KESWICK Mountain Rescue Team A Registered Charity Number 509860 Annual Report 2012 Introduction www.keswickmrt.org.uk Grisedale Pike Venus Griffiths Website homepage Welcome to the 2012 Annual Report of For more information about the Team, Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. see www.keswickmrt.org.uk This is a record of the Team’s activities in 2011. Please support the Team through the links from the website to The Team operates in the area shown on the map on page 2. The Charities Aid Foundation and JustGiving. Sometimes the Team is needed elsewhere. And see “Please support us” on pages 34 and 35. Thanks Photographs The painting has been donated by Venus Griffiths. All photographs used in this report The framed original is for sale to the highest bidder. have been contributed It may be viewed at Derwent Frames, High Hill, Keswick. by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team members. All proceeds to Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Keswick Mountain Rescue Team 2012 President: Mike Nixon MBE Deputy Team Leaders: Chris Gillyon, Roy Henderson Chris Higgins, Simon Hodgson Chairman: Alan Prescott Medical Officer: Dr Tim Hooper Secretary: Paul Cheshire Training Officers: Steven Hepburn, Nick Jones Treasurer: lan Wallace Radio Officer: Alan Prescott Spooney Green House Transport Officer: Allan Alcock Spooney Green Lane, Equipment Officers: Richard Gale, Nick Jones Keswick, Cumbria CA12 4PJ Base Officer: Paul Carter Team Leader: Mark Hodgson Social Secretary: Elly Whiteford Committee: Fiona Boyle, Paul Horder Report Editor: Peter Little Allan Alcock Retired Mark Hodgson Project Director Secretary (Meetings & Minutes): Steve Allen Handyman Simon Hodgson Builder Nick Ogden Donald Angus Retired Dr Tim Hooper General Practitioner Secretary (Membership): Gordon Barker Director Katharine Horder Head Teacher Paul Barnes Fire Fighter Paul Horder Retired Fiona Boyle Jan Beedham Laboratory Technician Robin Humphreys Retired Secretary (Talks & Visits): Martin Bell Paramedic Andy Jones Guest House Proprietor Graeme Wilson Fiona Boyle Lecturer Nick Jones Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Secretary (Correspondence): Paul Carter Production Manager Peter Little Pharmacist Karen Sturgess Paul Cheshire Chartered Engineer Tom McNally Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Dr Adrian Clifford General Practitioner Malcolm Miller Retired Neil Dowie Hotelier Phil Newton Retired Donald Ferguson Retail Assistant Mike Nixon Retired ([email protected]) Chris Francis Fire Service Simon Noble Retired Keswick MRT Headquarters, Richard Gale Systems Engineer Nick Ogden Outdoor Equipment Technician Lakeside Car Park, Lake Road, Chris Gillyon Managing Director David Pratt Teacher Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5DJ Geoff Gilmore Leisure Pool Manager Alan Prescott Senior Manager Rob Grange Photographer Jocky Sanderson Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Mick Guy Retired Brian Spencer Retired David Harbourne Project Engineer Dr Tom Stenhouse General Practitioner Chris Harling Managing Director Karen Sturgess Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Collection Box Co -ordinator: Roy Henderson National Trust Ranger Ian Wallace Retired Brian Spencer Scott Henderson National Park Ranger Elly Whiteford Technical Officer Daresfield, Chestnut Hill, Keswick, Steve Hepburn Carpenter Graeme Wilson Site Inspector Cumbria CA12 4LS Chris Higgins Outdoor Pursuits Instructor See page 33 1 Keswick Mountain Rescue Team CALLOUT STATISTICS Area of Responsibility 96 Callouts, 6 Fatalities DAYS OF THE WEEK 2011 35 Caldbeck 30 25 Bassenthwaite 20 15 Skiddaw Blencathra 10 Threlkeld S 5 Braithwaite T N E D KESWIICK I C D N I 0 e M T W T F SS r w e n MONTHS OF THE YEAR 2011 t w 20 a t e r 18 T h Grange i 16 r l m e Helvellyn 14 r e 12 Seathwaite 10 8 6 4 Scafell Pike S T N E D 2 I C N I 0 Map taken from maps.google.co.uk J F M A M J J A S O N D 2 Team Leaders Report for 2012 2011 ended with Keswick Mountain Rescue replacing equipment and running the business Team attending 96 rescues, including one on of the Team. Christmas Day and one on Boxing Day. Whilst The Team is hugely supported by members’ nowhere near as busy as the preceding two partners and families. We are further supported years of 2009 and 2010 where we had 136 by Team members’ employers who allow them and 144 rescues respectively, 2011 was still the to attend rescues during working hours; in 3rd busiest year in the Teams 65 year history. the current economic climate this is further Yet again the Keswick Team were one of the demonstration of the huge support we receive. busiest rescue teams in the UK. In addition to Additionally we continue to be humbled by the 96 rescues undertaken there were a further 012 the ongoing financial support we receive from 1947 - 2 Years 37 alert calls from the Police that didn’t result in all our local and wider supporters be