What happens when you call us out
Imagine you are walking along the Pennine way on Bleaklow, the rain clouds descend, you get a bit lost and whilst looking at the map you trip over a wet rock and badly twist your ankle. You call 999 on your mobile phone and ask the Police for Mountain Rescue in the Peak District. You say you aren't sure where you are but you need help...
- The Police call centre will contact a Mountain Rescue Controller some of whom have over 30 years' experience. The Controller will phone you, reassure you and if you can describe what you can see they can often visualize where you are from their experience! They know the places you are likely to have gone wrong, where you might get shelter, what the weather is like out there and assess your condition.
- The Controller calls out the nearest team to you (in this case Glossop) and may dispatch a helicopter if appropriate subject to weather and availability. Don't worry - if the weather is too bad for a helicopter we can always get to you on foot!
- As a team member at home, work or out and about our pagers and mobile phones start ringing. With pager and text tones and automated voice calls even the deepest sleeper does not miss a call out! Each member phones an automated bureau to log if they can attend and how quickly they will be there. The Controller can then decide if other teams may be needed in support.
- We grab our personal kit and drive to our base within Glossop Police Station to get the vehicle and team rescue equipment. The Team Leader briefs us on the incident and then splits us into search teams and assigns us a search area and equipment to carry. If we know where the casualty is and what is wrong we head straight there with the appropriate rescue gear.
- When we find the casualty we check everyone is accounted for and put up a temporary shelter over the casualty whilst first aiders treat any injuries or medical conditions.
- As the casualty is being treated we get the stretcher ready and plan the most appropriate route off. We either carry the casualty to the helicopter, to a track where the team's Landrover Ambulance can get to, or to the road side and a waiting Ambulance service vehicle.
- The casualty is flown or driven to hospital for assessment and treatment and any casualty party members cared for. The team returns to the head quarters where equipment has to be cleaned, checked, dried and put back for the next callout. We have often had 2 or 3 callouts in succession especially in snowy conditions!
- After which we debrief on the events and if it was an unusual rescue scenario, we discuss if it is possible to improve on what we do should a similar rescue occur. When it's all done we usually all walk down to the local pub for a well earned pint!
GMRT is on call 24 hours a day, ever day, in all weathers to provide a rescue service for everyone.
Some of our recent callouts.
