Mountain rescue in England and Wales
Encyclopedia
Mountain rescue
services in England
and Wales
operate under the umbrella association of the MREW - Mountain Rescue (England & Wales) (formerly called Mountain Rescue Council of England & Wales). Each team is an independent charity whose membership consists of highly trained volunteers who are called out by the police
.
MREW is a member of the International Commission for Mountain Rescue (Internationale Kommisia fur Alpines Rettingwesen, (IKAR-CISA)).
Voluntary mountain rescue teams in England and Wales are independent charities whose membership consists of highly trained volunteers who are called out by the police
(who are responsible for land based search and rescue but generally lack the resources to undertake the function). Individual teams are normally known as an MRT (Mountain Rescue Team) but some use the term SRT (Search & Rescue Team) or MS&RT (Mountain Search & Rescue Team).
Individual teams are members both of the MR (E&W) and their regional association (which is also represented at MR (E&W)). Neither MR (E&W) or the regional associations have authority over the individual teams but provide an opportunity to discuss and agree standards, training and equipment. MR (E&W) does provide some equipment funding for MRTs both from its own funds and a small government grant, but teams have to finance their own running costs through charity fund raising or sponsorship. MRTs in England and Wales receive no direct government funding. The government also provides access by teams to Ordnance Survey mapping.
The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service has four teams—two in Scotland, one in England and one in Wales—and as part of the military is wholly government funded. They have primary responsibility for aircraft crashes on high ground, but also respond to civilian calls for assistance with hikers and climbers.
Although the primary focus of mountain rescue is to locate and evacuate injured and/or lost persons in upland environments, teams also undertake a wide range of roles (which may differ from team to team):
Urban search and rescue is currently undertaken by the fire and rescue services as part of their statutory enablement, but at least one mountain rescue team has chosen to train in this field.
Each team has its own primary area of responsibility but frequently deploy outside these areas in support of other teams.
Cave rescue
had its own umbrella organisation, the British Cave Rescue Council, but some teams operate as both cave rescue teams and mountain rescue teams.
There is also an association for Search & Rescue dogs at the national and regional level called the National Search & Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). SARDA handlers must be full team members of a mountain rescue team and, once graded, will operate alongside that team, but can be deployed in support of other teams.
The co-ordinating body for Mountain & Mine Search and Rescue Teams in the Lake District
is the
Lake District Search & Mountain Rescue Association
The co-ordinating body for South Wales
is covered by the South Wales Search and Rescue Association
The co-ordinating body for North Wales
is the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association
The co-ordinating body for Search & Rescue in caves, moors
and hills in West Yorkshire
, Lancashire
, Greater Manchester
and the Pennines
is the Mid Pennine Search & Rescue Organisation
The co-ordinating body for North East is the North East Search & Rescue Association
The co-ordinating body for the Peak District
is the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation which was formed in 1964.
The West Country
of England is covered by the South West England Rescue Association
The Yorkshire Dales
are covered by the Yorkshire
Dales Rescue Panel
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
services in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
operate under the umbrella association of the MREW - Mountain Rescue (England & Wales) (formerly called Mountain Rescue Council of England & Wales). Each team is an independent charity whose membership consists of highly trained volunteers who are called out by the police
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
.
MREW is a member of the International Commission for Mountain Rescue (Internationale Kommisia fur Alpines Rettingwesen, (IKAR-CISA)).
Overview
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
(who are responsible for land based search and rescue but generally lack the resources to undertake the function). Individual teams are normally known as an MRT (Mountain Rescue Team) but some use the term SRT (Search & Rescue Team) or MS&RT (Mountain Search & Rescue Team).
Individual teams are members both of the MR (E&W) and their regional association (which is also represented at MR (E&W)). Neither MR (E&W) or the regional associations have authority over the individual teams but provide an opportunity to discuss and agree standards, training and equipment. MR (E&W) does provide some equipment funding for MRTs both from its own funds and a small government grant, but teams have to finance their own running costs through charity fund raising or sponsorship. MRTs in England and Wales receive no direct government funding. The government also provides access by teams to Ordnance Survey mapping.
The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service has four teams—two in Scotland, one in England and one in Wales—and as part of the military is wholly government funded. They have primary responsibility for aircraft crashes on high ground, but also respond to civilian calls for assistance with hikers and climbers.
Although the primary focus of mountain rescue is to locate and evacuate injured and/or lost persons in upland environments, teams also undertake a wide range of roles (which may differ from team to team):
- missing person searches in lowland areas where access or terrain is difficult
- support to NHS ambulance services for difficult casualty evacuation
- support to government agencies/emergency services in flood and heavy snowfall
- support to government agencies/emergency services at major incidents
- swift water rescue
- animal rescue
Urban search and rescue is currently undertaken by the fire and rescue services as part of their statutory enablement, but at least one mountain rescue team has chosen to train in this field.
