Keswick Mountain Rescue Team ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Introduction Lining Crag Venus Griffiths Incident 54 Lining Crag in the distance Welcome to the 2017 Annual Report of Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. The Team operates in the area shown on the map on page 3, and occasionally, elsewhere, as required. The Report includes a record of the Team’s activities throughout 2016. 2017 marks the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Team Through those 70 years the Team has evolved into a highly efficient organisation, with expertise in many areas not always apparent under the title “mountain rescue team”. The Team draws upon the many individual strengths and capabilities of its members. Team members become dedicated in attending training sessions, and in their response to the text/pager/email messages to callouts. A spirit of close cooperation is engendered by familiarity through a set of secure and confident personal relationships. In addition to summarising 2016, this Report gives a flavour of the Team’s history and development. Thanks to local artist Venus Griffiths, who has donated the painting of Lining Crag. Venus has kindly donated the painting for each Annual Report since 1999. The framed original is for sale to the highest bidder. It may be viewed at Derwent Frames, High Hill, Keswick. All proceeds go to Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Lining Crag is a prominent feature close to Greenup Gill, above Stonethwaite, Borrowdale. The vicinity of the crag has seen many callouts in 2016, it being adjacent to the popular “Coast to Coast Walk”. For more information about the Team see: www.keswickmrt.org.uk and also the Facebook network service. Chairman’s Report Chairman’s Thoughts on our 70th Anniversary It’s also a more complicated world. We have ever more regulations to follow, qualifications we need KMRT isn’t really big on nostalgia, but it’s worth to attain and technical kit to familiarize ourselves taking a few moments to reflect on the fact that with. Keeping up to date and staying on top of back in 1947, we were one of the first mountain these skills seems to require an increasing rescue teams in England and Wales. amount of time and effort from our volunteers. The stunning landscape that forms the backdrop It’s impossible to know what new challenges to Keswick might not have changed much over and opportunities the next 10 years will the past 70 years, but in many ways KMRT bring, (drone-based SAR? New medicines operates in a very different world today. and diagnostic technologies?), never mind the It’s a far busier and demanding world, for a start. next 70. But I’m confident the Team’s culture The number of rescues has climbed steadily over of collective (sometimes noisy) debate and the decades, in line with the increasing number democratic decision making will continue to see of visitors to the region. And the scope of our us adapt to the changing world around us and operations has expanded to include swift water remain at the forefront of the mountain rescue and flood response as well as urban search and scene. rescue support. Last year seemed relatively quiet Gordon BarkerBaker - we only did 94 rescues. Incident 27 1 Keswick Mountain Rescue Team 2017 Steve Allen Handyman Gordon Barker Biotech Consultant Alan Barnes Emergency Medical Technician Paul Barnes Fire Fighter Martin Bell Paramedic Sarah Bennett Tour Operator Tom Blakely Paramedic Fiona Boyle Lecturer Paul Cheshire Chartered Engineer Nuala Dowie Hotel Proprietor President: Mike Nixon MBE Craig Dring Retired Procurement Chairman: Gordon Barker Manager Matt Eaves LDNPA Secretary: Fiona Boyle Donald Ferguson Retail Assistant Treasurer: lan Wallace Chris Francis Fire Service Team Leader: Chris Higgins Richard Gale Accommodation Provider Deputy Team Leaders: Paul Barnes Chris Gillyon Company Director Chris Gillyon Geoff Gilmore Leisure Pool Manager Steve Hepburn Rob Grange Photographer Committee: Tom Blakely Mick Guy Retired Paul White Steve Hepburn Company Director Medical Officer: Dr Tim Hooper Chris Higgins Company Director Training Officers: Alan Barnes - Outdoor Pursuits Steve Hepburn Mark Hodgson Project Director Simon Hodgson Company Director Radio Officer: Alan Prescott Stuart Holmes Photographer Vehicles Officers: Matt Eaves Tim Hooper GP Mick Guy Katharine Horder Head Teacher Equipment Officers: Dan Jordan Paul Horder Retired George Lloyd Andy Jones Guest House Proprietor Tom McNally Dan Jordan College Lecturer Base Officer: Steve Allen Peter Little Pharmacist Report Editor: Peter Little George Lloyd Student / Retail Assistant Secretary (Membership): Tom Blakely Tom McNally Outdoor Pursuits Collection Box Instructor Co-ordinators: Malcolm Miller Malcolm Miller Retired Head Teacher Paul White Phil Newton Retired See page 31 Simon Noble Retired Teacher IT Manager: Paul Horder