two the abilityto drive the vehicle safelyto emergencies; ElementThree the ability todemonstrate the correct

attitude when respondingto emergencies. Advicereceived from variouspolice forces as to whatsort of course would beappropriate to achievethe necessary standardssuggests 4/5 daysʼ training. Chief PoliceOfficers will, no doubt, beattracted to the contentsof this document andteams could well find thatdiscussions will ensueregarding the operationof any vehicles with bluelights.

IKAR REPS

The MRC will, in future,be sending three officialdelegates to IKAR, (twohas been the norm todate) in order to copewith the intensive workload. IKAR has changedconsiderably over theyears, along with theskills required to be a rep– when David Allan firstwent as MRC MedicalOfficer, an ability tospeak German and a bitof French was essential.Now medical business isconducted in English andother Commissions havefollowed suit, with onlythe Helicopter group stillreporting in German.Land Rescue is bilingual,Avalanche Rescue dominated by Frenchspeaking. Furthermore,what was once largely aEuropean organisation isnow truly internationalwith countries as farafield as Australia andSouth Africa taking part.The reps will be DavidAllan, Mike Margesonand Paul Horder.

UK CONFERENCE2004

Hopes of staging the2004 UK Conference in

Northern Ireland havebeen dashed due to lackof accommodation –every available bed hasalready been reservedfor an international youthathletic event. Dublin isnow being considered asa possibility, with a venuein Wales as a back up.

ISLE OF MAN TOTHE RESCUE

The Isle of Man HillSearch & RescueService has expressedan interest in joining theMRC. It was agreed tooffer them affiliation as anon-voting representativewith observer status.

540 RESCUE BELAY

This new, purpose-builtmechanical belay devicewith load release handleavoids the need for aload release hitch or zrig. Designed by KurtMauthner of Rigging forRescue, it is made byTraverse Rescue. Thebelay action is much likean Italian hitch, but it isdesigned for rescue load.The 540 was reviewedby Technical Rescuemagazine, Issue 34 –Ade Scott concluded,ʻEither way, in the righthands, the 540 isundoubtedly the belaydevice of choice at themoment. It isnʼt as intuitive as we wouldhave liked, but therehas to come a pointwhen we accept thatrope rescue is not aplace for idiots, andif you canʼt learn tomaster a device assimple as this, perhaps youʼre in thewrong game.ʼ TheMRC has orderedsome of these unitsto circulate in the

regions for teams to try.The full text of theTechnical Rescue reviewis on the Equipment areaof the MRC web site.

RIGGING FORRESCUE 3-9 AUGUST

An unexpected opportunity has arisen forfurther training in Riggingfor Rescue thanks to thegenerous donation byKeswick MRT of £2.5K.The MRC has agreed tosupport and subsidisethis full week seminarenabling a significantreduction in the cost perhead to £200. Real costwould be nearer £700.The course will run at theHigh Borrans OutdoorEducation Centre,Windermere from 3-9August 2002. Eightplaces will be available –one per region – andbooking should comefrom the region in thefirst instance. Regionshave until the end ofJune to book their place,after which those regionswishing more than oneplace will be offered.Kirk Mauthner will, onceagain, be over fromCanada to direct the programme. For furtherinformation on the courseformat and programme,contact Mike Margesonmmargeson@aol.com

M R C N E W S L E T T E RJ U L Y 2 0 0 2

MRCNEWS

P A G E 4 P A G E 5

BAPCO 2002. 22-24 APRIL. HAMMERSMITH NOVOTELBRITISH ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Around 1300 delegates and day visitors attended over thethree days. In the large exhibition hall, the focus was mainly on commandand control, TETRA and vehicle locations systems. Over the main twodays, a series of seminars concentrated on various aspects of interest.Most of the delegates were from the police, fire and ambulanceservices. The mountain rescue ID label which I was wearing turned afew heads and raised a few eyebrows, but the attention was very muchappreciative in nature and prompted quite a few discussions, not leastwith the exhibitors! The presence of MR, in this respect, was definitelya good thing. Apart from the benefits of attending, it has helped toregister us even more among the rescue fraternity.

As I have said, the foci of BAPCO not surprisingly wereimproved linking of the IT and communication technologies, togetherwith the use of GPS, particularly in command and control situations,and TETRA in all its forms. There was nothing relating to high bandcommunications. My own particular interest has been, for some timeas you know, the realisation of seeing individual searchers and rescuersmoving around on a computer map in real time. For search and rescuemanagement, this could be an amazing tool. Some may recall a demoof this system working a couple of years ago at the MRC meeting inPreston. The MRC also put aside some funds for research anddevelopment of the idea and we presented the concept to IKAR 18months ago. This technology has been in use for some time, in vehicletracking, and has become quite sophisticated in its application, but theequipment concerned is either too heavy or too expensive for use inMR, where it would be carried by rescue personnel.

I went to BAPCO 2002 with two interests in mind. One wasto look at high band technologies and, as already explained, this wasa non-starter. The other was to exploit the GPS/GIS idea for MR. Inthis respect, there were some interesting leads which might not havebeen unearthed had an effort not been made to attend the event.

Firstly, there was the Terrafix Micro(µ) Tracker. This littledevice is a quarter the size of a typical mobile radio. It has a GPSreceiver built in to it and a GSM (mobile phone) card. It logs the GPSdata and sends it via the GSM card whenever a signal is available(every 10 seconds or so if required!) I am currently investigating thispotentially useful device further.

Then there was aerial imaging (photographs), over whichthe GPS tracks could be laid on the computer screen, as an alternativeto maps and, as the mouse floated over the photo, it showed a gridreference. It was possible to zoom in to a remarkable degree withoutappreciable loss of quality. Most areas of the UK are alreadyphotographed. The Lake District is being covered later this year. Theproduct is called Geoviewer.

Finally, Key Radio Systems were keen to investigate thepossibility of integrating GPS technology into high band radios so thatwe could achieve real time GIS mapping as part of the normal radiocommunication system. The MRC should certainly endeavour to berepresented at the annual BAPCO seminars. Who knows, the presenceof MR in this arena could prompt technological developments for thebenefit of us all.

Paul Horder Keswick MRT

MISSING PERSON BEHAVIOUR – A UK STUDY

This study has been developing since 1998 when Dave,Ged and Pete first presented their ideas at the Bangor MRCConference. We have made presentations each year since then todetail the use and potential of a UK Missing Person Behaviour database as an aid to SAR Incident Management BUT – we have alwaysstressed that it will only ever be as good as the data that is sent in toGed. Following the encouraging audience response to presentationsgiven at the Durham conference last year, an Interim Report waspublished – this is available at www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/stats.html.We wanted to respond positively to the enthusiasm of those presentbut within the constraints of the data collected to date, constraints thatare explained in the Interim Report.

The data collection has continued at an increased pacesince the last conference, with contributions from Scotland, Irelandand Greater Manchester Police as well as reports from MRC teamsand regions. This is an on-going study and its findings are strengthenedand enriched by additional data. The database is possibly the largest,most comprehensive and contemporary in the world and with your helpwe can substantiate and reinforce this claim – you are all encouragedto get involved. If you do not have access to the computer program orthe two-part forms, a copy of the form can be downloaded fromthe Statistics section of the Members area of the web site –www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/private/stats_sw.php.

The next stage for the study is to publish the first full report.The plan is to launch this at the September conference at Heriot Watt.The criteria used for reporting were set out in the Interim Study. Brieflythey are – for a data set of 50 or more, a full report will be produced;for sets between 49 and 20, the report will be less detailed. At the timeof this article, the categories of ʻDespondentsʼ and ʻVulnerableʼ will bereported in full and partial reports will cover the categories of ʻHikersʼand ʻMiscellaneous Adultsʼ.

The data collected so far (365) exceeds that currently availablefor some categories, notably ʻChildren (7–12 years)ʼ but does not yetprovide enough for a full report under our restrictions for reporting thedata (see Interim Report). There is also an additional category –ʻOrganised Groupsʼ, where no other data is available for comparison(though Ken Hill makes reference to the different behaviour of theʻYouth (13–15 years)ʼ category when in groups.

The broad category of ʻVulnerableʼ contains a number ofsub-groups. eg. dementia sufferers of ʻDementia of Alzheimerʼs Typeʼ,persons with ʻDevelopmental Difficulties ̓and ʻPsychiatric Disordersʼ. It ishoped to sub-divide this large category into these more precise groupingsas the data increases. It is interesting to note that we can do this kindof analysis as we are dealing with our own ʻraw dataʼ. The preliminarywork is now underway. We will produce a new Lost Person BehaviourBooklet that will incorporate the UK data with existing information aspart of the training course ʻSearch Management for the InitialResponse Incident Commanderʼ run by The Centre for SearchResearch. (Contact details given below).

