ANNUAL REPORT:DUBLIN & WICKLOW MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM | 2011 1 . Annual Report: Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team 2011 . MOUNTAIN RESCUE IN DUBLIN AND WICKLOW THROUGHOUT 2011 IN THIS ISSUE Exceptional year for the Team ..................... 1 Exceptional year for the Team The Team Profile ........................................ 2 by Chris England, Team Leader A Tribute to Gerry ........................................ 3 Chairman’s Report .......................................5 Welcome to our first team annual report! To help in Finance report ............................................ 6 I hope you will enjoy reading about the all this we Public Relations Officer report ..................... 7 highlights and huge success the team has have been Summary of Operations 2011 ..................... 8 enjoyed had in the past year. Sadly this very Press releases ............................................ 10 was also the year we lost one of our fortunate Walk the Line 2011 .................................... 12 founder members, Gerry Butler who is in to have a Participant Feedback on WTL .................... 14 all our thoughts and memories. large Thanks to our WTL Participants ................. 15 intake of New stretcher capable 4x4 ........................ 16 2011 has brought many changes and new Probationary Diary 2011 ............................ 17 developments in the Dublin Wicklow members Mountain rescue on the run ....................... 19 Mountain Rescue Team and a new Team this year, “Callout 30” ............................................... 19 Leader was just one of them. Below is an all of “The Mega Callout” .................................. 20 account of my experiences this year. whom are Cathaoirleach award! ................................. 21 keen and Barking mad! ............................................. 21 The Team has benefited hugely from the capable. Person of the Year 2011 ............................ 22 professional approach taken by our Team They proved themselves invaluable to the Annual Dinner 2011 .................................. 22 Leaders in the past and this did fill me with Team during Walk the Line and have since The year in photos! ................................... 24 some apprehension at taking on the role: Do been brought onto the live callout register. I The year in updates! .................................. 30 I have the ability? The right approach? Or, have high hopes many will make the grade in Thanks to all our 2011 Supporters! ............. 34 even just the time? Ten months into the role, their full team membership assessment in Emergency contact ................................... 35 I’m not sure I can clearly answer any of these. early 2012. The dedication shown to the Team by our Other Agencies: We have continued to members continues to grow year on year. develop a closer working relationship with ANNUAL REPORT CREATORS These activities range from on the hill at a our neighbouring team the Glen of Imaal Red call out (were once again the numbers are in Cross MRT (GoI). In addition to this we This report for 2011 was created by: the 60’s), turning out for training events, the continued to strengthen our relations with Brian O’Doherty (PRO) various committees and sub committees, not the Gardai and Eastern Regional Ambulance Michelle Clarke (Assistant PRO) to mention fundraising events such as Walk Service. The Line. The time commitment given, away For questions or feedback on the from family and friends, in a selfless manner (Team Leader report is continued on page 3) contents contact: [email protected] is huge and an inspiration. ANNUAL REPORT: ANNUAL REPORT |2011 2 The Team Profile The Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team has 62 team members. The team is made up from people from all backgrounds such as accountants, doctors, police, firemen, engineers, paramedics, auctioneers, investment bankers and even first aid instructors. They are unpaid volunteers who heroically give up their time and skills going to the aid of anyone in trouble on the hills. Honorary members (5 members) Full Team members (33 members) Probationary members (13 members) Awarded to team members or individuals who Fully qualified and active search and rescue Trainees who are currently undergoing have gone over and above the call of duty team members (*overall number includes the extensive search and rescue skills training as Committee, PRO & Member of the Year) part of the 2011 -2012 intake Brendan Nolan Brian Hayes Alan Cronin Adrian Nolan Derek Keegan (Project Engineer, 4 months on the team) Cormac Lynch (Solicitor) Gerard Butler (RIP, see page 3) Brian Farrell (Financial Analyst, 2 years David Mahon (Self employed) John Manning on the team) Diarmuid O' Colmain (Engineer, Scientist, Brendan Lawlor (Business Consultant, 9 Management Consultant) years on the team) Gareth Little (Investment Banker) 2011 Member of the Year Charlie McGuinness John Shiels (Public Servant, 3 years on the team) (Photographer / IT consultant) Awarded annually to the highest achieving Dave Cleary (Critical Care Paramedic, 6 Josephine Madden