MR Mag Issue 18. October 2006
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8 1 E U S S I T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E F O R M O U N T A I N R E S C U E I N E N G L A N D , W A L E S & I R E L A N D OO CC TT OO BB EE RR 22 00 00 66 PPSSYYCCHHIIAATTRRIICC IILLLLNNEESSSS IINN MMOOUUNNTTAAIINN RREESSCCUUEE MMOONNEEYY TTAALLKKSS WWIITTHH AANNDDYY KKIIRRKKPPAATTRRIICCKK TTHHEE SSEECCUURREE CCAASSUUAALLTTYY SSYYSSTTEEMM NNIINNEE YYEEAARRSS OOFF GGPPSS TTRRAACCKKIINNGG AANNDD LLOOCCAATTIIOONN FFRROOMM VVIISSIIOONN TTOO RREEAALLIITTYY IINNCCIIDDEENNTT RREEPPOORRTTSS TTHHEE TTAALLEESS BBEEHHIINNDD TTHHEE SSTTAATTSS PPlluuss NNEEWWSS && VVIIEEWWSS FFRROOMM TTHHEE MMRRCC AANNDD AARROOUUNNDD TTHHEE RREEGGIIOONNSS wwwwww..mmoouunnttaaiinn..rreessccuuee..oorrgg..uukk £2.50 mountains and mountaineering observed, ‘Unity is ...A WORD misconceived as an ideal if it achieves a dull uniformity. Diversity is enlivening when held within FROM THE TOP reasonable bounds’. We should therefore take satisfaction from the CHURCH MILLS LIMITED E D I T O R I A L catholic nature of our organisation and try to New Magnetic Rope Warning System TAMoBuntaLineEerin.g .is. an individualistic and at embrace as many of the varied thoughts as Editor times anarchistic pursuit and it comes as no possible. This also means that the larger elements Genesis Reflective Warning Rope & Blankets receive Emergency Services Endorsement Judy Whiteside of mountain rescue do not have a monopoly on Rossendale & Pendle MRT surprise that mountain rescue, spawned of good ideas and best practices and we all need to 8 bridgefoot close . boothstown . worsley mountaineering, is formed of highly motivated manchester M28 1UG people with their own ideas and views. make better use of the means to listen be it telephone 0161 702 6080 I have found that the only way to give some websites, team leaders meetings etc. editorial email [email protected] semblance of ‘leading’ the organisation is to guess During the past twelve months I have been Website which way it is headed and then try and walk at the able to travel around the country quite widely and I Paul Baxendale front. MRC officers work hard to listen to as many am able to say without reservation that mountain Paul Horder Keswick MRT thoughts and ideas from the body of the rescue is in a very healthy state. It is carrying out Dave Freeborn Patterdale MRT organisation as possible. It is clearly not feasible to rescues that no one else is able to undertake, doing Handbook institute all of them and it is also true to say that so with great skill and commitment and is Eve Burton Buxton MRT every man has an idea that will not work. universally held in high regard. Sometimes there Statistics seems to be tunnel vision focusing only on Ged Feeney Penrith MRT Nevertheless the direction of travel will always be driven by the collation of opinions from the teams numbers of rescues. It is, however, the quality of the An all too common occurrence, MRC Press Officer service that is the greater strength. As Einstein Andy Simpson and their members. stated ‘Not everything that counts can be counted an accident in a remote area. Rossendale & Pendle MRT It is unlikely that we will reach a state wherein Bad enough when the weather is there is a single unified path of travel on all matters. and not everything that can be counted counts’. www.mountain.rescue.org.uk fine, far worse at 8pm after dark Bill Murray, possibly the greatest writer on David Allan Chairman with three kids on board! A D V E R T I S I N G The Magnetic Warning Rope S A L E S groups pitting themselves against the terrain and can be fitted in seconds whilst Pat Starkie ...AND FROM each other. Big smile day. the ‘Be Safe’ Retro Reflective telephone 0870 240 4024 Then we had the introduction to ropes which, Blanket will keep up to three THE EDITOR... for me, was indeed a complete introduction. Never people warm and dry whilst N E X T I S S U E There’s one question destined to raise every abseiled, never climbed, certainly never been awaiting rescue. team member’s eyes from that familiar spot on the strapped in a stretcher and hung vertical off a Issue 19 – January 2006 carpet during cas care lectures. No, not the one we quarry face. It’s not that I’m particularly worried Deadline for copy 8 December ask any male casualty over 40 (heck, any male about heights – I’ve stood atop some pretty Editorial copy must be supplied as casualty, full stop) presenting with symptoms of unforgiving alpine slopes with a couple of planks Word/Quark document. angina, concerning whether he has partaken of a strapped to my feet, taken a deep breath and loved Both an absolute must for Images must be supplied as separate certain purple pill during the last few hours (cue every powdery second of going for it – but I really Paramedics, Police and JPEGS/Photoshop EPS/TIFF (300 dpi) sniggers all round). But the one about which drug in did not feel happy about this. ‘Does anyone want to Advertising artwork must be supplied, ready Multi-Accident Ambulance the mountain rescue pharmacopoeia you might use practice on this shallow slope first?’ asked Pete. prepared on CD or via email as font embedded Services. PDF/EPS/TIFF (300 dpi) or Quark document with to treat a casualty in the throes of an asthma attack. Nobody spoke. But me. ‘Er... actually, I’d quite like all relevant fonts and images. The reason being, you see, that about 70% of team to.’ And that was bad enough, what with slippery members apparently suffer with asthma to some grass and all that, but then it was on to the 80 foot Blanket and Ropes are made Every care will be taken of materials sent degree or another. Must be something in the drop of sheer rock (remember this is a complete with 100% acrylic yarns for publication however these are submitted Rossendale water. Maybe it’s all those hours spent beginner’s assessment, not necessarily the reality) combined with 3M™ Scotchlite™ at the sender’s risk. navigating through the Pendle clag. and every ounce of courage left me. Until, spurred Reflective Material. Front page pic Having said that, the obligatory puffers have on by my very encouraging team mates, I went. And Edale MRT on training exercise. not been much in evidence in the last several weeks back came the smile! Yesss! Tim Webber in which I have been joining the team on outdoor Meanwhile, a Tyrolean traverse had been set exercises and, recently, the new trainees on trainee up across the dip. ‘You going Jude?’ Try holding me training. Maybe the asthma thing is just an amusing back!! And off I went... squealing, as I mentioned Thank You myth perpetuated to ease the torpor of staring at earlier, with sheer delight all the way. And back for to everyone who has the carpet for an entire meeting? Whateva. a second go! Wow! I mean, wow! Later that day I BE SEEN submitted news, articles and photographs for inclusion in the So... team training. And after a lifetime of was the ‘casualty’ strapped into the Bell for a Mountain Rescue Magazine. practical creativity (well, have you ever met any journey up and down the crag. And finally, rope If your contribution isn’t other single soul who has crocheted a carpet or attached, I climbed (okay, got hauled up out of my BE SAFE here, don’t worry. Everything knitted a filofax cover? No? Then I rest my case) I terrified limpet stance more than once, if truth be is kept on file for future WITH GENESIS consideration, so please keep up am suddenly all fingers and thumbs. Completely told) up the same ‘80 foot’ which had earlier held so the good work. unable, with a vehicle full of silently groaning much fear for me. Even bigger smile day. REFLECTIVE testosterone, to close the passenger door on But back to the point... and there was actually Mobile 1. ‘Just lift the handle and pull it shut.’ Nope, WARNING SYSTEMS Editor’s Note a point, believe it or not. While all this action girl stuff won’t go. Repeat last two sentences five times until has been going on, I’ve also been giving my kitchen Articles carried in someone else slams it shut with enormous ease. a much needed coat of paint. The day the paint can Mountain Rescue Completely unable, on another occasion, to follow came out, so too did the most awful barking cough, Contact Paul Hall or Helen Dixey Magazine do not my team leader’s ‘simpler method’ than my own wheezing, shortness of breath and consequent at Church Mills, 77 Harborough Road, Kibworth LE8 0RB necessarily reflect the Paul : [email protected] Helen : [email protected] perfectly successful method of tying a figure of aching ribs. Two weeks in and no sleep, I gave in – opinions of the MRC. eight knot. Ho hum. crawling to the doctor’s surgery begging for mercy. Mobile : 07746 776 816 Further, we do not accept But there have been moments of sheer Result? I now have a (temporary) puffer. My very responsibility for squealing delight. Like the off road driving day, own Salbutamol. As team membership goes, I Pat. and Reg. Designs – information supplied in spent getting to know our new vehicles and guess I’ve arrived! Genesis Reflective Rope Ltd adverts/advertorial.