This brief article must end with another plea to get involved.Missing Person Behaviour data will undoubtedly help in planningsearches and will contribute to finding missing persons. After anysearch please fill in a form – start to ask your team leadership if theseare being submitted, if not, offer to do this for the team or region. Thestudy relies on the enthusiasm of individual as well as users of thestudyʼs findings.Contact Details:– The Centre for Search Research, 9 AstleyGardens, Seaton Sluice, Whitley Bay NE26 4JJTel +44 (0)191 237 0623 • e-mail dave@perkinsdj.freeserve.co.uk

Ged Feeney. MRC Statistics Officer. Team Leader Penrith MRTDave Perkins & Pete Roberts. Northumberland National Park SRT

& The Centre for Search Research

from PDMRO. We recognise the skills of theteams and, by bringing expertise together, weare more effective in finding subjects lost, be iton the mountains, moors or, as in this case, amurder victim. The development of GPS/GIS isin its infancy but the potential for recording andcontrolling of large scale searches is evident.Further development of the use of such systemswill show us their full potential for use in searchin the future.ʼ

NUDISTS & RAMBLERS 1: COUNCIL 0A small press item in May claimed victory forthe naturists who have fought a legal battle formonths to prevent ramblers and their binocularsfrom roaming past their sand dunes. However,Mick Leverton reminds us things are notalways as they seem. ʻIt made a good tale butthe reality is that the Town Council wanted toget rid of the nudists and proposed a paththrough the site. The Ramblers proposed aroute bypassing the nudists. The enquiry saidno to the Council but the farmers are going toput a new path in as a bypass. Nudists andRamblers win. Council loses!ʼ

GRAND AUCTION FUNDRAISEREfforts by Wasdale MRT to raise funds for newvehicles are already well underway with a raftrace, medieval fair and fell race held so far.Future events include a sponsored bike ride byRob Scott around all the Lakes MRT HQ, forwhich moral support from each base would bemuch appreciated. This yearʼs Kern KnottsCrack anniversary will comprise a busy weekendof orienteering, treasure hunts, hare & houndsraces and a beer festival, culminating in agrand auction of brand new shiny outdoorgear. So far, they have managed to scroungeover £10k worth of gear to sell off in theWasdale Head Inn on September 7. Lotsrange from a Summer Alpine course inChamonix, courtesy of Icicle Mountaineering,to a road bike from Orbit Cycles, with other lotsincluding waterproofs, Paramo, rucksacks andclimbing gear. Further details from Guy onWasdaleMRT@hotmail.com or on the websitewww.wasdale-mountain-rescue.org.uk. Thereare also posters available advertising theevent should you wish to display one.Earlier this year, the team was disappointed tohear that Flt Lt Rich Wood was to retire fromthe service. Over the years, he has made asignificant contribution to the very good workingrelationship between RAF Search & RescueBoulmer and the Lakes teams. ʻThe timeswhen a quick call to Rich from the TeamLeader or a Wasdale committee member tosort out an issue or arrange an impromptupractice are numerous,ʼ said Guy Newbold,Team Secretary. ʻWith Richʼs co-operation,

experience and contacts (and good humour)we always managed to resolve our needs asan operational rescue unit. ̓Rich flew on, literally,his last day of service on 4 May, supporting theWasdale team with an evacuation of an injuredclimber with a suspected broken foot on GreatGable, below Tophet Wall. It was particularlyhelpful because the team had four call outs onthat day so it saved a tiring carry down. ʻWe inthe Wasdale team would like to put on recordour appreciation and best wishes for Rich andhis family and hope he will keep in touchʼ

ADVENTURE TRIP DEATHIt was just another team training Sunday, or soit seemed, until a call was received that twopeople had fallen in Glenridding Beck, nearPatterdale. The initial call indicated that oneperson had got out but it was quickly followedby the news that a fatality had occurred.Fortunately two members of Patterdale MRTwere still at Base and on scene within a fewminutes. The remainder responded fromGrisedale, the adjoining valley, arriving soonafter the first party. The initial report indicatedthat the two casualties were on opposite sidesof the beck and about 100 metres apart. As thebeck was in spate the team split into two and, ineffect, the situation was treated as two separateincidents albeit under the same overall control.It quickly became apparent that this was aschool group who had got into difficulties at thePlunge Pool, a popular haunt of activitygroups. Here the water flows over rocks andhas formed a deep basin of water beforereaching a shallower area from where it ispossible to exit on to dry land. A ten year oldboy had got into difficulties – he was, in fact,too young to be a member of the school buthad been allowed to attend the trip as hismother was an assistant member of the staff.Rescue efforts by the school group failed and,during the attempt, his mother had jumped intothe pool to save him, also becoming a casualty,suffering from hypothermia. Sadly, the boywas confirmed dead at the scene by theteamʼs doctor.The local Ambulance Control had notified theirHeliMed, based at Blackpool, which arrived onscene in 20 minutes. This was the first occasionthat Patterdale had used a civil helicopter havingonly seen a demo by its crew a fortnight earlier.The mother and another pupil, who also neededtreatment after his rescue attempts, were flownto the Barrow in Furness Hospital and releasedlater the same day. Meanwhile, some memberswere redeployed back to the accommodationused by the children who, having returned,were now trying to telephone their parents. Itwas important, if at all possible, for the boyʼsfather to be properly informed of the tragedy.

Fortunately, mobile phones do not work atGreenside and it was possible to control thesituation, but clearly this could be a problem inother locations. It is not possible to comment indetail on the incident as a police investigationis ongoing. What is worth stressing is theintense press interest which emerged over thenext 36 hours. Said Dave Freeborn, TeamLeader, ʻWe anticipated that the death of achild on a school trip, following similartragedies elsewhere, would attract nationalinterest. We prepared a press statement andhoped that a briefing by the police would reducedemand on us. By 0730 the next morning, livetelevision broadcasts were taking place nearthe scene and one local car park alone wasfilled with television and radio vehicles beamingsignals back to their studios by satellite dishes.I handled about 15 interviews for both radioand TV as well as statements to national andlocal newspapers. We explained our policythat we would stick to facts surrounding therescue and not express opinions or criticismsthat might impair the police investigation.Some respected our stance. Others madeattempts at carefully worded but loadedquestions. A number sought local residents andapproached outdoor pursuit establishments fortheir views. Many media crews made unescortedvisits to the scene, some of which were notequipped for the terrain. This clearly is apotential hazard and is worth considering aspart of any contingency planning.ʻFinally where a team anticipates high mediainterest we would recommend announcing apress briefing with a specified time and, ifsuitable, a photo opportunity. This mightreduce both the number of separate interviewsand the considerable time span involved (wewere still receiving new requests at 10pm thefollowing night with further informationrequests during the following two days)ʼ.

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FAIRY GODMOTHER LANDS INKESWICKOn Sunday 9 June, Keswick MRT formallycommissioned two new rescue Land Rover110 Td5 Station wagons, a purchase facilitatedby the recent significant bequest from MissOlga Iredell, a former Keswick resident. Thesevehicles cost £30k each and were suppliedand customised by Lakeland Land Rover(Torver) Ltd. The renewal of older vehicles (13& 11 years old) had previously been postponedbeyond their scheduled replacement becausethe team had to ensure that the new HQ wasfully funded and the vehicles were actually stillin good repair. Then there were fund raisingconcerns due to visitor shortfall during Foot &Mouth. The team was delighted that the sizeof the bequest allowed the older, well maintainedand still serviceable, vehicles to be passed onfree of charge to Edale MRT and Kintail MRT.However, the benefits of such co-operationdonʼt end there. Edale are, in turn, handingtheir LDV Crew Bus to North of Tyne SRT. Ata short ceremony at Keswick HQ, the newvehicles were proudly displayed and keyshanded over. Several team members from theteams involved took the opportunity to meetone another, share a beer on the Saturdayevening and exchange a story or two. NeilDowie, Keswick Team Secretary, commentedthat the team ʻare keen to demonstrate thatparochial attitudes have no place in a modern,and evolving, mountain rescue service, andhope that the benefits of such inter regionalco-operation will be noted and, where possible,emulated by others.ʼ North of Tyne teammembers were able to test drive their newpiece of kit before Edale whipped it back down

south whilst they prepare the ex-Keswickvehicle. An official ceremony of the keys willthen ensue (excuse for another bash.) Sufficeto say that they are eager to take delivery oftheir new vehicle. Said Stuart Jones, TeamLeader, ʻIt is amazing how, through the kindbequest of one person, a total of five teamsare seeing the benefit. For our part, althoughthe Edale LDV vehicle was not ideal for them,it will be perfect for North of Tyne. As we coverthe vastness of Northumberland, we will beable to transport equipment and personnel tothe search area with ease, and then use thevehicle as a field control point. We are gratefulto both Keswick and Edale teams for their kindassistance. ̓Though, off the record, his reactionto the acquisition might more accurately havebeen described as ʻgobsmackedʼ.Edale Team Leader, Trevor Lawton, wasequally delighted. ʻOn behalf of Edale MRT, Iwould like to thank Keswick MRT for donatingtheir vehicle to us and sharing their good fortunewith both us and Kintail MRT. I would also liketo thank those who have worked hard to makethis happen. We are pleased to be able topass on our vehicle to the North of Tyne team.This is an excellent example of teams workingwell together across different areas – itʼs awin/win situation all round.ʼKintail Secretary Jamie Kean agrees. ʻWe arereally impressed with the Land Roverʼs featuresand condition and are all delighted with it.ʼ

Keswick MRTʼs new fleet of vehiclesBoat for lake and river rescue; County conversion

4WD Ford Transit ambulance/people carrier; andtwo new Land Rover rescue vehicles.

