UKH

With Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on their patch it's no surprise that the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team are the most active in the UK. The team recently reached an eye-opening benchmark, recording their 300th rescue of the year. Over the last 15 years the annual number of callouts here has increased 300%.

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Well done and thanks to all involved.

These sorts of crazy numbers and the continuing upwards trends do though I think, have to reignite the debate about how mountain rescue is organised and paid for. I live in Germany and volunteer with the local team. We cover a big cross-country skiing area with a couple of drag-lifts so in the winter we have people ready to go in the middle of the ski area all weekend. At other times we're pretty quiet because the terrain isn't really that remote/mountainous. We also support the local fire department's technical/industrial rescue team which I really enjoy, but again there's not that many calls. I couldn't imagine putting in the hours of training which are necessary and then doing 40-50 calls a year. I'm self employed and frequently work on weekends, if I cancel an appointment with a client then I'm not paid. If I can plan to be on duty when I'm not working then it's OK, but how do you guys all manage? Jobs where you can work late and catch up?

If we have to transport an injured patient then a bill gets sent to their health insurance company. Uninjured, lost, etc. should receive a bill directly, but this is often waved (unless they're being proper stupid - people trying to drive the cross-country pistes in their SUVs for example). This covers the cost of equipment, fuel etc. but we volunteers don't see any of it. This is where things get sticky in my eyes. Our area is pretty quiet, but there are little local ski lifts operating. Further south there are bigger skiing areas where it can cost €50+ a day for a lift ticket, I really don't think it's fair for them to be earning money and relying on volunteers to get them out of the shit when somebody is injured or when a lift breaks and a load of people are stranded. If I'm out on duty, patrolling, rescuing etc. for 8 hours then I see it as a job in my eyes. At other times, given that we support the volunteer fire department then I think we should be on a similar pay to them (it's tiny, but I think it shows some respect to what we do). If there's a shout and 6 people attend, 4 of whom are paid and 2 not I don't think it's fair. 

So how about Llanberis, Ben Nevis and other heavily frequented areas? Wales especially has a lot of bike parks now, what extra work do they generate? How far off are you having to have teams sat in the rescue HQ ready to go at a moment's notice all weekend? And then if you do get to that point do you think those people should be compensated for their day?       

I'm in a busy team in Wales with a number of 'honeypot' areas. Between them they account for the majority of our callouts which are in triple figures but nowhere near Llanberis; we sometimes have 2 or 3 callouts on a busy day in the summer, but at other times of year we can be quite quiet. We've no need to sit in our Base waiting to head out and can get a pretty quick response most days, even on 'working' days, and can call on neighbouring teams for help if necessary (which is reciprocated). If you read Roger Webb's great article on how to be found alive after an accident in the mountains, you'll know that you may be waiting several hours, even if MR is informed very swiftly. (Incidentally, I can tell you from my own accident that the best thing is to have your accident immediately in front of an MRT out training so they're with you in 90 seconds)

I view myself as a volunteer, I didn't sign up for the pay (even the overtime ), and don't want to be compensated for something I do because I enjoy it (I get a lot of valuable training, I get to spend a lot of time outdoors in shitty conditions, and I get to do stuff that other people wouldn't get to do unless they were seriously hurt or paying for it!)

But... tomorrow I'm taking a day's leave to go fundraising in Cardiff city centre for the Search and Rescue Dog Association, South Wales (if you're in the area, we'll be in St David's 2 - come along and say hello). This fundraising pays for training events and kit, without which we wouldn't be able to function. I don't want us to become a government agency, but I'd rather we weren't so reliant on public donations which we have to bring in ourselves. Having a bit more funding would make a big difference.

I'm in a team in a less busy area which gets about 50 callouts a year. There is a bikepark on our patch and there has been an increase in incidents due to this - however, on the flipside they provide employment for several team members and an occasional training venue.

For us, as with other teams, the callouts aren't evenly spread across the year. Bank holiday weekends in the summer are almost guaranteed to generate a shout (or two, or three) whereas during the autumn and winter we're generally quite quiet.

Even though we're less busy than some of our neighbouring teams it does seem that callouts are increasing and there's conversations going on about how we can increase our fundraising to manage this. The issue for us isn't so much volunteered time, its getting the funds together for ongoing operational costs and growing the capabilities of the team.

One of the issues that is probably inherent in voluntary organisations like MRTs is that many of the people who have the time to spend organising, attending training and responding to callouts are retired. Its difficult for younger people, with jobs and sometimes young families, to put the same amount of time in. Any team needs a range of different people - older experienced heads to give sound advice and young fit people to charge up the hill carrying heaps of gear. The cost of living crisis has been biting round here and it means that the younger demographic of potential team members are working more, have less free time and have less disposable income to spend on kit like boots and trousers and walking poles etc etc etc that gets thrashed and trashed on callouts.

