Mountain rescue teams help cyclist injured in fall at Northumberland beauty spot

Just after 1.30pm on Thursday, June 25, Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and North of Tyne Team were called by the North East Ambulance Service to assist.

While the teams were being mobilised, the community paramedic, assisted by a team member from North of Tyne Team assessed, treated and stabilised the injured woman.

Luckily she was wearing a helmet which helped reduce the seriousness of the injuries.

Kielder reservoir is in the far west of both teams’ operating area and getting rescuers across can be a challenge, but within an hour of the call going out, team members began to arrive.

Any other day, this type of call out would be relatively straightforward, but like so many mountain rescue teams across the UK at present, the incident was made more complex because of the need for team members to don protective PPE before handling the casualty.

With temperatures reaching 28C, the volunteers put on their latex gloves, face masks, visors and waterproof jackets to help protect themselves, their teammates and the casualty.

Will Close-Ash, a volunteer with the team, said “This was my first call-out since the pandemic started so I was a bit nervous about getting into my PPE.

“However, both teams have spent a lot of time training members on how to put on and take off their equipment and how to manage any anxiety around operating in a COVID-19 environment. I felt completely safe.”

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