Members of Keswick MRT, Edale MRT, Kintail MRT & North of Tyne MRT outside Keswick HQ

Edale MRTʼs LDV Crew Bus

LAKE DISTRICTGPS AIDS POLICE HUNTThe Keswick MRT GPS/GIS Project has beeninstrumental in helping police locate a missingperson. Garmin Etrex GPS receivers with someGarmin 12 receivers were used in conjunctionwith Memory Mapʼs Navigator program version2.6 (versions prior to 2.6 cannot display OSgrid references). Area identifying codes werepositioned at the bottom roadside corner ofeach area displayed. When a search wascompleted, the GPS was uploaded into a fieldlaptop. Data was first displayed in MMNav forconfirmation and then transferred to floppydisc which was transported to the main controlstation for archiving on a second laptop. Somedata processing was also carried out at thispoint. Close spaced tracks can be recolouredto distinguish them from their neighbours andan anomalous track connecting individualareas was removed from the record for clarity.The final maps were handed to the police foruse in the murder enquiry. Each individualarea searched is identified by a letter-numbercombination. A search pattern was devised bythe police, with the areas prioritised by thepolice tasking officer to searches commencing.All areas tasked were recorded by GPSreceivers in each party and all tracks weretransferred to a laptop computer in the field.The body was subsequently found by policecadaver dogs in woods. Finds of other potentialgrave sites were made by the search teamsinvolved but on further examination were foundto be animal/stock remains and not connectedwith the police investigation.It is possible that a refinement of this applicationwould be of value in future search management.A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said,ʻOur force work closely with our local teams The ʻPlunge Poolʼ above Glenridding

ʻThe trespass was a great shaming event onmy family, and the sentences handed downwere appalling. But out of great evil can comegreat good. The trespass was the first event inthe whole movement of access to the countryside and the creation of our National Parks.ʼThe leading speaker was EnvironmentMinister, Michael Meacher, who insisted thatone thing should not be forgotten about theCountryside and Rights of Way Act, which heintroduced in 2000. ʻIt is not the seizure of theprivileges of the great landowners,ʼ he said. ʻItis the restoration of the normal, historic rightsof access to the finest and wildest areas ofmoorland and mountain which, prior to theEnclosure Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries,had always been common land, open to all.

What this is aboutis reclaiming ourcommon heritage.ʼOther speakersincluded Sir MartinDoughty, chairman ofPeak District NationalPark Authority andEnglish Nature,whose father tookpart in the Trespass;

Kate Ashbrook, director of the Open SpacesSociety, who paid tribute to Mr Meacherʼssupport of the Act, and Jim Perrin, campaigningoutdoor journalist, who made an emotionaltribute to the memory of Benny Rothman.Two surviving trespassers – 90 year old BillKeen from Totley, Sheffield and 85 year oldJimmy Jones from Northenden, Manchester –received a tremendous acclamation from theassembled ramblers.Mike Harding, vice-president of the RamblersAssociation, was master of ceremonies andled a rousing rendition of Ewan McCollʼs walkersʼanthem The Manchester Rambler. More musicwas provided by Sheffield folksinger SallyGoldsmith and the local Thornsett Brass Band.Later guided walks, led by National Parkrangers and National Trust wardens, tookramblers along the trespass route, where theywere ʻaccostedʼ by actors from a local theatregroup playing the part of gamekeepers.Another walk was led by Harry Rothman, sonof the Trespass leader.

OLDHAM WEEKENDThis yearʼs Oldham Weekend went down wellagain, with delegates attending from RAFMRS, Buxton, Western Beacons, Scarborough& District, Derby, Longtown, Donegal, HolmeValley, Bucks, Ogwen Valley and Teesdale &Weardale teams. Despite horrendous hold ups

on the motorway network on the Fridayevening, everyone had arrived by midnight. SOUTH WALES

BIG BLACK MOUNTAINS CHALLENGELongtown MRT based in the Black Mountainsare of the Brecon Beacons National Park heldits annual major fundraising event on Saturday18 May, 2002. The Big Black MountainsChallenge offers something for both youngand old, serious walkers, strollers or mountainmarathon runners. The event consists of threeroutes – 43km, 27km or 16km, taking in fifteensummits over 660 metres. Over 650 took part,despite poor weather conditions. Organiser,Len Harbottle, hopes the team will raiseapproximately £9,500 through this event. Hesends thanks to all team members and toeveryone who made the event a success.

MID PENNINEMONEY FOR OLD INKBolton MRT have found a way of cashing inon all the old ink cartridges making their wayinto corporate rubbish bins – recycle and raisefunds for the team. Their Toner Appeal, whichbegan with a modest £500 profit in its firstyear, netted a staggering £7k last year. Notbad for a bit of old ink. Fundraising Officer,Mike Thomason reckons that businesses areonly too happy to hand over their old ink andlaser cartridges, which the team then sells onto a specialist company, who will also recycleold mobiles phones. Itʼs worth noting that theteam was required to register with theEnvironment Agency for the purpose of theappeal. For further information, contact Mikeon 0161 793 5047 or mt@boltonmrt.org.uk.

NORTH EASTAND THE CHINESE LADY SAID‘ DON’ T FIND ME, I’ LL FIND YOU’A cold, miserable February night. NorthumbriaPolice call out team leaders Steve OldNorthumberland National Park SRT andStuart Jones North of Tyne SRT. Theyʼve gota missing Chinese female despondent in theChoppington area of mid Northumberland.The lady in question had attempted to harmherself during the afternoon. Her injuries anddistraught state caused concern when sheappeared to collect her daughter from schoolat the end of the day. Police and ambulance

were called and the lady was taken to hospitalbut, on arrival, she ran off. Several hours later, asighting was made near to her home villageand the teams were brought in. Police checks ofrelatives, friends, local pubs, B&B, taxis etc.had drawn a blank. Her house was beingwatched should she return to it. Search dogswere called out and a search of farmland andwoodland between the PLS and the village wasinstigated at 02:00 hours. It was decided tocontrol the incident from the car park of a smallmotel close to the PLS. (Police had madeenquiries here soon after the sighting.) Searchdogs were deployed and police TSG set off tosearch the local cemetery. Stuart and Stevesettled down to manage the incident. 30minutes into the search, the door of chaletnumber 3, which was directly in front of theirvehicle, opened and a small lady appearedand began to approach them.Stuart: ʻOh hell weʼve disturbed a resident.ʼSteve: ʻSheʼs wearing a jacket like our missinglady.ʼStuart: ʻSheʼs Chinese.ʼSteve: ʻItʼs her.ʼQuestioning and inspection of her wristsconfirmed – it was indeed their missingChinese lady.

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L to R: Ray Batten, Peter Jackson,Ann Jackson, Frank Dearden, Stephe Cove,Dave Hughes, Graeme Park

221 OF MOUNTAIN RESCUE SERVICESeven members of Millom FRT received LongService Awards in February, in recognition ofover 200 years of membership. The awardswere presented by Mike Margeson, whonoted that these were the first in the LakeDistrict. Four were founder members of theteam which formed in 1967 after a planecrash on Black Combe.

Many in the Mountain Rescue community willnow be aware of the sudden death inFebruary of Stan White, one of the longestserving members of the Teesdale & WeardaleSearch & Rescue Team.Stan, who was 57, leaves his wife Lyn andtwo sons, Paul and Graeme. While he will, ofcourse, be a tremendous loss to his family hewill also be a great loss to mountain rescuenot only in County Durham but across thewhole of England and Wales.Stan has been a member of the Teesdale &Weardale Team for 26 years, the last 17 asHon. Secretary. For the past few years, hehas been the teamʼs main Land Rover driverwhich was affectionately nicknamed ʻStanʼsVanʼ. Thanks to an understanding employer,but mainly due to his own dedication, he hasmissed very few of the teamʼs call outs overthe last 26 years. He also represented theteam on the North East Search & RescueAssociation and was a representative on theMountain Rescue Council where he played amajor part in organising the MRC Conferenceheld in Durham last year.Stanʼs commitment to helping others ishighlighted by Brian Wright, organiser of theannual Mountain Rescue Advanced CasualtyCare Course in Carlton, Cleveland. ʻStancame 12 years ago to act as a body for theadvanced casualty carers to practise on. Hewas so good we made him ʻBody ShopManagerʼ with responsibility for organising allof the casualties on the 8 day course. Heeven persuaded Lyn, his wife, to come andcook for sometimes up to thirty of us, a role

she has happily carried out for the last nineyears. He will be a great loss not only to me asa personal friend but to the whole of mountainrescueʼ. It is fitting that Stanʼs close friendsjoined his family to scatter Stanʼs ashes onRoseberry Topping at the start of this yearʼscourse.Alan Best, Team Leader, of the Teesdale &Weardale SRT said, ʻAt recent call outs, trainingand committee there is always someone whorefers to what Stan would have said or done.For me there will always now be spaceswhere I expect a humorous comment, a bit ofbanter, or to be corrected and ʻput rightʼ. Mymemory is for someone who always spokehis mind, to give clearly his views as to whathe felt was in the best interest of the team,and of someone who worked so hard in somany aspects of mountain rescueʼ.Almost £1500 has been donated to the Teamin Stanʼs memory, the bulk of which will beused to start a fund to replace Stanʼs Van.Stan is probably best summed up by GariFinch, Chairman of NESRA. ʻStan wasalways a forthright contributor in his owninimitable style. Mountain rescue in the NorthEast will find itself trying to replace theirreplaceable.