I wouldn't ever want to see people in the UK being charged for rescue as a matter of principle and also practicality. If someone needs help we want them to call earlier rather than later, so we can mobilise faster and so the situation doesn't deteriorate. I don't want people to feel like they can't call for help because they don't have insurance. Its also a point of pride for me that mountain rescue in the UK is a mutual aid organisation - we go out to help other people in the mountains because we can and we want to, not because its our job. I think something special would be lost if we were to professionalise. Of course, the cost to the state would be enormous if such a thing was to happen - imagine paying all of the hours that people volunteer, even at minimum wage.

Thanks for the thoughtful responses. I have heard of bike parks starting to hire their own first-aid teams. Has there ever been any pressure from local MR teams to do this, due to the demands being placed upon the volunteers? 
 

In reply to pancakeandchips:

 Of course, the cost to the state would be enormous if such a thing was to happen - imagine paying all of the hours that people volunteer, even at minimum wage.

As I said, I compare our team to the fire fighters because we train with them 2-3 times a month. I think they get something like €2500 per year, you’re not going to live off it but it’ll pay the petrol. 
A quick google shows that there’s some interesting payment for availability models in the uk fire service. I could see that working here because you’re still free to go on holiday etc, but get rewarded if you are available. Our model is very different to the uk though, that’s why I was asking the questions. Looking on our alarm app we currently have 11 people available. A full crew on a rescue is 5, so very different. Even with a UK call-out team of 20 people it’d still be cheaper than sending 1 asylum seeker to Rwanda! 

From my point of view bike parks are great for keeping current on the casualty care (first aid) side of things, helps keeps up to scratch on trauma, which means we are really slick when get to people outside of that environment. Over the last couple of years our local bike park has invested heavily in medics, and they are all really good (because they see lots of it) so we only really now go to the more serious incidents. 

Omitted here, but included in the press release that this article is based on is a passage that gets to the crux of the matter:

"Promoted nationally and internationally as one of Wales’ foremost tourism destinations, Yr Wyddfa, stands as the United Kingdom’s, and possibly the world’s, busiest mountain with over 500,000 visitors a year. This has led to Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team's distinction as the most active mountain rescue team in the country."

It is the promotion both official (funded by the local council, and Welsh government), commercially by tourism businesses, and informally through social media that draws so many people. The message is come to Wales, climb Snowdon. So people do, and some get unstuck. The numbers is an issue, but many of the people also don't have the background to always make good choices about their day on the mountain either, which adds to the problem. But it is not their fault. They are told this is the thing to do when they come to Wales, so this is what they do.

This is an inherent by-product of the way tourism is sold in the area. The upside is 'economic benefit' (usually poorly paid seasonal jobs), one of the downsides is increased incidents, accidents and deaths on the mountain. Collateral damage.

So, should those government agencies creating the problem be helping to fund those who have to deal with it? (Or do they already contribute to Llanberis MR funds?)

Just pointing out the elephant in the room that seems to so often be avoided. If you tell everyone to come and climb the mountain, lots of people will, and some won't always know how to do so with a degree of prudence and contingency. I know some people make money from this message, but we can at least try to be honest about what the downsides of it are.

I think it is a tourism industry issue, not a government agency issue, just that there are government agencies involved spending public money to publicise the message that people should come here to walk on the Wyddfa too, as part of their support for the tourism industry. I think trying to avoid pushing people towards getting themselves into trouble in the first place is a better solution than just thinking about who picks up the cost of dealing with the fallout. The first step is to reduce actively telling people that walking up the mountain is what they should do when they visit the area. The second is to attempt to make the messaging on safety as prominent as any messaging glamorising the endeavour itself.

I think throwing more money at the rescue side would be an attempted sticky plaster solution. One thing the Llanberis rescue team do benefit from in terms of the popularity of the area is a relatively high profile, which can help towards having a bit of money to work with. Charity fundraising doesn't pay for thousands of hours of volunteer time out of their busy daily lives though, and never will. I say that one way to ease a little of the pressure is to not keep telling the whole world and their dog that coming to have a go at getting up the Wyddfa is what they all should be doing.

Surely we can all agree that life saving rescue services should be funded by the state just like any other health service? What would happen if MRT decided they can't be bothered to do it anymore (hypothetically)? 

Amongst those who disagree with that view are, broadly speaking, the MRT members for much the same reasons volunteers for the RLNI also arent fans.

But they're the ones saying it's an "unsustainable growth rate for a small charity run entirely by volunteers". 

Maybe as a starter a compromise could be for those governmental organisations and private companies which promote the outdoors - whether for health or profit - could give a regular sizeable donation to the local volunteer rescue services that get called upon to deal with the problems such promotion is now bringing.

And I do mean as a starter and a compromise. The future could well mean all sides sitting round a table to agree a funding/training module that suits all and works, without some people taking the money, and others (literally) picking up the pieces.

Any firm running an off-road BMX track - for example - should have it's own employees trained to deal with any incidents, and not have to call on anyone else until the overwhelming majority of casualties are delivered to A&E at the very least. (Exceptions for the critical of course).

State funding doesn't usually come about without state control, and that's why MRTs and the RNLI avoid it like the plague.

It would be nice to think the government could give a grant and say "use this to help yourselves to just carry on in the same way". Meanwhile, back in the real world...

