Page 23 - AMA Summer 2024

carer, I can - and have - administered strong analgesia (Fentanyl, Penthrox, Entonox), I’ve treated lower levels of pain with Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. I have treated Asthma with nebulised Salbutamol and dizziness and nausea with Buccastem. I have also relocated a dislocated patella and reduced a closed fracture of the lower leg and supported a fracture of the humerus. I could (but haven’t had cause to) treat Anaphylaxis, fitting and symptoms of Myocardial Infarction. It takes me longer to get to the climbing areas, so I’m normally in a support mode for the trauma found there; pelvic, spinal, head, long bones. We are assessed annually on Basic Life Support and I have once (with others) attempted resuscitation on a casualty who had undergone massive trauma. Maybe I’ve led a sheltered life, but I’ve witnessed more death and destruction in a year than I did in 34 years’ service.
Ever since the foundation of PDMRO in 1964 there has been a requirement of teams that ‘all members to be competent and equipped to traverse the Peak District moors in any weather, day or night, and able to navigate in bad conditions.’ The Team Leader must have the confidence that the people being sent into the hills are capable and proven in that environment. The standard is a little higher than I experienced in my ML assessment, and the assessment was more prolonged on a snow-cov- ered Kinder plateau. Of course, we all use mapping apps most of the time, but I still carry the two 1:25k sheets for the Peaks, and my compass with step counting beads on the string.
Phone finding technology has also changed the nature of incidents from protracted searches of yesteryear (there is a Kinder Plan involving 4 adjacent teams quartering their part of the plateau). If the casualty’s party has signal, the PDMRO controller can send them an SMS, they click on a link in the SMS and their location is relayed back to the controller. Difficulty comes when they can’t comply for some reason, lose battery, haven’t got GPS enabled or take it into their heads to move on. We did go looking for someone on Kinder who we found at 2am asleep in his car in Edale. He didn’t let us know because, having charged his phone in the car, he couldn’t get signal. Poor thing!
The third assessed capability is the technical rope rescue. The ability to lower a team member with either a harness or a stretcher to a casualty (more often someone who is crag-fast). I’ve been involved in the recovery of 2 walkers heading up Y Gully on Mam Tor and one sheep in Winnat’s Pass. Where possible, we use rocks and trees for anchors. If necessary, we carry Ground Anchors; half size versions of what Sappers know to be Anchors Earth Holdfast. Due to being in the audience below, I wasn’t involved in the recovery of a concertgoer who followed his sat-nav to the Peak Cavern from above and found himself dangling from the last small tree above the 40m high entrance to the cave.
Supporting all of this is the specialist equipment. Bag 1, medical equipment; everything from a triangular bandage to a defibrillator. Bag 2, medical gasses; Oxygen and Entonox. Bag 3, Site Equipment; smoke flares, casualty PPE, group shelter, splints. Bag 4, the Vacuum Mat; a whole-body splint. Then the large casualty bag, the stretcher in 2 halves and the wheel. There are spare gasses, an Autopulse, extending ladder, weaseling kit, five bags of crag kit and the heavy, heavy ground anchors. All of this kit requires routine checking, and bags are sealed for use.
The Team Leader must have the confidence that the people being sent into the hills are capable and proven in that environment
I qualified as a full team member on my 65th birthday. We were assessed in a series of scenarios; one each. All 6 of us passed. I don’t think I’ve ever been as proud as I was when receiving that helmet and jacket! Being a team member is very reminiscent of serving in the Army: teamwork and interdependence; capability and task focus; unified purpose and camaraderie. And all of those skills developed in your service are also invaluable. Like the time we recovered a lady who had sunk up to her chest in the mud of Ladybower Reservoir. Good sappering skills to get her out, although she didn’t appreciate it when I suggested that we needed to hurry before the tide came in! If any AMA members are considering what is next for them, I do recommend looking into the local volunteer rescue organisation, whatever it is, wherever you land.
Afternote: Did I say we were busy? I decided to write this article on Sunday evening. The following day, an ordinary Monday in February, we were mobilised to the outskirts of Sheffield to help an ambulance crew recover someone having a medical episode in a local country park. En route we were diverted to a climber on Stanage Edge who had taken a 6m lead fall. Our neighbouring team at Woodhead picked up the ambulance assist. We recovered the climber (nasty break of the humerus and some dents in their climbing helmet) to Hooks Carr and were just packing up when a call came in for Burbage North. Like Whacky Races, we headed over there only to find that the casualty was back at Stanage (there was some difficulty due to language that caused this). Back we went to a 4-year-old who had taken a fall of about 2m and was responding to voice only (i.e. less than A on AVPU, not good). One advantage of children; they don’t weigh very much. But on the other hand, anything involving kids is terrifying. Down to a waiting ambulance and away to the Children’s Hospital where it was later fed back that a CT scan revealed a skull fracture. Heading back to base to sort kit, uh-oh! I saw the Team Leader’s vehicle stopped at the side of the road as he took a call, the fourth in one afternoon! Walker slipped in Cave Dale, a favourite black spot. Although they weren’t in Cave Dale, but on the very steep hillside further East. A 19-year-old with a previous back condition had slipped, was in pain, and couldn’t move. We’re getting good at this now: pain relief, into the Vac Mat, onto the stretcher, sledge downhill with a back-rope for security, and along to the waiting ambulance. I must say, this was the first time I’ve seen Crocs as the footwear of choice in the hills, most people are normally pretty good.
Luckily, this last event was 200m from my house, so it was home in time for tea and medals. Talking of which, FTMs qualified for the Coronation Medal, and the 5-year rule has been amended to 5 years cumulative service. So, after a whole 21 days in MR (and 34 years in the Army), the King kindly gave me a medal!
For more detail on our day-to-day activities, find and follow Edale Mountain Rescue Team on your favourite social media channel.
Coastguard incoming
ARMY MOUNTAINEER › 23