MOUNTAIN RESCUE CONFERENCE SCOTLAND SET FOR MOUNTAIN RESCUE WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER Mountain rescue teams from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will share and build on best practice throughout the rescue community at the UK & Ireland Mountain Rescue biennial conference on 12-14 September in the Scottish Highlands.
ountain rescue in Ireland and the UK is often undertaken in some of the most remote and potentially Mhostile environmental conditions experienced by the emergency services. Highly professional mountain rescue volunteers are organised in teams across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Teams train to a very high standard and are the workshops will cover areas from searching KEEPING TRACK OF BEST always ready to assist people any time, to technical rescue skills, water rescue, PRACTICE any day, and in any weather. medical practices, and the human element of Every two years the UK and Irish There will be up to 30 small group rescues. mountain rescue community holds its workshops organised across the Main meetings, delegate accommodation, biennial conference. Up to 400 mountain following five ‘tracks’: exhibition space and some of the workshops rescue team leaders and team members 1. Technical Land Rescue: and lectures will be held in the Highlands Hotel who comprise voluntary mountain rescue, Rigging for rescue, 4×4 at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort in the heart cave rescue and search and rescue dog vehicle recovery to mountain of the village. associations in Ireland and the UK are biking. Also invited are affiliated bodies such as expected to attend the event in Aviemore, 2. Water Rescue: Technical the military search and rescue, members of the located in the Cairngorms National Park in water-related issues, such as police, ambulances services, fire and rescue the Scottish Highlands. canyon rescue and riverbank services, government resilience officers, the The weekend conference on 12- searching. coast guard and the search and rescue teams. 14 September, organised by Scottish 3. Medical: Casualty management A civic reception will be held on the Friday Mountain Rescue, will combine a mixture and the latest thinking on evening. Amongst the invited guests will be of outdoor workshop sessions and indoor treating the hypothermic ministers from UK and devolved governments; lectures building on best practice within casualty. MPs and MSPs; chief police officers from the volunteer mountain rescue community. 4. Human Factors: Developing Scotland and military heads, in addition to Conference chairman Jonathan Hart rescue leaders to best leading figures in mountain rescue. said that they have been supported by a practice in rescue trauma range of UK and Scottish businesses and counselling for volunteer charities helping to raise the necessary rescuers. For further information: funds to subsidise costs for hosting the 5. Search: Search management Email: MRGathering2014@ event. skills and tools. mountainrescuescotland.org The conference will include a talk Website: http://mrgathering2014. from extreme climber Andy Kirkpatrick, There will be indoor sessions in mountainrescuescotland.org/ workshops led by world famous climber the management of big multi-team, Facebook: www.facebook.com/ Dave MacLeod and a wide range multi-agency searches as well as mrgathering2014 of outdoor-based skills sessions in workshops on the more traditional Twitter: www.twitter.com/ Cairngorms National Park. mountain roles of searching and MRGathering2014 Lead organiser Martin McCallum said medical care of casualties.