Once your first 6 months are up and the Committee is happy for you to continue your training, now at last you will be joining us on rescues. You will be added to the alert system by the Comms Officer.
Phone/Email Alerts
Rescues start with a short text/email alert message. This is in the same format as the SARCALL email you will have started receiving shortly after joining the team. The message goes out to all team members and on call trainees asking them to respond. We also have an ‘OPS’ WhatsApp group for sending each other messages related to the rescue and the call-out co-ordinators will usually send a picture of the casualty location from the SARCALL log. The OPS group is only for use during rescues or general operational messages. There is a social WhatsApp group for anything else.
As you will have seen from the emails, the message for a rescue/search is very brief. For example: Leg injury, Stickle Tarn. RV NDG or Head Injury, Coffin Route. RV Duck Pond. So.... the main things to note when reading the alert is where it is, how long you think you will be out, what's the weather doing (it's always good to look this up in the morning/night before) and how long it is until it goes dark to help you decide what personal kit to take with you. The reported injury and location gives you an indication of how serious it might be, but this often changes as we get on site and see the casualty.
The other thing to decide is whether you are coming into base or it's quicker for you to go straight there and meet the team vehicle e.g if you live in Windermere or Grasmere and the rescue is near you then there is no point coming into Ambleside. The RV is where we meet the Team vehicles if we go direct. Have a look at the RV locations page on this website. It's worth printing these off and leaving them in your car for easy reference. If you travel directly to an RV let base know you're going straight there before going out on the hill.
Responding to the SARCALL alert
It is important that you respond to the call-out alert. The SARCALL Response number is 07537415551. This will allow you to SMS your availability to SARCALL. Our SARCALL responses enables team leaders and base operators to quickly determine the availability of team members. A summary of the results is collated and a report is generated showing all the member response statuses. This is important for rescue response planning and making decisions about deployment of team members on the hill and if necessary the activation of requests for additional help from neighbouring teams.
Please save the response number in your phone as something recognisable and try to send an availability message for every rescue. The instructions for sending a response are below. If you're not able to send a text, you can respond via the internet by going to https://sarcall.mountain.rescue.org.uk/response/ce8884a6848d91a8355c903037d8e3aa.php and typing in the last four digits of your phone number
SARCALL collates all the ‘A’ responses first, followed by the ‘L’ and then ‘N’. As a result, if you respond with an ‘A’, when you’re actually not available, then it clutters and to make it really useful, please try to use the following guidelines. The method is:-
1. When you receive a callout message, click reply to the same message
2. Then write the Response Code, followed by another space character. The valid Response Codes are:-
a. Axx = Fully Available and will arrive at stated RV xx:xx (for example A RV (or base) 13:25 ) or acknowledge message, and can comply. If you use the actual time then it saves the base operator having to do maths!
eg
SAR A RV 15:40
SAR A have skis
SAR A SRT available
b. Lxx = Limited availability and will arrive at stated RV at a later time (suggest more than 30 mins), where the maximum number of minutes is 99 (for example L60 ) or. This is also useful when you can only partially comply with a request, eg the recent request for those with skis or snowshoes.
SAR L Don’t have skis but can operate base
SAR L Injured but can sort food
c. N = Not available at this time, or can’t comply with request in message
SAR N
3. The data from all responding Team Members can then be viewed by selecting the Team SMS Response button on the SARCALL Team home page.
Your 'Go Bag'
We aim to get the first vehicle away in under 10 minutes and the second vehicle away as soon as possible. This means you need to be organised to have your 'go bag' ready to pick up and go as soon as you get the alert. Pre-pack your bag and then have a few things handy to add quickly if necessary. By being organised and prepared to set off quickly saves more time than racing to the base and it also comes without any risks unlike speeding! It also helps you to avoid forgetting the items you need when you've rushing to leave.
There is a balance to be struck between weight and practicality when packing your bag. Talk to different team members about what they take on the hill with them. Some of this will be personal preference and experience of what works best for them. It also depends on and changes with the weather, the time of year (so it's good to ask again as the seasons change), the location and also if you're going on a rescue or a search. A few basic things that you need to have:
relevant clothing for the time of year/weather
food & water, this can be picked up from the vehicle or by the door to the garage.
map (team issue) & compass
torches: head torch (some carry a spare as well) and search torch (if appropriate)
radio
eye & ear protection
any personal medications you may need e.g. asthma inhaler
karabiner attached to outside of bag to use if you need to be winched up into a helicopter, also handy for attaching your bag to team rucksacks
At first it may be sensible to be over prepared and carry more gear than you need until you get used to what you do and don't need. It's better to carry something you don't need than not have it.
For searches some people use a bigger rucksack. We need to add more gear to our bags such as: a flask of hot juice, confidence rope, first aid kit, heat pads, belay jackets, group shelter etc. Sets of Search Pouches 1, 2 & 3 are kept on the shelves in the kit room. The extra kit and clothing will be shared out between the group of people you will be searching with.
Some people also have additional kit handy in a holdall or dry bags to bring with them in case there is a second rescue or more information indicates different kit is needed. What appears to be an apparently short simple rescue from the initial page could turn into a long search, involve a wait at the cas site or could be followed by a second or third incident. Spare kit can be left at base or in the vehicles if not needed.
Drive To Arrive
Whilst the team may have blue light driving exemptions, team members don't. Arguably driving to and from the base with the rush of adrenaline after your pager goes off is one of the most dangerous parts of a rescue. Don't rush or speed on your way to the base or the RV, there are often police at or on their way to the base or incident at the same time and a rescue is not a valid defense for breaking the rules of the road.