this by 65 a full Team callout but did take time to resolve; way of donations following rescues, discounts, calls such as ‘overdues,’ lights seen on the fells fundraising events, hosting of collecting boxes, at night, flares, etc. legacies, etc. The Team is very grateful for all circumstances identify a casualty or missing All rescues undertaken by the Team are notable the support we receive; without this extent of person’s location via their smart-phone – but for our casualties, with many individual rescues support the volunteer members would need this relies on the type of phone, signal strength sticking in the minds of Team Members. This to spend even more of their time involved with (most often not good enough in the hills) and year is no exception. Incidents ranged from fundraising activities, etc. battery strength at the time. Many of our alerts leg injuries (28) to searches (19) mountain-bikers This time last year we were all enjoying ‘alpine’ and searches could have been avoided if all (7) cragfast and rock-climbing (16) and sadly conditions on the mountains of the Lake District, walkers were properly equipped; getting this included 6 fatalities. The Team worked with RAF this year we’re struggling not to be blown off message over to everyone remains as a major and Royal Navy helicopters on 11 incidents and our feet. For all trips into the hills it is important challenge! One aspect of this perhaps not Air Ambulances on 20 rescues. to be properly equipped and to know how to recognised is that if we are out on a search All team members are volunteers; a fact use the equipment. In addition to all warm all night for someone who is not properly sometimes not realised by our casualties or and waterproof clothing, spare food, ice-axe equipped and perhaps didn’t need rescuing – their families and friends and a fact often not and crampons, etc., it is an absolute imperative and then we are called out the next morning to recognised at all by the general public. All to have a map, compass, torch, whistle, etc. a seriously injured casualty – it will be the same volunteer members willingly give up literally and have the skills in your group on how to use team members who respond; team members hundreds of hours every year to go to the aid of the map and compass. Often supplemented who could perhaps more efficiently respond if walkers and climbers in need. In addition to all by GPS’s and mobile phones, these traditional they hadn’t missed the previous night’s sleep. the time spent on rescues we train every week tools remain the most reliable. Technical We took the decision mid-year that we needed and also expend further time on maintaining and advances mean that we can in certain to expand to a 4th operational vehicle to make 3 Team Leader’s Report sure we could continue to operate efficiently. for us to do more rescues – we do enough of With the rise in the number of times we have those already! We just want to make sure our multiple concurrent rescues we need to be casualties get the best possible treatment – able to get team members to these incidents on all rescues, no matter the time of day, the safely and efficiently and have the off-road location, the on-scene weather conditions, or capability to transfer casualties on stretchers the terrain for helicopter usage. We do wonder from these incidents. We took delivery of a at times if our suggestions and advice to second crew-bus/ambulance in February 2012. NWAS fall on deaf ears – perhaps because we This year has seen a significant shift in the are a voluntary organisation; albeit a voluntary spread of incidents attended by air ambulances organisation that provides a highly professional compared to RAF and Royal Navy helicopters, and specialist service, being voluntary only on with air ambulances attending twice as many the basis that we don't get paid. rescues as the military helicopters. Compared Unless we have a very dramatic downturn in to previous years the numbers have shifted the annual rescue ‘count’ this year, 2012 will from the majority using military helicopters – no doubt see the Team pass through the barrier to a roughly equal split and this year to its of 3000 rescues undertaken since formation; current split. This has transpired due to many we had completed 2949 up to the end of rescues now being notified direct to North West December 2011. One thing is for sure, all our Ambulance Service who task their assets prior casualties will get the best possible treatment to consulting with the Mountain Rescue Teams. we can provide, delivered by a team of the most The access to local knowledge of the Teams for professional and committed volunteers to be timely tasking of the most appropriate resources found anywhere. for our casualties is consequently lost and can To all lovers of the Lake District mountains – result in some inappropriate; or more worryingly, enjoy your time in the hills, but please make sure delayed tasking.