Make the necessary MRT training part of the guiding qualifications and require those making a living from the national parks volunteer X days a year? 

That doesn't sound like volunteering to me...

Some skills may be transferable but many MR techniques are very specific. For example, when I was practising for my RCI assessment it was a bit of a headf*ck changing gears between personal climbing, rigging for groups and rigging for rescue loads. Then consider swift water rescue - it's nothing at all like any of the guiding qualifications. Then consider search techniques - absolutely irrelevant to anything you'd come across as an ML. Etc etc. Even carrying a stretcher is not as simple as you might think - there's all sorts of tricks that you learn and different teams have different approaches.

MRTs are just that, teams. People work together over the years, build trust with each other and get to know who's good at what. A random MCI might be good at some things and have some transferable skills but it's unlikely they'd seamlessly slot into a team without putting in more sustained time.

Outdoor professionals have a lot to offer MRTs, not least experience teaching skills and good local knowledge. I'd definitely recommend that they think about joining their local team if they've got the time and the inclination, but they shouldn't be compelled to.

I get this a lot in both rigging and first aid:

We operate on ‘sports’ standards, abseiling on a single rope for example. The fire brigade operate on industrial standards (full body harnesses, twin ropes, redundant connections, asaps etc.). Very different kit and ideas. 
 

As well as mountain rescue I am an EMT and do a lot of pitch-side work with rugby, up to teaching immediate care for World Rugby. Believe me the standard operating procedures are not the same and I often have to pause and think. 

We did some training recently in a mine which is now a tourist attraction. Two scenarios, two rescue teams each made up of 50% fire and 50% MR. The first team used fire’s rigging and MR’s 1st aid kit, the second team the other way around. Excellent training for inter-operability, but it’s certainly not easy for new guys having to learn everything twice. 

What's the solution? It seems as if the volunteer model isn't sustainable, unless I'm misreading things.

Need to motivate people somehow, go professional? 

Does as in Italy where the MR leaders charges on a sliding stupidity scale. Word will soon spread in the pubic that rescue is not a right. 

No, it won't. Most people have no idea that MR is voluntary or even that it exists. Lots of callouts come through the ambulance service rather than the police because many people who call for help don't know or understand what services they need. The majority don't consider rescue at all until they actually need it.

So how much do you think they should be charging you when you have your accident, say a twisted ankle due to going for a completely unnecessary walk in the hills?

Logically though it makes sense for call-outs to injured people. If you fall off a road bike you’d call an ambulance so calling the police when you fall off your mountain bike is a bit counter-intuitive. See also falling off a ladder v falling off a rock. 

"calling the police when you fall off your mountain bike is a bit counter-intuitive"

Indeed - but in some ways I think this hits the nail on the head. I suspect most people know that if you fall over on a boat out on the water and hit your head, you call a lifeboat. And probably a huge number of people know that they need to call 999 (or 112) and ask for the Coastguard in order to get a lifeboat - because of education and awareness campaigns, and because of Saving Lives at Sea.

We try to do education and awareness campaigns in MR (there is actually a Mountain Rescue Awareness Day when the hour goes back in the autumn), but we don't have the resources to commit to run national tv commercials in mainstream media like the RNLI. We tend to rely on local awareness campaigns, but I suspect in many ways we're preaching to the converted there. We don't do awareness campaigns in the middle of the summer in places like the Midlands or London (we get a lot of visitors from those areas to our honeypot areas which are easily accessible from both). The social media campaigns possibly aren't as good at hitting the right audiences, but social media is cheap.

A couple of folk have mentioned education as being an answer to this, and that makes sense. How about the government stumps up some proper money for us to run proper safety awareness campaigns throughout the year at honeypot areas and in urban areas, and nationally on tv and big media - because by the time you've got to your honeypot area it's often too late to change plans / get the kit / realise that mountainous areas, river gorges etc. aren't a walk in the park. That education could also include the voluntary nature of MR (a lot of people we pick up are completely unaware of that and are shocked when we tell them).

I’ve walked off hills with a twisted ankle, and my mother walked 3 miles with a compound fracture of the arm to get to the car. 
I was also allowed 3 days to get to civilisation before help was called. 

I havent ever thought it through beyond making sure I can

a)ring 999

b) say someone is badly hurt at grid reference xxxx. Please send help now and add I think its MR territory rather than ambulance.

I think problem with advertising campaigns, government run or otherwise, is how do you target the population? I think it would be wasted (sorry staff) on ukc but how to limit it for a decent return on investment?

As soon as you call 999 they say what service do you need? From the one time I've done it I think I said "Police for mountain rescue please" but I think she had transferred me to police by halfway through "mountain". I had to explain a lot more to the police call handler, she wanted a post code for the part of Stanage I was on, and hadn't heard of Stanage, but she got all the details down perfectly as Edale MRT popped out of the bracken like magic super quick!

I agree with lots of what you say. However my opinions are changing. Not every team needs to go 'pro' or get loads of government funding. But the numbers busy teams are experiencing certainly aren't what I signed up for.