Arriving At Base
The first 5-10 minutes can be a very busy time for the people operating the Comms room. When you first arrive let them know you're there so they can sign you out on the log, then wait outside the Comms room until a vehicle is ready to depart. A screen in the vestibule shows a split screen: one side has a map with the site of the incident (if available) and the other is the SARCALL screen showing live data on the rescue. This is for us to use to see what information is available to us and is the log used by the police who have tasked us, ourselves and the ambulance service. This will give you a good overview of the what we know without distracting the Base operators.
Additionally if you need to call the base for any reason, try to avoid calling it in those first 5-10 minutes.
Your first two rescues need to be in Base to observe the management of rescues. Once completed you can then go out on the hill. Please alert the base operator if you need to stay or can go out.
If an incident is particularly serious e.g. it could involve the death of a casualty or life changing injury you may also want to stay in base. Over time you will develop a 'professional distance' that makes dealing with these types of incident easier, but at first they can be very emotionally demanding and you are encouraged to take your time and build up to attending these sorts of incidents.
What You Can Do On A Rescue
We can't tell you what your first rescues will involve or how they will be because it is different every time. Rescues can be both nerve wracking and exciting at the same time ..... and that's for us full team members!! So it will be for you too and that's OK.
A lot goes on in a short period, often without much explicit communication about the plan. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first but you will get used to the pressure to get the first vehicle out of the base, with very little information to go on and people running into base getting ready to go out. You're not expected to know how to do everything right from the start and you will make mistakes, everyone does.
When traveling in the vehicle mention to people that it's one of your first rescues, it will remind them to 'look after' you. You will find the group will discuss what kit to take on the hill, who should carry each bag and the best approach route for the location. You can carry any bag of gear or item except for the medical sack due to the controlled drugs it contains.
When leaving the vehicle attach yourself to someone of a similar speed so they can tell you what's going on and discuss the dynamics of the rescue as it progresses. When heading up the hill stick with them, don't get isolated and don't go ahead of the first person. On your first few rescues hang back a bit when you reach the cas site, take the opportunity to observe how things work and ask questions without getting too involved. Despite the adrenaline rush, try to listen to instructions and advice.
You are not allowed to carry out any Cas Care, unless it is under the direct supervision and instruction of a Cas Carer, so at first when you get to the Cas Site focus on helping with things you can do e.g. setting up the stretcher. When all the jobs are done, take time to observe what else is going on and ask others to explain things to you. Team members are always happy to answer questions.
If a rescue takes place in conditions or at a location you are uncomfortable with (e.g. on loose steep ground) do not go into that area. There are always jobs which can be done at the base or carrying to be done on easier ground.
If you suffer a minor injury, begin to feel unwell during a rescue or become exhausted, do not try to soldier on as doing so could complicate and compromise the whole rescue. Instead do the sensible thing, let other team members know the situation and return to the vehicles.
Your Radio
Unless you live in a location that means you will often be traveling directly to incidents you will not be given a personal radio until you become a full team member. You must take a radio with you onto the hill, spares are kept in all vehicles in a blue padded pouch, usually hanging on or near the rear door. The radios are fairly waterproof but try to protect the 'mike' as much as you can from the weather.
There are a few things to remember:
do not turn the radio on whilst still in base (there will be feedback which will interfere with the base radio)
do not turn on your radio in the vehicle
when you turn on the radio as you leave the vehicle, radio into base and say that you are using that handset (there is a number on it when you turn it on). This makes sure that they know which person is linked to the GPS signal the radio will be transmitting.
when you return to base make sure you put the battery on charge and replace it with a charged one (there are plenty on the shelves ready charged). Put the radio with its new battery back in the vehicle you took it from.
if the radio has got very wet, take the battery off the back and leave both the battery and the handset in the drying room
we have radio clips for your rucksack (Comms officer will issue you with one) and on each of the rescue sacks. Clip your radio to these and carry your radio as high up your body as possible
use your radio with the aerial pointing to the sky
follow proper radio procedure at all times. This is a legal requirement and involves starting conversations by hailing the person you are trying to contact and identifying yourself using the appropriate radio handles e.g. if hailing a team member on the hill you would start by saying Langdale [name of person you are trying to contact] from Langdale [your name]. You then wait for them to acknowledge you before passing the message. All team members and vehicles are hailed using the 'Langdale' handle, but base is hailed using the handle 'Ambleside Base'.
your mentor or the Comms officer will be happy to take you through the mechanics of using the radio.... there will be a training session on the general training programme, so try to get this.
Conduct & Confidentiality
Rescues tend to occur in public places with passersby often around or stopping to watch. Remember you are representing the team and should conduct yourself accordingly.
It is important to stress that we all have an obligation to treat the casualty's personal details and anything that they may be identified by as confidential. We live in a small tight knit community, so it is important to be discrete about the details of rescues you tell friends and family afterwards.
You can take pictures for your own private enjoyment, but they cannot be shared or put on social media if the casualty or informants can be identified in any way. Generally we also discourage people from taking pictures of injuries unless it is for recording purposes. Photographs taken on a rescue for Team use are sent to the team leader for addition to our website.
Support
Unfortunately due to the nature of the types of incident we're called too, you may be involved in an incident where a casualty dies, suffers horrendous injuries or attempts suicide. This could happen at any time, it may be the first rescue you go on or the fiftieth, either way when it does inevitably happen don't feel you are expected to just shrug it off like nothing happened.
These aren't things most people have experience of dealing with on a regular basis and they can be very emotionally demanding. Other people in our lives may not understand the impact and as a result the team has developed a strong support structure.
Individual team members will repeatedly check to see how you're feeling (you'll be sick of people asking you how your feeling about it, remember they know what it's like and are just trying to help) and trained TRiM assessors will offer to get together for a coffee in case you need further support.