Those of you that follow the outdoor press may have noticed the increased press coverage relating to various mountain accidents recently. Because of this it looks likely that in the coming months there will be a concerted effort from groups such as the BMC and MCofS to raise awareness of mountain safety and the general challenge of the outdoors.
Some of the media comment has been alarmist, ill informed and untrue however what is true is that there have been quite a few deaths, serious injuries and near misses over the winter.
Some of you maybe thinking 'what has this got to do with Bushcraft' but I know from reading the threads here that many go out in the hills and woods and often alone. I think it's worthwhile for everyone to consider what would happen if something goes wrong whilst you are out and about regardless of where you are.
The most likely themes of the the awareness campaign will be to ensure you are correctly kitted for the environment you intend to go into, have the correct skills to be there and most importantly (particularly if alone) let somebody know where you are going and when you intend to come back.
This may seem obvious perhaps but clearly in light of recent rescues not all are listening to this advice. The UK has (without being biased) an extremely professional and well organised SAR Organisation. Nowhere in the UK is more than one hrs flying time away from a SAR helicopter and the UK is also covered by a mix of rescue organisations that no matter where you are a rescuer will be on hand to assist. Often in as little time as just a few minutes from a distress call.
However if nobody knows where you are or where to look then any rescue is likely to be protracted if indeed successful. Whether using a route card or leaving a message with a trusted person try to be specific as possible. Particularly if your plans have changed the details are really important and may save your life.
It is extremely stressful for the Police and Team Leader to have to console a loved one who may have lost a loved one or is in limbo waiting for news. Consider also that rescue teams put themselves at considerable risk on callouts and pull out all stops to save life.
If you want to find out what it's like to be on a rescue team then this program is excellent viewing and highly recommended:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mxr
Thanks for reading my post, I hope I haven't come across as patronising or teaching people to suck eggs. Just a gentle reminder for folk to look after themselves. I write this post as a Mountain Rescue Team Leader who would hate to hear of a forum member coming to grief.
Some of the media comment has been alarmist, ill informed and untrue however what is true is that there have been quite a few deaths, serious injuries and near misses over the winter.
Some of you maybe thinking 'what has this got to do with Bushcraft' but I know from reading the threads here that many go out in the hills and woods and often alone. I think it's worthwhile for everyone to consider what would happen if something goes wrong whilst you are out and about regardless of where you are.
The most likely themes of the the awareness campaign will be to ensure you are correctly kitted for the environment you intend to go into, have the correct skills to be there and most importantly (particularly if alone) let somebody know where you are going and when you intend to come back.
This may seem obvious perhaps but clearly in light of recent rescues not all are listening to this advice. The UK has (without being biased) an extremely professional and well organised SAR Organisation. Nowhere in the UK is more than one hrs flying time away from a SAR helicopter and the UK is also covered by a mix of rescue organisations that no matter where you are a rescuer will be on hand to assist. Often in as little time as just a few minutes from a distress call.
However if nobody knows where you are or where to look then any rescue is likely to be protracted if indeed successful. Whether using a route card or leaving a message with a trusted person try to be specific as possible. Particularly if your plans have changed the details are really important and may save your life.
It is extremely stressful for the Police and Team Leader to have to console a loved one who may have lost a loved one or is in limbo waiting for news. Consider also that rescue teams put themselves at considerable risk on callouts and pull out all stops to save life.
If you want to find out what it's like to be on a rescue team then this program is excellent viewing and highly recommended:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mxr
Thanks for reading my post, I hope I haven't come across as patronising or teaching people to suck eggs. Just a gentle reminder for folk to look after themselves. I write this post as a Mountain Rescue Team Leader who would hate to hear of a forum member coming to grief.
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) at 2.30am. Scared the 'bejeesus' out of them and needless to say caused a sleepless night. Got me thinking what would of happened if I had injured myself, I hadn't left a grid reference, route plan or set check point times. All stuff I'd routinely done when I was younger and is standard practice among DofE groups etc. 
