Mountain rescue teams respond to five incidents as summer begins

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team have responded to five call outs in as many days. The teams have had five requests for support from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

The first of these was an incident at Crammel Linn waterfall on the River Irthing, just north of Gilsland, a male in his late teens had slipped and fallen down the waterfall. Superintendent Andrew Huddleston from Northumbria Police praised the work of both teams saying that ‘mountain rescue volunteers do a fantastic job and we can’t thank them enough’R.

The latest incident occurred on Hadrian’s Wall, near one of the Roman forts. NEAS requested mountain rescue support for two casualties, one with a shoulder injury and the second with a spinal injury. The team packaged the second casualty in a vacuum mattress and carried them out to a nearby ambulance.

The incident involved 26 team members for three hours and 25 minutes.

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team (NNPMRT) and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team (NOTMRT) provide a search and rescue service in the Northumbria Police area. The operational area covers 2,159 square miles and includes the whole of Northumberland and the conurbation of Tyne & Wear. Both MRTs operate together on a callout, activated through a joint calling procedure.

Calls for assistance include not only search and mountain rescue of walkers, fell/trail runners and mountain bikers in the uplands of Northumberland but also the search and rescue of missing children and vulnerable adults in rural and urban settings.

All members are volunteers and have a shared interest in providing a vital life-saving service. Members continuously train in all the core skill areas (hill craft and navigation, search, communications, first aid and casualty care, technical rescue, etc.) and are equipped to enable them to operate effectively in all types of terrain and in all seasons.

Both MRTs are solely reliant on voluntary donations and grants from charitable trusts. The funds generated cover the costs of: training; maintenance, replacement or upgrading of equipment and vehicles.