David Pratt Teacher Alan Prescott Senior Manager Lisa Price General Marina Manager ([email protected]) Jocky Sanderson Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Keswick MRT Headquarters, Ian Wallace Retired Lakeside Car Park, Lake Road, Paul White Papermill Chemist Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5DJ Elly Whiteford Technical Specialist Graeme Wilson Retired Hannah Wignall Sports Therapist 2 Keswick Mountain Rescue Team Area of Responsibility Overwater Caldbeck Bassenthwaite Skiddaw Blencathra Threlkeld Braithwaite KESWICK Derwentwater Grange Thirlmere Helvellyn Seathwaite Scafell Pike CALLOUT STATISTICS 94 Callouts, 2 Fatalities DAYS OF THE WEEK 2016 MONTHS OF THE YEAR 2016 35 20 18 30 16 25 14 12 20 10 15 8 6 10 4 5 2 INCIDENTS INCIDENTS 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D INCIDENTS INCIDENTS 0 MT WTFS S 3 Team Leader’s Report 94 rescues - a reasonably quiet year for Keswick MRT but some interesting ones. A few fallen climbers in Brown Cove got things started; Then there were the two stuck 4x4’s on the Old Coach Road; A man faking injury on the side of Helvellyn - (he’s 70 Years 1947 - 2017 now being prosecuted by the Police); The fires on Jopplety How and in Mosedale; There were the mad cows at Rosthwaite; The Whinlatter bike tracks and Sourmilk Gill keep A cragfast (and overweight) Labrador on the side giving us some serious injuries to deal with; of the river Greta; And incidents on Barf; The Skiddaw avalanche - the portent of the great winter that never happened; A local man continues to impersonate Superman by repeatedly injuring himself quite seriously, but Unfortunately there were some fatalities and our getting out of hospital and carrying on - tough! sympathies are with all who have lost friends and loved ones in the mountains. Base jumpers seem to be thinking Raven Crag is worth a go; Keswick MRT has evolved over 70 years, and the Incident 2 4 Team Leader’s Report core principles of mountain rescue are still at the heart of what we do - to help people (and animals) in distress in the mountains. In January 2017, I had the distinct privilege to meet some of the team’s earliest members - men and women who were in the team in the 50’s and 60’s and they were really hard! See page 26. Without the equipment and clothing of the modern day rescuer, a base or even a team vehicle, they would often endure long and arduous rescues, before helicopters and without as many neighbouring teams to call on for help. They talked of carrying a fallen climber, who had been injured on Central Buttress, from Scafell Crag to Seathwaite on a stretcher. The carry, which took many hours, was eased by the bottle of sherry or port that was carried for first aid purposes and several stops for a cigarette - with the casualty reaching his hand up off the stretcher to grab a cigarette off his rescuers! Incident 10 Farewell to Paul Carter - team member since Mountain rescue teams are recognised as the 1983 having attended nearly 500 rescues, and for specialists in our field, with the skills and a long while was the team base officer who capabilities held by few others. But it is important changed the light bulbs, topped up the tea bags to remember that we are a finite resource. If we’re and kept everything in order throughout our base deployed on something that could be tackled by - a big thank you from everyone in the team. Paul others, we become unavailable to respond to the worked for Bryson’s Bakers in Keswick and more technically difficult and sometimes retired last year - he will be especially missed for dangerous jobs that only MR teams can deal with the pies, pasties and sticky buns he organised for - stuck climbers, injured walkers and people lost the team during many long and arduous rescues. in a blizzard. Most recently, during the 2015 flood of the town, Whilst we are more than happy to help in Bryson’s closed its shop in the Market Square occasional, non-mountain incidents, such as in and the shelves were emptied of their perishable the floods or when a situation needs our stock which was donated to the rescuers, who particular skills and equipment, it is important to worked through the day to help evacuate remember we are all unpaid volunteers with jobs, townsfolk and visitors. Visiting rescue teams, who families and other commitments outside worked with us that difficult day, later commented mountain rescue. We are not here to pick up the that Keswick MRT’s hospitality is the best in the pieces as others have their budgets cut and Lake District! staffing levels reduced. Also stepping down from the team last year was I’d really like to welcome our newest full team Dr Adrian Clifford. Adrian joined the team in 2009 member - Sarah Bennett- and our three current and his medical experience as a GP was very probationary members - Hannah Wignall, Craig beneficial to the team and our casualties.