| Facts about Mountain Rescue in Tayside |
| In Tayside region live’ 44
of the 284 Munros in Scotland along with thousands
of square
miles of upland terrain, rough coast lines
and hundreds deep canyons.
|
| Tayside
MRT have 26 full team members including 4 search
and rescue dog handlers and we work closely with
Tayside Police Search and Rescue Unit which has
24 full team members. |
| Adventure
tourism is at a all time high with more people
taking to the hills for recreational activities
than ever before. |
| |
So,
It’s no suprise our call-outs are on
the increase; |
|
On average around 50
call –outs per year |
|
30% increase over the
past three years and 50% increase in 09 |
|
Most people who are
rescued are between the ages of 30 and 55, have
professional jobs and have lots of hill walking
experience |
|
The most common type
of injuries are lower leg fractures caused by a
simple slip |
|
75% of mountain accidents
involve hillwalkers |
|
Most rescues occur in
poor weather conditions |
|
Rescue helicopters don’t
fly in poor visibility or high winds |
|
Average response time
to mountain loactions if casualty location known
is anything from 1 hour to 4 hours |
|
Most hillwalkers don’t
carry a head torch! This is poor practise. |
|
Cost around £30,000
per year to run our team |
| |
| Safety Advice |
| Mountain
rescue teams are volunteers who who are not paid
to be on call to guide people off mountains. However,
they will always respond to accidents and emergencies
but they should not be called if individuals could
with resonable self help navigate themselves to
safety. To help cut back the volume of mountain
rescue call-outs, always research, prepare / attain
skills and pack necessary equipment to not only
have an enjoyable day out but be able to survive
if it should go wrong. |
| If unsure...
call for Mountain Rescue they are supportive and
enthuistic individuals. |
| |
| Skills |
| Can you
map read with certainty? |
|
Learn to navigate in
good and poor visibility with a map and compass |
|
Learn to plan routes
within your capabilities and be realistic |
|
Never underestimate
the importance of having good map reading and compass
skills |
|
Learn about mountain
weather and how it will affect your journey |
| |
| Prepeartion |
|
Always take a mobile
phone and ensure its fully charged. |
|
Check the local mountain
weather forecast |
|
www.mwis.org.uk click
east highlands or visit www.metoffice.gov.uk and
click east highlands |
|
The weather in the local
areas can change very quickly |
| |
| Experience |
|
Avoid going beyond your
capabilities |
|
Go out with more experienced
friends before going solo |
|
Always leave information
about your route with a family member or friend |
|
Always pack the correct
equipment |
| |
| Equipment Summer |
| Always pack
the following items regardless of weather conditions |
|
30 to 40 litre rucksack
with waterproof liner |
|
Map of area, waterproof
map case and comapsss with a base plate recommend
silva type 4 |
|
Whistle, head torch with
spare batteries and wrist watch |
|
A GPS is no subsitiute for
convential map and compass, however, they are excellent
navigational tools in experienced hands |
|
Plastic orange survival
bag or blizzard bag |
|
A lightweight shelter, a
two person style are brilliant |
|
Personal compact first aid
kit |
|
Two pairs of gloves style
and warmth will depend on season summer or winter |
|
Two light weight warm hats
again depends upon season summer or winter |
|
Spare mid layer |
|
Waterproof trousers and
jacket |
|
Spare food |
|
For hot weather sun glasses
and sun hat |
| This list
might seem a lot to some... but, its not much when
you need to use it. Without it you will struggle
to survive. |
| |
| Additional
equipment for winter |
|
Helmet |
|
Ice axe and crampons |
|
Warmer clothing including
gloves |
|
Ski goggles |
| |
If Lost
|
|
Wait for the cloud to
clear, when you have good visibility navigate down
from high and exposed levels |
|
Consider retracing your
steps |
| |
| If in trouble
or danger |
|
Give six blasts on whistle
or six flashes of torch and shout for help, a passer
by may hear your signals and alert the rescue services
or come to your aide |
|
Most hill walkers don't
carry a head torch! Please always carry one, it
saves many searching hours for rescue teams, rescue
teams stand a good chance of seeing your torch
light. |
| |
| What to do in an Emergency |
|
Dial 999, ask for Tayside police – then
Mountain Rescue |
|
Give details of who you are, your location give
6 figure grid reference or GPS reference or name
of location / mountain information, a contact number,
information about what has happened casualty condition,
group size and condition. The leave your phone
switched on at all times |
|
Keep yourself and group safe and warm, use the
group shelter and suvival bags to protect all against
the weather. Wait for the Mountain Rescue team
or police to contact you with further instructions |
|
Do not move from your position unless asked by
the Mountain rescue team or Police to do so, mobile
signals can vary so moving a small distance may
lose your signal |
|
If a helicopter is coming in to pick up a casualty,
pack away all lose items, get your small group
in to a huddle, crouch or kneel down over the patient
and protect your eyes, either wear your rucksacks
or sit on them. Do nothing more until instructed
to do so. |
| It will take some time for mountain
rescue personal to reach you, don’t panic,
stay calm and most of all stay warm. |
| Have a safe, enjoyable and responsible
journay to the Scottish mountains. |
