ISSN 1756-8749 0 5 mountai n . JULY 2008 3 £ 25 WELCOME TO 25 75 years of Mountain Rescue is the membership magazine for mountain rescue Mountain Rescue (England & Wales). Dates and deadlines, meetings, Months later a meeting with the owners minutes and record keeping – these are of Rheged resulted in the allocation of Contributions should be sent to the editor at the address below. the lot of the secretary balanced with a space near the TIC desk. Our exhibition Every care will be taken of well deserved pint after a good day on could proceed, albeit somewhat smaller materials sent for publication the hills. During 2007 I celebrated the and different in format. however these are submitted at centenary year of the Fell and Rock ‘75 years of MR’ is now installed and the sender’s risk. Climbing Club by ascending all 244 hills receiving favourable comments from the listed in my club’s book ‘The Lakeland visiting public. Several contributors have EDITORIAL Fells’. The club proudly displayed its 100 provided worthwhile material yet the task Judy Whiteside 8 Bridgefoot Close, Boothstown year heritage with an impressive of transforming it into an attractive Manchester M28 1UG exhibition at Rheged, alongside ‘Everest’ exhibition fell mainly to two members 0161 702 6080 the cornerstone of the National with skills beyond their MR background. [email protected] Mountaineering Exhibition. Eight years on Designer and creator Chris Sherwin Andy Simpson from Everest 1924 FRCC member achieved high visual impact with a strong 0161 764 5211 Bentley Beetham, whilst ‘having tea in the interactive element. Dave Freeborn [email protected] hotel’, became involved when Alfred skilfully produced interesting films for the mountain.rescue.org.uk Pigott and others of the Rucksack Club big screen including reconstructions by Pat Starkie ‘came across an injured and casualties who were full of praise for their 0845 337 4727 unconscious climber while walking over rescuers. Four panels carry a timeline Crib Goch. After some very arduous from 1933 above impressive images of efforts they carried him down to Pen-y- MR in action. Mountain rescue Pass on a civilian stretcher’. encompasses mountains and wild NEXT ISSUE This and similar incidents terrain, caves and mines, dogs, RAF and 26 highlighted the lack of a suitable lowland units. The timeline leads the Copy Deadline: mountain stretcher and both clubs were visitor to two touch-screens and a supply 5 September 2008 instrumental in forming the Joint of leaflets encouraging subscription to Editorial copy must be supplied Stretcher Committee in 1933 resulting in Basecamp. One touch-screen option as Word document. production of the Thomas Stretcher. The shows many of the images featured in Images must be supplied as JSC became the First Aid Committee of ‘Mountain Rescue: history and high resolution (300 dpi) JPEG/EPS/TIFF/PDF Mountaineering Clubs which, in due development in the Peak District’ by Ian course, became the Mountain Rescue Hurst and Roger Bennett, which Advertising artwork must be Committee. In June of last year I chronicles events from 1920 and supplied, ready prepared on CD or via email as font reported, with some pleasure and parallels the development of organised embedded PDF/EPS/TIFF (300 satisfaction, that we could celebrate 75 MR elsewhere in the UK. I urge all dpi) or Quark document with all years of mountain rescue with an regions to record for posterity their own relevant fonts and images. exhibition when the FRCC agreement heritage up to 2008 in celebration of 75 terminated. Plans were well advanced years of mountain rescue. when NME abruptly closed its doors at Peter Smith Secretary MR(E&W) PAGE Cornwall Mine Rescue the end of 2007 and remains closed. Organisation Photo courtesy of: CMRO contents EDITOR’S NOTE Features Articles carried in Mountain Rescue do not 16 Team Profile necessarily reflect the opinions Penrith in the spotlight of Mountain Rescue (England 22 Lightning Strikes & Wales). We do not accept Judy Whiteside looks at the facts, myths and mythology responsibility for information 26 Mental Illness in Mountain Rescue supplied in adverts/advertorial. Jessica Stam considers how we react to mental illness 28 Are you Tick Alert? Useful advice from Lisa McGauley 30 MR in Profile. Who’s who in MR? Mike Margeson in the frame 38 Mountain Food the Ramsey Way Paul Lewis cooks it simple 40 Team Profile 2 Cornwall Mine Rescue Organisation mountai n 42 What’s in your Kit Bag? John Whittle takes a peek Regulars 4 News from the executive 4 Dates for 2008 8 News from around the regions 15 SARDA 17 Cave Rescu e 19 Medical stuff 32 Incident reports and statistics MOUNTAIN RESCUE MAGAZINE PAGE 3 OFFICER UPDATES in a nutshell... Richard Warren takes oVer as LDSAMRA Chair and Will also be one of their reps to the MRC... Dave Freeborn has stood doWn after 13 Years as