member of the team years on the team) (Pharmaceutical Marketing) David Butler (DWMRT Deputy Team Kevin Hallahan (R&D Engineer) Gen Ward Leader, Company Director/Health & Michelle Clarke (DWMRT Deputy Team Leader, Civil Safety Consultant ) (Lead Program Manager) Servant, 15 years on the team) Declan Cunningham (Deputy Team Rita Darcy (IT Consultant) Leader, and a self-employed Rope Robert Creevey (Self Employed) Access/Mountain Skills Instructor & Committee members Ronan Friel Journalist, 10yrs on the team) (Self Employed Electrician) Edmund Fagan (ex-Team Leader of Chairman: David Williams, (Engineer, 13 Stephen McGuinness DWMRT, Operations Manager, Financial years on the team) (Electronic Engineer) Services, 25 years on the team) Team Leader: Chris England Fearghal Bracken (DWMRT Deputy Team (Project Manager, 11 years on the team) Leader) Associate members (11 members) Treasurer: Shane Daly (Project Manager, Gerry Condon 3 Years on the team) Hugh O’Callaghan (Medical Doctor, 2 Alan Little Secretary: Paul Keenan years on the team) Bryan Murtagh (Software Project Manager) James Connolly Ken Duffy Ordinary Member 1: James Connolly Joe O'Gorman Lisa O'Brien Ordinary Member 2: Brian Condon John Dowling (Auctioneer, 3 years) Noel Barton Ordinary Member 3: Kenny Roberts (ex- John Noble (Programme Manager, 3 Paul Gilbert team leader of DWMRT and current Vice- years on the team) Paul Moran Chair of Mountain Rescue Ireland, Airport John O'Brien Police Training & Development Officer, 23 Philip Little years on the team) Ken Worthington Shay Walsh Mark Flynn (ex-Team Leader of DWMRT, Terry Byrne self employed, 16 years on the team) Willie Flynn Public Relations Officer Michael O'Donnell Tomasz Majszyk Pat Reid Brian O’Doherty (self-employed, 14 years on the team) (Engineer, 5 years on the team) Paul Lynch We will be recruiting again in the summer of Rowan Kavanagh (Programme Manager, 2012! To learn more about becoming a Friends of DWMRT 3 years on the team) member please contact recruitment Stephen Lambe @dwmrt.ie These are valued folk who generously Vaughan Mason contribute financially to help with the (Firefighter/Advanced Paramedic, 22 running cost of the team years on the team) Wayne Jenkins (Self-employed, 3 years on the team) ANNUAL REPORT | 3 Gerry - Our Team Founder and Friend Recently the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue team lost a dear friend Gerry Butler. He was a leading light as an honorary member. He had been a member of the An Óige Mountain Rescue Team before becoming a founder of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team. He also served as the team secretary for several years. Gerry’s passion was Mountain Rescue and he was very active in Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI). He had a depth of operational knowledge, loved radio's and communications. He could talk for hours about repeaters and channels. Gerry loved the medical side of the service that mountain rescue provides and was an extremely well qualified first responder. He was instrumental in bringing the Wilderness Emergency Medical Technical qualification to Ireland and was an esteemed member of the Wilderness Emergency Medical Service Instistute (WEMSi) faculty. He was a skilled mountaineer and a very active hillwalker for several years. Gerry was extremely helpful. With his trademark bushy beard and flowing locks he was impossible to miss in a group. He was well equipped – he was renowned for his heavy kit of personal gear that he always carried on the hill. He was a great asset to our team. We have all lost a dear friend and esteemed colleague.Our thoughts are with Gerry’s family and friends, the mountaineering community and his wider family of Mountain Rescue. This is a great loss to our team. Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam - May Gerry rest in peace. A TRIBUTE TO GERRY A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift. A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift. A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy and grace. And makes the whole world we live in a better and happier place. I believe in angels, The kind that heaven sends, I am surrounded by angels, But I call them friends. ANNUAL REPORT | 4 An Exceptional Year launched just as R117 from Waterford arrived I’m not sure how many of us got much sleep on scene and fortunately was able to do the that day, I for one didn’t get any, so when the (continued from page 1) lift. call came in that evening for a person swept away in flood waters in what was still very Operationally we have had some very Ten minutes later we had Operation 4. A heavy rain I dreaded the worst. Searching at interesting call outs this year including three group had been out walking and a younger night around flood waters is inherently and four callouts in one afternoon, very busy member of the group had decided to run on dangerous. With fast flowing water this operational periods seeing us out for multiple ahead and go himself lost. After a quick danger goes up tenfold, added to this we had days in a row and also more tragic operations search of the forestry tracks in the area he fatigued rescue team members.