Steve Owers. Teesdale & Weardale SRT

Stan White

PEAK DISTRICTKINDER SCOUT MASS TRESPASS 70TH ANNIVERSARYOver a thousand ramblers from all over Britainjoined leaders of all the major countrysideconservation bodies at a rally to celebrate the70th anniversary of the Kinder Scout MassTrespass at Hayfield, in the shadow of themountain, on Saturday April 27. Kinder MRTprovided First Aid cover to the event atBowden Bridge and safety cover for the guidedwalks onto the lower slopes of Kinder Scout inthe afternoon.On Sunday 24 April 1932, Benny Rothman, a20 year old unemployed motor mechanic fromManchester, was one of 400 ramblers to setout from Hayfield Recreation Ground to walkacross Kinder Scout. He addressed the crowdbefore they set off and, after scuffles withgamekeepers above William Clough, he wasone of five people arrested and charged withvarious public order offences, includingriotous assembly. Sentences ranged from 2 to6 monthsʼ imprisonment. The Kinder Trespassbrought the access issue to a head – therewere no National Parks or Countryside Rightsof Way Acts in 1932. Kinder was a jealouslypreserved grouse moor, patrolled by keeperswho had little compunction about taking aheavy stick to trespassing hikers. TheAnniversary saw many moving tributes paid toBenny, who died, aged 90, in January.But the biggest ovation went to the Duke ofDevonshire, the largest private landowner in

the Peak, who made a dignified public apologyfor the conduct of his own grandfather in 1932.ʻI am aware that I represent the villain of thepiece this afternoon,ʼ he said. ʻBut over thepast 70 years, times have changed, and itgives me enormous pleasure to welcomewalkers to my Chatsworth estate today.

Original trespassers

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anley

Ray M

anley

SOUTH WEST10 TORS EXPEDITIONFor those who donʼt know what 10 Tors is –2500 youngsters aged 14 and 20, in teams ofsix, undertake an expedition on Dartmoor.Those aged 14 to 15 undertake a 35 mileroute, 16 to 17 a 45 mile route and those 17 to20 a blistering 55 mile route. All over two days!This exercise, sorry, expedition, involvesvisiting ten tors, decided by the organisers (theArmy) not the teams, moorland navigation,overnight camping and teamwork. DartmoorRescue Group was joined by Exmoor SRTand Woodhead SRT to provide sufficientcover – thanks to all who helped! The weekendbegins with a scrutineering exercise in whichall the kit used by the ʻcontestantsʼ is closelyscrutinised, in part, by DRG members. Thereis a defined list of kit which teams must carryand this is strictly adhered to. There is usuallythe odd amusing moment – the tent with nopoles (or pegs), the rucksack full of Mars bars(and little else), the cooker with no fuel – oftenmet with pleas of ʻLet me off...ʼ We donʼt! Thisyear was relatively quiet with only 20 incidentsranging from the ̒ too tired to continue ̓and ʻteamlost ̓(navigationally challenged), to the ʻsuspectbroken ankle ̓and ʻhead injuryʼ. ʻA tiring weekendfor all involved – not least of all the participants!ʼsays Mike Pesterfield, DRG Secretary. ʻThesense of achievement these youngsters get ishuge and should not be understated. Hereʼs tothe next event!ʼ

TENTH BIRTHDAYExmoor SRT celebrates its 10th birthday thisyear. Despite Foot & Mouth, which literallyclosed North Devon, the team report one oftheir best years for new recruits and someinnovative training sessions. Later this year,they will take delivery of a newambulance/control vehicle and Pet Plan are toprovide two year funding for two teammembers undergoing their SARDA training.

CAVE RESCUEHYPOTHERMIA HIBERNATION?In a recent rescue from Diccan Pot a caversuffered a 30 metre (approx 90ft) uncontrolledabseil. In very difficult conditions, with a lot ofwater going down the first pitch, the casualtywas recovered and flown to Leeds GeneralInfirmary. He had suffered serious injuries and1.5 litres of blood was drained from his chest.Further, with a BP reading of 50 over 0, hiscore temperature was measured at LeedsGeneral to be 24°C – the coldest ever recordedby CRO in a cave rescue. The questionpresently being asked is to what extent did hishypothermic condition facilitate survival. Did

he go into some form of hibernation thatreduced his metabolic rate? We invitecomments.

ALSARNEWS UPDATEItʼs all change at the top. Following the AGM inMay, the new committee is Kris Manning(SEBEV SAR) Chairman; John Dutton(NorLSAR) Vice Chairman; Andy Willamson(SEBEV SAR) Secretary; Bob Barrett (BSAR)Treasurer; and David Hughes (WiLSAR)Training Officer. A two year developmentplan has been adopted which will guide theorganisation in its development. Two newteams have been taken on as probationarymembers – Essex SAR and Sussex SAR.Sponsored by existing ALSAR teams, they willbe fully operational within 12 months. Fullmembership has been granted to WiltshireSAR, after the successful completion of theirtraining and passing a full team assessment.Talks are also going on with Hampshire andSurrey and it is hoped to have a fledgling teamin each county soon. ALSAR hosted its firstSearch Controllers Course this year atSulhamstead Police Training College, attendedby most teams and including officers from thePolice National Search Centre. The coursewas taught by Dave Perkins (Centre forSearch Research) and proved to be a greatsuccess. Finally, ALSAR has revamped itsweb site and will be developing this over thecoming months – www.alsar.co.uk.

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REGIONALNEWSkiller, whatever the altitude. And if theemergency services are overstretched, orsomething really bad happens, as they say,who you gonna call? Also letʼs not forget thethousands of vulnerable people who go missingevery year. Is it any consolation to the family ifpolice tell them ̒ Sorry, we are not a mountainousarea and therefore donʼt have a search andrescue team to look for your loved oneʼ?

The training sessions that followedformed part of the ALSAR Basic SearchCourse. Search magnets, critical separation,purposeful wandering, PLS – I had neverrealised that wandering through some cold,wet woods could be so complicated! This isbecause searching for someone in a lowlandenvironment has many attributes not applicablein the mountains. The Misper (I was picking upthe jargon already!) has the ability to move ata far greater speed than if they were sloggingup Scafell Pike, especially when they haveaccess to public transport or a car. Thismeans that speed is of the essence and apsychological profile of the Misper has to bedrawn up to ascertain where they might havegone. This calls for a proficient search managerprioritising search sectors and making decisionsthat could prove to be critical to the well beingof the Misper. Finally, someone who wentdown to the shops and not returned wasunlikely to file a route plan! All of theseintellectual pitfalls make up for the decreasedphysical effort of scaling peaks, though youwonʼt be thinking that at 3am when you havebeen on a shout for the past four hours!

The inclusion of ʻrescueʼ in our titlegoes far beyond conveying the Misper to hospitalonce found. We are much more likely to comeacross the Misper trapped in an RTA or abuilding collapse in Aylesbury. This is what wehave to train for and many of the things thatwould have been traditionally associated withthe Fire Brigade or perhaps cave rescueteams could be delegated to us. I have beenable to work with both the Police and the FireService, training together as part of the wideremergency infrastructure, in some of theunlikely but still potentially devastatingscenarios that have been hypothesised.

With regular training sessions andexercises my confidence has grown, especiallyin one of the crucial areas of any teammemberʼs skills – the ability to react to a situationpositively, and manage it before it gets out ofcontrol. BSARʼs expertise and inventory areexpanding rapidly from our long heritage ofS&R work, to the extent that, during 2001, wehad the most callouts of any S&R team in theUK. I have become part of a team of dedicated,professional volunteers and, as such, we arealmost indistinguishable from any mountain,fell or moorland search and rescue team. Wejust donʼt do mountains!

Jon Wickham. Bucks Search & Rescue

My Experiences Joining A Lowland Search &Rescue Unit

As I was entering my local climbingwall one day, a poster on the reception wallstopped me. SEARCH, it said. What was this,has someone misplaced a karabiner, lost theroutes book or, shock horror, had their catgone missing? But no, on closer inspectionthis proved to be something quite different.ʻBucks Search & Rescue are holding a PublicSearch Course, if you are interested in attendingplease fill out the form or go towww.bsar.org.uk.ʼ Hmmm, I thought, BucksSearch & Rescue, surely they mean MountainRescue? This was odd, as after many yearsliving in the area and a geography A level, Icame to the conclusion that there were noactual mountains in Buckinghamshire. True,we have the dizzying heights of Coombe Hillat 260m, summited only by the most fearlessof dog walkers and intrepid ramblers but, still,calling it a mountain would doubtless offendthose at the Oxford English Dictionary. So Iresolved to sign up for the course and seewhat these obviously deranged people weretalking about.

On receiving my joining instructionsI proceeded to their HQ. This was more difficultthan you might think. The instructions saidthat the HQ was downstairs – stairs, whatstairs? I was at the end of an alleyway and theonly way to go downstairs would be to gounderground? Now it all made sense. I wentthrough a large steel door and down someconcrete steps realising, with a little trepidation,that I was in a nuclear bunker, with all theassociated architectural flair!

