Any Mountain Rescue Team members here?

Any Mountain Rescue Team members here?

Author
Discussion

Steve_W

1,486 posts

176 months

Friday 9th September 2016
quotequote all
Good luck mate, and thanks for what you & the others do.

LaneDiesel

Original Poster:

170 posts

93 months

Wednesday 14th September 2016
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I didn't pass the selection at the application stage due to my lack of climbing experience. I still have such a massive respect for MR teams, and it was good to at least have a look around smile

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Wednesday 14th September 2016
quotequote all
LaneDiesel said:
I didn't pass the selection at the application stage due to my lack of climbing experience. I still have such a massive respect for MR teams, and it was good to at least have a look around smile
Ah, unlucky.

Could you not join a local climbing club, gain experience that way and then reapply?

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Saturday 24th September 2016
quotequote all
Wednesday's training became far more interesting than was planned.

We were at a place called RAC Corner (SN 9720 2091) on the A470 that runs through the Beacons, we were running through the setting up of the Control Vehicles and going through Comms Protocols. The rest of the Team were doing a technical exercise and had gone off up the slopes opposite the parking area. We're about ten minutes in and everyone's pagers go off!

At least one missing/lost persons on Pen y Fan or Corn Du.

This only a couple of miles up the road from our current position and even though were still only trainees, we're so close to completing that it was deemed that we could assist in searching.

We all move to the Pont Ar Daf car park, set up Control and got on with searching. The intel was that three young men had gone up Pen y Fan and when they returned to the car park, two of them realised that someone was missing - how that happens is beyond me but that was the intel. Off we go.

Long story short; within half an hour we're up the mountains in cloud with a 10 metre spread with headtorch and torch beams trying to cut through the gloom while the mist howled around us. It was decided after a few hours that it was a false alarm and if it had been real that the two guys would have hung around and kept chasing for info. Police were happy for us to stand down, we debriefed around 11pm and went home.

Very interesting to finally work with the team on a real shout - great to see the level of professionalism instantly click in. In 10 days we start the examinations and we'll be doing it 'for real' from then on.


Edited by Mothersruin on Saturday 24th September 15:28

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
Here you go... Name the knots - bonus internet pint if you can explain what's going on in the last piccy.

I have this length of rope knocking about the house and practice the knots so they're second nature - looks daft when I do a 'ski glove session' but that's when I'll need them most probably...

















silentbrown

8,793 posts

115 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
Here's some guesses smile

  1. 1 : Too much going on here, I'll look later!
  2. 2 : figure-8 on a bight
  3. 3 : bowline with a stopper
  4. 4 : overhand on a bight
  5. 5 : Not sure at all. Fishermans Bend??
I'm sure you know this site : http://www.animatedknots.com/

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
silentbrown said:
Here's some guesses smile

  1. 1 : Too much going on here, I'll look later!
  2. 2 : figure-8 on a bight
  3. 3 : bowline with a stopper
  4. 4 : overhand on a bight
  5. 5 : Not sure at all. Fishermans Bend??
I'm sure you know this site : http://www.animatedknots.com/
It's a very manly site and a great resource.

4th is a bowline with a bight.

The last is a double sheet bend with double fishermans stoppers.

markmullen

15,877 posts

233 months

Monday 26th September 2016
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We call the second one a bunny's ears, a figure eight on a bight brought over the top and then cinched down.

NRS

22,080 posts

200 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
The last one is for ropes of two different thicknesses, but would be overkill for the situation pictured... Think I remembered that right, tongue out I can actually do it or something similar from fishing, but very very slowly.

OliilO

198 posts

136 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
Alpine butterfly, klemheist, bowline, French Prussik, Italian hitch, clove hitch, f8 on the bightk

Can't remember the other autobloc one.

Edited by OliilO on Monday 26th September 22:23

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
The sheet bend at the bottom?

I know I've duplicated the knots bit but I thought it would be a good separate thread. Not sure this gets much traffic.

OliilO

198 posts

136 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
No, I'd forgotten the classic Prussik.

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Monday 26th September 2016
quotequote all
Ah, yeah.

matthias73

2,883 posts

149 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
Mothersruin said:
Wednesday's training became far more interesting than was planned.

We were at a place called RAC Corner (SN 9720 2091) on the A470 that runs through the Beacons, we were running through the setting up of the Control Vehicles and going through Comms Protocols. The rest of the Team were doing a technical exercise and had gone off up the slopes opposite the parking area. We're about ten minutes in and everyone's pagers go off!

At least one missing/lost persons on Pen y Fan or Corn Du.

This only a couple of miles up the road from our current position and even though were still only trainees, we're so close to completing that it was deemed that we could assist in searching.

We all move to the Pont Ar Daf car park, set up Control and got on with searching. The intel was that three young men had gone up Pen y Fan and when they returned to the car park, two of them realised that someone was missing - how that happens is beyond me but that was the intel. Off we go.

Long story short; within half an hour we're up the mountains in cloud with a 10 metre spread with headtorch and torch beams trying to cut through the gloom while the mist howled around us. It was decided after a few hours that it was a false alarm and if it had been real that the two guys would have hung around and kept chasing for info. Police were happy for us to stand down, we debriefed around 11pm and went home.

Very interesting to finally work with the team on a real shout - great to see the level of professionalism instantly click in. In 10 days we start the examinations and we'll be doing it 'for real' from then on.


Edited by Mothersruin on Saturday 24th September 15:28
Were you looking for a lost soldier this morning by any chance

kowalski655

14,600 posts

142 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
What kind of utter wker makes up a story bout a missing hiker that needs a MRT callout?
Can they be done by the cops for wasting your time?

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
It's more often just one guy wandering off, his mates cant find him so they flag it up. They're usually at home oblivious of what's going on.

The soldier? Not me. I'm not actually on the official call out list for a few more weeks until I've passed the final exams and tests.

silentbrown

8,793 posts

115 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
Not sure if your team were involved, but there were a lot of the Longtown MR vehicles out this morning near Cwmdu on road up to Pengenfford. I'm guessing training, as it was probably too early in the day for a callout... smile


Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
silentbrown said:
Not sure if your team were involved, but there were a lot of the Longtown MR vehicles out this morning near Cwmdu on road up to Pengenfford. I'm guessing training, as it was probably too early in the day for a callout... smile
5am call out apparently. Three teams involved, lost walker. That would have been fun hehe

Once I'm through training I'll be working with Longtown too. Their area is just as close for me as Brecon.

matthias73

2,883 posts

149 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
silentbrown said:
Not sure if your team were involved, but there were a lot of the Longtown MR vehicles out this morning near Cwmdu on road up to Pengenfford. I'm guessing training, as it was probably too early in the day for a callout... smile
It was real. The guy made his own way down in the morning and got picked up by a policeman.

Very impressed by the Brecon mountain rescue. If there's any on here, you probably know who I am now. If you'd like to know any details following his picking up drop me a PM.





silentbrown

8,793 posts

115 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
matthias73 said:
silentbrown said:
Not sure if your team were involved, but there were a lot of the Longtown MR vehicles out this morning near Cwmdu on road up to Pengenfford. I'm guessing training, as it was probably too early in the day for a callout... smile
It was real. The guy made his own way down in the morning and got picked up by a policeman.
Glad to hear it was a good outcome.

I'm a long way off hill-fit at the moment so was starting to fix that today with a circuit from Pengenfford up the Dragon's Back to Waun Fach and Penygadair. Cloud was down to about 600m, but all the new path work on the plateau seems to have made nav rather too easy.