team leader at Patterdale MRT... Jon White is neW SWERA rep... Nigel Dawson and Selwyn Keenan are neW reps to SWSARA... Dave INSOMNIA CURE? saVe themselVes the technical committee. recall Was triggered bY an Bartles-Smith is neW NESRA rep... Adrian Woods takes oVer the financial burden of VED. • act as a point of incident of ‘spontaneous chair at ALSAR... Rob Johnson takes oVer as team leader of CleVeland Her MajestY’s Customs DA TES The regulations are not reference for equipment ignition’ Within the ValVe at MRT... and Mike Margeson steps doWn as MRC Equipment Officer to and EXcise noW haVe the same as those enquiries from the media. the top of the cYlinder. take up the neW post of MRC Training Officer. some specific information applYing to eXemption • meet With other MHRA, the goVerning 2008 Distinguished SerVice AWard goes to Jim Coyle of aimed at helping charities. from VAT for neW Vehicles subcommittees, bodY for medical Cockermouth MRT. It’s anticipated Jim Will receiVe the This can be found at Where, cruciallY, a Vehicle particularlY medical, on a equipment, rightlY insisted aWard from Peter Bell at the conference in Stirling. WWW.hmrc.goV.uk must be able to carrY a regular basis. on WithdraWal of the ValVe. L L /Vat/Vat-charities.htm. Birthday honours... L loaded stretcher in order • attend meetings of MRC At the time there Was Better than chocolate Alfie Ingram MBE... Chairman of the Mountain to qualifY, in manY cases officers and contribute to significant confusion as Horlicks!! Rescue Committee of Scotland and a mountain rescuer requiring modifications to the Wider Work of the the old companY (Medical since the 1950s, Alfie Was aWarded the MBE in June. VEHICLE EXCISE the Vehicle. MRC at national leVel. Gas SerVices) had kept no Based in Dundee, he is also team leader of the TaYside DUTY EXEMPTION • represent MR at releVant records of Where these team. He receiVed the aWard for serVices to mountain EQUIPMENT eXternal meetings and ValVes Were being used. rescue in Scotland. Current regulations OFFICER REQUIRED regarding eXemption from eVents. These ValVes are onlY in Nicki Lyons MBE... Nicki, of Callington in CornWall With the appointment in also receiVed the MBE for her Work With SARDA and her Vehicle eXcise dutY for • make regular the older alloY cYlinders MaY of Mike Margeson as inVolVement in mountain rescue operations. She has ambulances state that the contributions to the MR Which manY teams haVe training officer, Mountain been a member of TaVistock Dartmoor SRT since 1982. Vehicle should carrY a magaZine. noW replaced With ultra- Rescue (England & stretcher in order to be • maintain an equipment lightWeight carbon Wales) is looking for a classed as an ambulance. area on the Website. cYlinders. It is difficult to HONOURS FACT FILE (according to the neW equipment officer. The regulations do not, • keep links With tell Which regulator/ValVe Times – and they should know!) During his time in the equipment manufacturers, You are looking at, as the hoWeVer, state that the It was John Major who changed the system during his tenure as PM, inviting post, Mike made major Vehicle needs the especiallY With reference tYpe cannot be anyone to write in to Downing Street and nominate a worthy candidate. The contributions to the stretcher to be loaded. to their presence at determined from the serial suggestion took hold and a fair number of honours are now awarded by this running of mountain conferences and so forth. number.’ method. The Order of the British Empire has its own hierarchy, beginning with On that basis, seVeral the humble ‘member’ (MBE), on to ‘officer’ (OBE), ‘commander’ (CBE) and rescue at all leVels and it’s Details should haVe been SteVe has concerns that teams haVe registered ‘knight’ (KBE). anticipated this Will Vehicles as ambulances sent out to the teams but there maY be other teams continue. Within the VED regulations for further info, contact using this oXYgen ValVe The successful candidate because theY carrY a Peter Smith 01706 852335 Who are unaWare of the must be able to: – stretcher, albeit a Bell (or or email secretarY@ problem.There are NO • demonstrate good other) stretcher, in tWo mountain.rescue.org.uk. problems With BOC knoWledge of all the halVes. This might be seen cYlinders. specialist and technical MEDICAL GASSES as splitting hairs but DVLA If You haVe Medical Gas equipment used in MR. From SteVe Teale, Medical in SWansea accept this Solutions oXYgen • lead and chair the Officer of MRC of interpretation of the cYlinders please take a equipment subcommittee. Scotland, important regulations and haVe digital photo of the ValVe • co-ordinate and adVise information for teams Who Fl stated so to seVeral local at the top of the cYlinder ying on the deVelopment and use Medical Gas Solutions Vehicle licensing officers and email to jamie@ Sa use of neW equipment.