Now, after watching the wholeseries of Rockfarce, sorry Rockface, I knew toexpect the crack team of grizzled Action Manlookalikes and daredevil, female sportsclimbers. On turning the corner I was presentedwith something slightly different. A tatty sittingroom, strewn with the widest range of peopleI have ever met. Everything from primaryschool teachers to IT workers, students, shopowners. The short, the lanky, the young, theold, the thin and the not so thin were loungingaround on the old sofas drinking tea. Anypreconceptions I had were quickly abandonedincluding the one about the beards.

Over the rest of the evening it wasexplained to me why there was a need for asearch and rescue team without even themerest hint of mountains nearby. It doesnʼttake mountains for people to get into troubleand it doesnʼt matter whether that 50 foot drop isoff Ben Nevis or the High Wycombe multi-storeycar park. It will still hurt if somebody falls.Walkers can and do get lost in the Chilterns,and hypothermia or a medical condition is a

...yes, their boat crew. Not manymountain rescue teams operate a fleet of sevenboats – but then not many teams operate acrossfive counties from three bases, either. Fromalmost every angle, members of SARA, theSevern Area Rescue Association, seem to dothings a bit, well, differently.

This call was one of around 60 handledeach year by SARA. Founded in 1973, to providelifeboat cover in the Severn Estuary, an area notserved by the RNLI, the organisations first basewas just outside Chepstow, South Wales, at aprivate house. Over time, a purpose-built rescuestation was opened by a nearby slipway, directlyunder the old, then M4, Severn Bridge. A tragicincident in 1986 led to the opening of a secondrescue station upriver at Sharpness, inGloucestershire, and the third base came on lineat Upton upon Severn, near Worcester, in 2001.Each station handles different types of incident,with very different terrain. The organisation isaffiliated to the MRC through SWERA, and isalso a Royal Yachting Association teachingestablishment. Across the organisation, over 100people are involved as crew, fundraisers andsupport teams, with about 40 active lifeboat orMR personnel.

The original MR involvement cameabout through climbers in the Wye Gorges requiringassistance. A cliff rescue team was formed, withmany evacuations being from crag directly into awaiting boat. This has evolved over time to a landsearch and rescue team, able to operate in supportof or independently from the boat teams, withspecialist training being delivered both in houseand via external courses for search managersand leaders.

The boat fleet is impressive –Chepstow operates a 7 metre Delta rib, similar tothose seen in RNLI stations, and one of the veryfew D Class inflatables in service outside theRNLI. A rigid hull flood boat completes the fleet,

whilst Sharpnesshave just takendelivery of a new,£40,000 Delta 5.5metre, supported bya 4 metre Avoninflatable for inlandand low tide work.Upton operate an all

rigid Polycraft, for urban flood work, with a smallerinflatable for difficult access areas, such as quarrysearches. A small armada of windsurfers,dinghies and other boats completes the trainingresources for RYA courses.

Crew have tobe versatile –very few areland basedalone, withsome also specialising in Swiftwater work, firstaid and communications. At Chepstow, the primarybase for the land team, a mixture of boat and landskills is common, with crew from other stationssupporting land search teams when required.

Each station has a Land Rover vehicleprimarily for boat towage, with the land searchteam also operating a Land Rover supported bya lighting trailer with floodlights, generator andradio/light recharging facilities for night searches.Equipment across the boat fleet includes Fernostretchers, marine radios, drysuits and lifejackets,with the land team operating SRC channel radiosas well as those on SARAʼs own private land andmarine frequencies. Steep ground and casualtyequipment for the land team includes Bellstretcher, casualty fleece bag and the usual arrayof GPS and navigation gear.

Crew operate on pager call, with DLA(Duty Launch Authority) or Search Managersinitiating call outs, usually in response torequests from Coastguard or Police. Calls canrange from a purely lifeboat type response to acraft in difficulties, through land and river searches,often search for possible suicide jumps frombridges, to a wide area missing person search inconjunction with neighbouring MR teams fromLongtown or Central Beacons. Prolongedinvolvement in times of severe flooding is notunusual, either. The organisationʼs area coversthe counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire,Gwent, Worcestershire and parts of Shropshire,with fundraising part of the commitment – likemost MR teams, SARA receives very little grantfunding and is totally independent from the RNLIfor boat funding. The organisation as a wholerequires around £80,000 a year to operate, withthis figure being increased with current plans forthree Land Rover replacements and a secondbuilding phase at Chepstow.

However different to our colleagues inʻpureʼ MR teams though, many things remain thesame – the team spirit, the black sense ofhumour but, above all, the willingness to respondat any time to someone elseʼs problem. Just donʼtbe surprised if we decline to walk if we can see ariver instead!!Simon Dennis is the Executive Treasurer and a search manager for SARA. He can be contacted on 01453 751724, or atsara@mountain.rescue.org.uk.

It’s just past midnight after a bank holiday,and three mountain rescue teamsassemble in the darkness in a supermarketcar park in Chepstow. But whilst two of theteams liaise with their search controllers,the third is just receiving an update fromtheir boat crew... Simon Dennis explains...

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Well, Iʼd never heard of it.That is until one boring, dull, wetafternoon last November. A guycalled Andrew Strachan, from acompany called Brand Events,bubbled with enthusiasm down mytelephone about some event theywere staging at the NECBirmingham in March 2002. Themain thrust of his conversation washow great it would be if mountainrescue could be at the Show. Notanother commitment! But then fondmemories flooded back of the timea few of us represented the MRC onthe Blue Peter stand at the BBCChildrenʼs Big Bash in 1995. Then Iremembered being driven crazy bythe Coca Cola jingle being playedcontinuously at 100 decibels on thenext stand for three days. It tookweeks before my tinnitus resumedits normal pleasant tunes, bangsand crashes. I couldnʼt go throughthat again.

Andrew was quite quickto promise that Coca Cola wouldnot be there. So I listened on.Eventually, he came up with themagic words which were of interestto me – FREE, FUNDRAISING andMONEY. I was hooked.

The next step was topersuade the Finance Sub, PISC

and the MRC that it was a goodidea to be represented. It was notdifficult, just like pushing jelly downa hill. So we came away from theNovember MRC meeting with amandate to go if we thought theterms were acceptable. Shortlyafterwards, again on a dark and wetafternoon, I met Andrew and hisboss, the Event Director, onDarlington Railway Station to sortout the details.

From then on, the hardwork started under the direction ofour appointed project manager,Penny Brockman from SouthWales. A team of volunteers wastasked for the various aspects relatingto our attendance and, almostentirely with the aid of emails, pulledthe package together. A triumph forthose who believe we should useinformation technology more.

Just one slight hiccupwith our sponsor, Berghaus, whichwas sorted (although it took anothermeeting on an appalling wetJanuary afternoon on Darlingtonʼsdraughty and dismal station yetagain. I only hoped it wasnʼt anomen for the event.

As it turned out, theShow was brilliant although it was awet weekend. Well, what did we do?

With representatives from everyregion, we talked to thousands ofpeople about mountain rescue,collected money, demonstratedrescue techniques – which gotnational television coverage andthen even with the Director Generalof the Ordnance Survey – and weexplained the use of vehicles andequipment. Berghaus was extremelysupportive of us and we had thosemountaineering legends DougScott, Chris Bonington and AlanHinkes sharing the stand with us.

Were we successful?Yes, I believe so. But more thanthat, the people who attended votedus the second most interesting featureat the Show – well there was noway that we would ever be betterthan the Great British Pub! Socongratulations and thanks to allwho took part and, just as importantly,those who supported those whowent to the Show.

Would we do it again?Andrew has already been on thephone – they were so pleased withthe success of the Show they havebooked three bigger halls for nextyear. And yes, they want us there!

David Little. MRC Treasurer

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Our presence at this, the biggest non-tradeshow for the outdoor enthusiast would never have beenpossible without the dedication of a small number ofpeople, especially with the tight deadlines involved. Ourstand rivalled any of the companies there – and somewere big names in the outdoors market. As Dave pointsout, a survey at the show indicated that we were thesecond most popular stand there and, no insult to any ofthe other stands, but we had no raffle or freebies to giveaway – we were asking people to donate to us!!

From the outset, it was important that we hadthe correct brand and balance between Berghaus andthe MRC, including portraying the correct image ofthose representing MR.

Brand Events were providing a demonstrationwall for us – this had to be both functional and presentan image of the MRC. Other requirements were toproduce a promotional leaflet, select personnel toprovide the display, obtain legal permission to usevideos on mountain rescue, draw up contracts of liabilityand source a Land Rover and equipment (which wouldthen not be available for rescue operations for four days– thanks to Patterdale for their vehicle).

The event was more successful than anyonepossibly imagined – on Saturday, because of safety,they had to close the doors and turn away visitors. Eachday we performed a number of demonstrations whichproved very entertaining as we were able to persuadevarious people to dress in different costumes to berescued. It was also an opportunity to collect money.

Thanks to the members of Avon & Somerset CRT whodid some fine acting!

You may remember that, at the time,Rockface was showing on TV. I know there has been alot of debate about this series and its impact but I dobelieve that its timing was positive to what we weretrying to achieve. The public were interested in findingout about us and how true to life the series was. Theywere inquisitive and this can only raise the profile ofmountain rescue.

We werenʼt looking for a quick win, more along term strategy of raising public awareness of ourwork. The leaflets provided the opportunity to incorporateGift Aid information and networking at the Show resultedin a number of contacts for the national fundraising project.

Our success was the result of teamwork andprofessionalism. I believe that we would have not beenable to do it without the skills that people were able tocontribute – negotiation, contracts, PR, graphic design,project management and networking to name a few. Therealisation is that although we provide a service basedon mountaineering skills, if we as an organisation aregoing to move forward, we have to recognise that weneed to identify members with these business skills andthat they, in themselves, play as important a role asthose operationally. These skills were paramount in takingthe conception of an idea to the successful output of ahighly professional display.

Penny Brockman. Central Beacons MRT

OutdoorsShow2002 A FLAG FOR MOUNTAIN

RESCUEAt a recent MRC meeting atPlas y Brenin, it was raised byDavid Allan, at my suggestion,that Mountain Rescue shouldhave a flag. At recent eventsover the last few months,seeing other emergency organisations similar to ours(RNLI, Coastguard, Police &Fire Service) with identifyingflags flying at their respectiveHQs, either at half mast inmourning or full mast in celebration, I asked why wedonʼt have a flag. Even the BoyScouts & Girl Guides have one.It is the hope of the MRC toraise the profile of mountainrescue and to do this we haveto have an identifying symbol.We have the new badge whichhas turned out to be very successful. Perhaps itʼs timewe went a step further. After all,we are being recognised withthe award of the QueenʼsJubilee Medal. And a lastthought – should we also havea motto?Eve Burton. Buxton MRT.MEDICALS & EYE TESTSThings are clearly happeningwith ambulances if our new(double) insurance premiumsare anything to go by. In yourpiece on advanced driving, youmention that ʻeven medicalsand eye tests as standardʼ maybe needed. May I remind members, with hope of supporting MR from draconianregulation, that the medicalsubcommittee of the MRC, andthe MRC, introduced ʻmedicalsʼfor drivers of MR vehicles inMay 1997. This happenedwhen it became clear that guidance had been publishedwhich incorporated the MR situation. Basically, all driversneed to meet the Group ll medical standards ie. the oldHGV standard. Many teams douse these standards to confirmmedical fitness to drive. It isclearly good practice andshould help a robust support forthe continued use of blue lights.John Ellerton. Patterdale MRT & MRCMedical Sub CommitteeROCKFACESo... snappy dialogue, attractive female doctor from aManchester based hospital TVdrama (A&E) relocated to theScottish hills to melt the deputyteam leaderʼs heart, suspect

casualty care... artistic licenseon full throttle. Rockface, thatwhimsical tale of mountain rescue folk was dissected withheartfelt indignation over manya frothy pint, so thereʼs probably nothing more to besaid about the technical faux-pas and the tenuous plotlines but I really must makeone more observation. Saywhat you like, all you hunkychaps out there (oh and youare all hunky) about helmetsand ropes and helicopter protocol and non existent drugpacks, as far as I could seethere was one significant pointwhich nobody else appeared topick up on and which singlehandedly wins the argument asto the authenticity (or not) ofthis dramatic representation.Not a scrap of facial hair onthose handsome male chins!No, not even so much thefaintest suggestion of fiveoʼclock shadow. Good Lord, the aforementioned deputy teamleader was even seen shaving!!! But then that was asubtle dramatic device againstwhich the aforementioned-girlfriendʼs-positive-blue-lineplot could unfold. I mean,without the razor, heʼd havebeen out of that bathroombefore she could say nappies!And, while Iʼm on the subject,where were all the checkshirts?..Judy Whiteside. Editor.OH GEAR, OH GEAR, OH GEAR!In MRC News Issue 2, MikeMargeson introduced us all to adevice called the TRE (not theTVE as printed) (Sorry, thatwas my mistake! Editor) distributed through DB OutdoorSystems. Over the past fewmonths, members of BowlandPennine MRT have been playing with the device andhere are some of our thoughts.For those of you who missedIssue 2, it is a single or doublerope auto locking belay/abseildevice for ropes ranging from7.5mm to 11mm. The TRE isdesigned to be an autolockingdevice similar to the Petzl Gri-Gri but working on doubleor single ropes, the sprungdouble cam traps the ropeunder the load of a fallingclimber with a braking force of300-400Nm, or allows hands offsafety for abseiling. Soundsgreat, so whatʼs the catch? Aswith all new items of equipment

there is training required as theTRE is different in its rigging toa standard belay plate. Thesmall attachment hole is karabiner specific, a standardHMS can cause the device totwist and crossload the gate. A small Offset D karabinerappears to work well. We foundthat when belaying the ʻracingsnake climbersʼ it was difficultto pay out rope fast enough,but this can easily be overcomeby adapting belay technique.BPMRT conducted over 400fast ascent/descents using thesame TRE during a climbingevent – the device showed nosign of wear and tear. To conclude, the old hands whowere used to belaying on astandard plate found it slowand difficult to rig. Persons withlittle belay experience found itreassuringly controllable. I personally feel that it will be awelcome challenge to the Gri-Gri, ideal for groups atclimbing walls or crags. Wellworth a look. Many thanks toDave Brown and RichardChambers at DB OutdoorSystems for the supply of theTRE and their support.Alan Woodhead. BowlandPennine MRT.Technical info: Available in the UKfrom dboutdoor@supanet.com.Weight 150gPrice approx £50Made in Germany by KrimmerOutdoor SystemsRope Size 7.5mm – 11mmCE markedThis is a personal item of technical climbing equipmentand is not designed for rescuesized loads.

First Response... your comments... Following last year’s Rigging for RescueCourses, the desired process ofcascading information down through theteams has begun. Mid Pennine began witha one day introduction session.

Andy Milner (Calder Valley SRT), AlanWoodhead (Bowland Pennine MRT) and Chris Moody(Bolton MRT) returned from the MRC Rigging for Rescuecourses laden with information and enthusiasm. It fell tome, as Regional Training Co-ordinator to facilitate sometraining in order to cascade this new found wealth ofideas to team members.

A couple of meetings and a site visit later, thetraining was arranged to take place at Rossendale HQand the nearby Troy Quarry in June (a date picked in thehope of reasonable weather – ho-ho!). Some ten teammembers from across the region attended along withMark Taylor, as an observer from the BMC, and SimonBeck, from Xi Training, as guest speaker on PPE.

The dayʼs debrief proved we probably all havesomething new to learn and there is always room to learnmore. Please read on for a report on the day itself but Iwould like to close by thanking all those that took part,especially the instructing team and, particularly, BenPollard and James Maddock, two Venture Scouts whoare currently working toward their Queens Scout Awardand who were willing ʻstretcher fodderʼ for the day. Theynow claim they will never be dry again!

Barry Robinson. MPSRO Training Co-ordinator

The day started with rain and an overview ofthe thinking behind RfR and its association with the MRCand RAF MRS. This was followed by a series of sessionslooking at various RfR systems analysis, techniques andprotocols. Simon Beck from Xi Training presented a veryinteresting session on the current role of PersonalProtective Equipment from the Industrial Rescue sector.

During the morning, it rained! After lunch wemoved to Troy Quarry where four sessions covered:–• Evacuations from ground up to 45°• Raisers using tandem prusik belays on ground over 45°• Lowers using tandem prusik belays on ground over 45°• Use of lowering devices with very useful input fromMark Taylor

During the afternoon it RAINED and RAINEDand RAINED... but, in the true tradition of MPSRO training,as we packed up the ropes, the sun came out!! A smellyand damp group of MR personnel returned to base fordebrief. The feedback was positive enough for MPSROto offer a further follow up weekend towards the end ofsummer (summer = rain but more daylight!)

Thanks must go to all the teams who attendedand supported this session, to our two guest speakers, tothe tutors and to Rossendale for the use of their base.Information on the MPSRO course is available fromBarry Robinson (barryrobinson@beeb.net) orAlan Woodhead (awoodhead@lars.co.uk)

Alan Woodhead. MPSRO

ʻCan I put the record straight that the selection of mainly pretty young female volunteer members of the public, that so kindly gave of their all and assisted as casualties on the demo wall, was in any way due totheir looks or demeanour... selection was purely done to the technical parameters of the rescue system, the wellbeing of the rescuers and the available costumes... well thatʼs our story anyway...ʼAlan George. Avon & Somerset CRT

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Conference 2002Conference 2002

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Recently, our underground rescue leader had thedistinct lack of fortune in thatwhilst pushing leads deepinside a mixed cave/mine, amicrowave sized lump of rockfell about 10 feet from the roofof the level. This caught himon the back near the rightshoulder blade causingextreme pain and immediateshor tness of breath, both ofwhich significantly worsenedwith any effort. At this point hewas some 4 hours into themaze of passages, 2–3 milesfrom the entrance. It wasimmediately obvious that ribswere broken and, with an oddfeeling of his skin crackling onmoving the right shoulder, hereasoned correctly that the rightlung was punctured (confirmedon reaching hospital).

There were threeindividuals in the party, eachhaving a detailed knowledge ofthe system and how to negotiateit safely. Both fit membersassisted the casualty through aseries of climbs. Then onewent out to prepare for extraassistance if the casualtyʼscondition deteriorated. Thecasualty was then accompaniedout of the system by theremaining party member, aperson of considerable underground and rescue experience.

This real life situationraises a number of issues inthe management and retrievalof casualties deep underground. As it happens, he exitedthe system under his ownsteam taking six hours,sometimes being limited to oneor two moves, or several stepsat a time, by the pain andshortness of breath. He hadneither supplemental oxygennor analgesia in that time. Thathe managed this is a testamentto his fitness, level of skill,technique of self rescue andsome luck (limited size of lungcollapse and no pressure buildup in the void). Otherwise,there would have been amajor, multi-team rescue.Attempting a carry out wouldhave necessitated multipleloading and unloadings,manoeuvres without anystabilisation equipment and allt he i nhe ren t p rob lemsassociated with medical careunderground for the casualtyand the rescuer.

Morphine is the onlyanalgesic available in theBCRC formulary suitable torelieve the pain from such

injuries and improve thechance of self-rescue.Following the knowledge that itcan depress respiration (usuallylarge amounts directly into avein) current teaching suggeststhat chest injuries precludeadministration. In reality, givingsmall amounts eg. 3 to 5mg insingle doses, repeated untilrelief is achieved will improvechest expansion, gaseousexchange and mobility. Onewould have to be careful not togive too much, although severalbroken ribs are a fairly goodstimulus to prevent a reducedlevel of consciousness.

Ketamine would beanother suitable drug with theadvantage of no respiratorydepression but we donʼt have itcurrently – it is more expensiveand getting a general licence touse underground will be difficult.There is a role for the use of ananti-inflammatory such asDiclofenac along with the opiateanalgesia, working on thebone/skeletal muscle pain.For isolated rib injuries, nerveinfiltration with local anaestheticmay be useful.

If our man hadelected to wait for rescue, theminimum response time to thecasualty would have beensome 12 hours, the accessperiod for cavers unfamiliar tothis system being at least 6hours from the entrance to thecasualty site. Man-handling theequipment along with food,heat and shelter would havebeen a significant undertaking.In this situation feeding, warmingand hydrating the casualty is ofprime importance, even if itcauses a limited delay at theinitial pick up, given that exittime as dead weight wouldhave been another 8–10hours. By any definition, this isextended care and monitoringof the casualty re temperature,radial pulse and respirationalong with facilitation of wasteproduct expulsion, is important.

Luckily the lungcollapse in this case did notone-way seal internally causinga raised pressure in the chestcage (tension pneumothorax),though there was no perforationof the chest wal l . Such asituation may well develop andbeing able to use a needle todecompress this gaseous buildup would be life saving. If thelung collapse had been muchbigger then independentmovement would have beenimpossible. In this situation,

inserting a chest drain,exhausting through a one wayvalve (cut end rubber glove)and then strapped to the chestwould facilitate lung expansionand improve exercise tolerancewithout increasing the diameterof the casualty and so promoteself rescue. One can demonstratethat, in selected areas, specificadvanced skills can be performedunderground, if they speed upextraction from an inherentlyhostile environment.

A major componentof his successful self rescuewas the appropriate use ofDiversionary Therapy andappropriate goal setting. Formany, this may sound false,contending that physical abilityis independent of soundness ofmind and mere thoughts cannotblock out or soften unpleasantand painful stimuli. In thissituation, any thought of theeventual goal. ie. exit wasignored, concentrating on themore immediate achievabletasks such as a difficult move,so many paces along a leveletc. This fits in with currentthinking on goal setting, ensuringa sense of achievement butalso making sure the taskchosen is achieved thusbolstering confidence. Usingthis, along with powerful pastexperiences (multi-sensory,principally sexual) or fantasiesallowed a certain dissociationof reasoned thought from thephysical situation of the body.

Such techniques incombination promoted thepossibility of self rescue, sothat it may be worth otherteams, in a semi-formal sense,spending a little time learningsome basic psychologicalskills. In truth, many of us eitherinstinctively do this or havelearnt to do so by experience,although spending a couple ofhours now and again has to bewell spent if you can keep thecasualty on their feet, even withconsiderable physical injury.

We felt it worthwhilepublicising this incident as itinherently has interest, raisesnumerous issues and showsan alternative take on therelationship between speed ofextraction and casualty care.This was almost the major rescuewe all train for but feel sure willnever happen. It is intended asa starting point for discussionand in no way would I suggestthat any proposals containedhere should be automaticallyadopted by teams.William Lumb. Medical Officer

Swaledale Fell Rescue

A CLOSE THING

This yearʼs UK Mountain RescueConference promises to be a stunner. Quite apartfrom the spectacular Scottish landscape, rolling pastyour window as you head up to Edinburgh, and thecharms of the big city itself – you will love the venue.The Edinburgh Conference Centre, set amidst theparkland campus of Heriot Watt University, housessome impressive facilities – not to mention an awfullot of blue carpet – which should make lectures andworkshops a treat. Sorry, Iʼm waxing rather lyricalhere, but I was impressed.

The conference will focus on a very practicalhands-on approach, from training to communicationsand the latest equipment. In a varied programme, yetto be fully confirmed, we hope to see visiting speakersfrom the USA, New Zealand, Turkey, Norway andHong Kong joining a good few from closer to homein four separate tracks. Topics range through casualtyhandling by ski patrols, snow anchoring, tracking andclue awareness, cas bag research and TETRA to workshops in the practical management of spinal injuries,web design, pyrotechnics, avalanche technologyand the new 540 belay. Steve White from the SeattlePolice Department will be running an all day workshop focusing on the three worst mistakes a doghandler can make. And Saturday should round offnicely with Dan Carroll, RAF Leuchars MRT, andDave Whalley, RAF Kinloss MRT, recounting thestory of last Mayʼs successful attempt on Everest bya single service expedition.

This conference will build on the successof the Millennium Conference, with over 500 delegatesanticipated, representing mountain rescue andsearch and rescue organisations across England,Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire. TheJames Watt Centre ll Exhibition Hall, with its adjoiningbar and coffee lounge, will house a variety ofexhibitors, including outdoor clothing specialists suchas Lowealpine and Paramo, footwear, navigationand climbing equipment manufacturers and theMeteorological Office.

The conference runs from Friday toSunday, 13–15 September. You can keep up to datewith developments as they appear on the MRC website, where there is now a direct link to the UKConference 2002. Telephone enquiries should bedirected to Peter Howells on 01633 893447.

Judy Whiteside

Organising CommitteePeter Howells (Chairman) Asst Hon Secretary MRC •Dick Tough (Secretary) MRC of S • Penny Brockman(Treasurer) Central Beacons MRT • Bob SharpSecretary MRC of S • Joe Dowdall Secretary IMRA •David Syme Medical Officer MRC of S • Eve & Ted

Burton Buxton MRT • Harold BurrowsSARDA Wales • Judy Whiteside & Andy

Simpson Rossendale SRT • MickRandall • Alfie Ingram MRC of S •Archie Roy Lomond MRT

On Saturday 4 March1995, two members of the RAFMountain Rescue Service set out toclimb on the Red Tarn face ofHelvellyn. Both ʻChalkyʼ and ʻStormyʼwere members of RAF StaffordMRT, on exercise in the LakeDistrict, with Stormy being thedesignated Party Leader. Havingrecently completed the RAF MRSWinter Mountaineering course inScotland, Chalky was eager to climbsome English snow and ice. Theforecast for the day was not promisingand their plan was to make a quickascent before the weather arrived.Having elected to make a soloascent of a short buttress they madetheir way without incident to the topof the buttress and were looking fora way off when disaster struck.

What we now considerwas an avalanche from high aboveknocked them both off their feet,carrying them some way back downthe mountain. The fall carried Chalkyfurther than Stormy and causedinitial confusion as to his whereabouts. Help was quickly on handfrom two further members of theRAF Valley MRT, who were climbingnearby and who summoned furtherhelp from the other RAF and civilianMRT personnel in the area.Patterdale MRT were also calledout. Although there were no external

signs of injury, Chalky had in factsuffered a severe intra-cranial injury,from which he has sadly never madea full recovery.

From this point on, therescue went relatively smoothly,despite rapidly deteriorating weather.The gravely injured Chalky andStormy, who had received minorinjuries only, were flown to Barrow inFurness hospital by Rescue 122from RAF Valley.

A subsequent RAF Boardof Inquiry concluded that theavalanche was an act of nature andthat all reasonable precautions hadbeen taken to negate risks, thatthere were no specific human failingsin the incident. Hence blame couldnot be apportioned to any individual.

The issues addressedduring the trial in December were asfollows:–Risk Assessment. Had the RAFMRT made a proper assessment ofthe weather conditions and the riskof avalanche?Was the risk of avalanche so greatthat no part of the Red tarn faceshould have been climbed ie. wasthe decision to climb on the RedTarn face negligent?Where did the accident happen?There was some confusion anddebate as to the exact whereaboutsof the accident.

Was Stormyʼs choice of where toclimb on the Red Tarn face negligent?Was the decision to make the climbunroped negligent?

After deliberation, theJudge decided in favour of the RAFMountain Rescue Service on everyissue. Significantly, on riskassessments, he commented, ʻIconclude that the Defendantʼs(MoD) system of risk assessmentinvolved the gathering and poolingof information from various differentsources and that the risk of avalanchewas expressly considered andassessed. The training of mountainrescue teams has to be carried outwith proper systems of work andsupervision in force but that does notrequire an inflexible formulaicobservance of codes or rules.Formal in this context means thatthe risk of avalanche is expressly notimpliedly considered.

ʻWhat is required is thatadequate information is gathered oneach and every occasion before theclimbers set out so that express andproper consideration of the risk ofavalanche can be made and thatsuch an assessment is expresslymade.ʼ

Although no ʻformalʼwritten assessment had been made,the judge was satisfied that theprocedures followed, which included

considerable information gatheringbefore the event, was sufficient. Wewere also able to prove, largelythrough evidence in the form ofTraining Records, Log Books,course syllabuses and diaries thateach individual was sufficientlytrained to make an accurate andinformed assessment of the likelyclimbing conditions.

We are all, of course,deeply saddened at the severity ofChalkyʼs injuries and the subsequenteffect it continues to have on his life.However, it is refreshing to receiveacknowledgement that, even intodayʼs l i t ig ious society, ourprocedures have passed scrutinyand that we do indeed do our verybest to provide a safe system ofwork for our team members. Theaccident and subsequent trial alsoserved to remind us, however, thatthe mountains always have been,and will continue to be, a potentiallydangerous environment and by thenature of the job for which we haveall volunteered, we will ultimately beexposed to risks beyond our control.

ʻShould one thereforegive up wonderful trips into themountains? Of course not, but onemust try to act after consideration ofall the factors in order to reduce therisk to a minimum. Nevertheless,even experts will be surprised againand again by avalanches. ̓ AndréRoche, Swiss Federal Institute forAvalanche Research.

Bill Batson. Chief InstructorRAF Mountain Rescue Service

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A QUESTION OF JUDGEMENTRRAAFFNEWSMembers of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service spent a tense week in court last Decemberin answer to claims that the Service (and, therefore, the MoD) had been negligent in thecare and supervision provided to one of its team members and that the team had failedto carry out a proper risk assessment of the weather and climbing conditions or toprovide a safe system of work. This article presents a brief summary of the incident andthe issues raised during the subsequent trial. I hope it is of interest.

Following a cartoon in Issue 3 featuring‘New Beard-Gro For that authentic ruggedlook’, we have received the following testimonial...

This is amazing stuff and exceeded all my expectations. Afterfive weeks, I was able to hold my own in any gathering ofmountain folk. Indeed, I am hoping to audition for the latestversion of the 60s hit musical ‘Hair’. Beard-Gro has changedmy life. However, I must warn you to apply the treatment withindustrial rubber gloves. The small tear in the ones I used haveled to an unsightly growth and everyone knows what hairs inthe palm of the hand mean...Stephe Cove. Millom

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Twelve months since the MRC tookthe landmark decision to embark on the pathof national fundraising, we would like to takethis opportunity of bringing all team membersup to date with the progress that we havemade since then.

Who is working on National Fundraising?

UCS Consultants began preliminarywork in January this year to develop nationalfundraising. The work is managed, on a day to daybasis, by Peter Panteli who has over twenty yearsof experience of working with the voluntary sector.His main focus is on driving the national fundraisingstrategy forward, looking at issues concerned withbranding (in fundraising terms) and negotiatingwith major companies and business organisationswith an interest in the work of the MRC.Considerable progress has already been made inthis area, with negotiations at an advanced stagewith a major national outdoor clothing manufacturer,a vehicle company and a leisure organisation.Each negotiated proposal will be approved by theMRC sub committee which has oversight ofnational fundraising.

Peter expressed great optimism at arecent National Fundraising sub committee meeting.ʻI seem to be getting a very warm welcome at verysenior level within business. Once they start totalk, their interest develops and they are utterlyastonished to discover that Mountain Rescue hasno paid members of staff at all.ʼ

Peter is assisted by Sally-AnneBennett, an Associate with UCS since the earlyʻ90s. She started working in the voluntary sector in1988 and has considerable experience of appealmanagement – working with voluntary groups,developing fundraising materials and eventsmanagement. Her particular skills lie in makingapplications for grants from trusts, foundationsand statutory sources, a key development for theMRC in the future.

What control does MRC have?

The National Fundraising SteeringGroup, headed by David Little, with reps from allregions, meets monthly in Huddersfield to discussprogress and approve any new ideas, plans, trustapplications etc. Reports and minutes are circulatedby David to regional reps for onward reporting toregions and teams. Itʼs worth remembering thatthe information contained in these documents hasbeen paid for by the MRC and should be treatedas confidential to mountain rescue. Currently, dayto day contact is mainly with David but this is slowlychanging as the relationships develop with otherofficers and teams.

What was the purpose of thequestionnaires?

A key early task was to draw up adetailed plan that would take us through the firsttwelve months of fundraising. Questionnaireswere issued to all teams so that we could assessthree things in particular.• First, to see what teams needed by way of vehicles,equipment and premises so that MRC couldassess what help might be required in the future.• Second, to see if any teams needed specific helpwith their own fundraising plans.

• Third, and perhaps most important reason, wasso that we could see what relationships localteams had with companies and trusts so that wewould not adversely affect any links that you havealready established.

Thanks to all those teams who didrespond. To those who have not yet returned theirquestionnaires, we do urge you to do so as soonas possible. Our fundraising has now moved intoa very active stage and we may run the risk ofapproaching organisations where you alreadyhave strong links.

National fundraising will overwhelminglyfocus on raising new money from the kind ofnational sources that are not appropriate for individualteams and regions but there is bound to be someoverlap, even with the very best of intentions. UCSrecently discovered a brand new trust with amountaineer settlor that is almost certain to give tomountain rescue locally. This was passed on to theregion concerned and a local bid is being prepared.

What is the money being raised for?

In addition to ongoing negotiations withmajor national companies and organisations, UCShas been focusing on the core needs of the MRCin a number of areas. A document has been producedthat details the work of the MRC and of mountainrescue teams, highlighting a number of core fundingrequirements as set out in the MRC DevelopmentPlan. This is already being used as the basis ofmaking an approach to grant making trusts andhighlights a number of key needs that include:–• Equipment provision so that the MRC canprovide greater direct assistance to teams in termsof equipment, medical supplies and other needs.• Equipment development so that the Equipmentsub committee can commission research anddevelopment work with major manufacturers.• Training courses available at a subsidised costso as to allow more members to attend.• Increased international participation by theMRC with other groups in Europe. • Communications needs such as pagers, radioequipment and IT developments to help localteams communicate more effectively betweeneach other, regions and the MRC.

Protecting Mountain Rescue

The ethos of mountain rescue is veryspecial and well worth protecting. Being associatedwith it is something that many businesses andindividuals aspire to. It is the job of NationalFundraising to try to ensure that mountain rescue isassociated only with donors, sponsors and partnerswho deserve that association. Therefore, we arepreparing a draft formal policy on ethical fundraisingthat the MRC may wish to consider and adopt.

National Fundraising believes that it isnecessary to protect the charity against the misuseor loose use of the Mountain Rescue association,name or logo. Although local team partnershipswill be unaffected, national advertising proposalsand agreements will be vetted by National

Fundraising in relation to at least the followingmeasures:–• The ethical fundraising policy.• Existing partners involved with mountain rescue.• The cultural ʻfitʼ with mountain rescue.

The Team is already taking up onerecent example of the use of an association withmountain rescue to advertise a commercial productwithout MRC agreement.

Peter Panteli commented, ʻAs fundraisingdevelops, the MRC will establish contractualrelationships with sponsors and commercialpartners. Some of these may involve sectorexclusivity. So a harmless, small scale nationaladvertisement could jeopardise a major partnershipand cost mountain rescue tens of thousands ofpounds which could have been used for equipmentor training.

ʻIf you are in any doubt at all about theappropriateness of a public link with a commercialorganisation, please contact National Fundraisingdirectly, or David Little, to talk over the issues.ʼ

What support is available for localteams?

The initial focus is on raising centralfunds nationally so that the MRC can providegreater levels of assistance to local teams.However, support is also available directly to MRTsin a number of ways. Based on the responses to thequestionnaires and the requests for help that theycontained, up to four MRTs will be selected by theNational Fundraising Steering Group who will beoffered more intensive fundraising assistance on a 6to 12 month basis.

Support will also be available to allMRTs through the provision of ongoing advice andassistance with fundraising issues such as GiftAid, rules governing public collections, advice onspecific events and queries etc. Many MRTs havegood skill and knowledge of fundraising but itappears that some do not. National Fundraising iscommitted to building basic skills and to helpMRTs with fundraising skills to reach full potential.

Two specific funding applications havebeen submitted that, if successful, will mean thatdetailed fundraising guidance manuals and trainingcourses will become available, free of charge, toall volunteers. UCS will also produce a monthlyfunding newsletter delivered by email to any teamthat wishes to sign up.

In time, teams will also have access toUCSʼs Grants Online facility and access to DSCʼsOnline trusts database which will be up to 18months more up to date than the books and CDRoms most teams use.

We intend to keep you up to date withprogress by regular articles in MRC News and bysetting up a fundraising section on the website. Inthe meantime, if you have any specific queries orissues, please do contact us directly. See belowfor address, telephone and email details. The newNational Fundraising dedicated number will be upand running shortly.

FUNDRAISINGNEWS

MRC National FundraisingArden Croft • Queens Drive • Ilkley • LS29 9QW

0 1 9 4 3 6 0 7 3 9 1email • nationalfundraising@mountain.rescue.org.uk