Each team has its own primary area of responsibility but frequently deploy outside these areas in support of other teams.
Cave rescue
Cave rescue
Cave rescue is a highly specialized field of wilderness rescue in which injured, trapped or lost cave explorers are medically treated and extracted from various cave environments....
had its own umbrella organisation, the British Cave Rescue Council, but some teams operate as both cave rescue teams and mountain rescue teams.
There is also an association for Search & Rescue dogs at the national and regional level called the National Search & Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). SARDA handlers must be full team members of a mountain rescue team and, once graded, will operate alongside that team, but can be deployed in support of other teams.
Organisation
See list of regional organisations.The co-ordinating body for Mountain & Mine Search and Rescue Teams in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
is the
Lake District Search & Mountain Rescue Association
- Cockermouth MRT
- Coniston MRT
- COMRU (Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit)
- Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team
- Kendal MRT
- Keswick MRT
- Kirkby StephenKirkby StephenKirkby Stephen is a civil parish and small market town in Cumbria, in North West England which historically, is part of Westmorland. The town is located on the A685, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, and about from the two nearest larger towns, Kendal and Penrith...
MRT - Langdale/Ambleside MRT
- PatterdalePatterdalePatterdale is a small village and civil parish in the eastern part of the English Lake District in the Eden District of Cumbria, and the long valley in which they are found, also called the Ullswater Valley....
MRT - PenrithPenrith, CumbriaPenrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
MRT - SARDA Lakes
- Wasdale MRT
- Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service
The co-ordinating body for South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
is covered by the South Wales Search and Rescue Association
- Brecon MRT
- Central Beacons MRT
- LongtownLongtownLongtown may refer to several places:in the United Kingdom:* Longtown, Cumbria* Longtown, Herefordshire* Longtown, County Antrim, a townland in County Antrim, Northern Irelandin the United States:* Longtown, Missouri* Longtown, Mississippi...
MRT - South Wales Cave rescue Organisation (SWCRO)
- Western Beacons Mountain SART
- SARDA South Wales (Mountain Rescue Search Dogs)
The co-ordinating body for North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
is the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association
- Aberglasyn MRT (PorthmadogPorthmadogPorthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
) - HM Coastguard MRT 83 (HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
) - LlanberisLlanberisLlanberis is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, lying on the southern banks of Llyn Padarn in Snowdonia. It takes its name from Saint Peris, an early Welsh saint.According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llanberis was 1,954...
MRT - NEWSAR (North East Wales Search & Rescue)
- North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation (NWCRO)
- Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation
- South SnowdoniaSnowdoniaSnowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
SART (Search and Rescue Team) - SARDA Wales
The co-ordinating body for Search & Rescue in caves, moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
and hills in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
is the Mid Pennine Search & Rescue Organisation
- Mid Pennine Search & Rescue Organistaion
- Bolton MRT
- Bowland Pennine MRT
- Calder Valley SRT
- Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO)
- Holme Valley MRT
- Rossendale and Pendle MRT
- SARDA (England)
The co-ordinating body for North East is the North East Search & Rescue Association
- Cleveland SRT
- North of Tyne SRT
- Northumberland National ParkNorthumberland National ParkNorthumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
MRT - Scarborough and Ryedale mountain rescue teamScarborough and Ryedale mountain rescue teamThe Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team provides Search and Rescue services in and around the Scarborough and Ryedale areas of North Yorkshire, England...
- SwaledaleSwaledaleSwaledale is one of the northernmost dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire.-Geographical overview:...
Fell Rescue Organisation (Richmond, North YorkshireRichmond, North YorkshireRichmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...
) - Teesdale & Weardale SMRT
- SARDA England
The co-ordinating body for the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
is the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation which was formed in 1964.
- Buxton MRT
- DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
MRT - DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Cave Rescue Organisation (DCRO) - EdaleEdaleEdale is a small Derbyshire village and Civil parish in the Peak District, in the Midlands of England. The Parish of Edale,area ,is in the Borough of High Peak....
MRT - GlossopGlossopGlossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
MRT - KinderKinder ScoutKinder Scout is a moorland plateau in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 m above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, the highest point in Derbyshire, and the highest point in the East Midlands. It is accessible from the villages of...
MRT - Oldham MRT
- WoodheadWoodheadWoodhead is a small and scattered settlement at the head of the Longdendale valley in Derbyshire, England, situated 18 miles from Manchester and 17 miles from Barnsley. It lies on the River Etherow and the Trans Pennine Trail...
MRT - SARDA England
The West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
of England is covered by the South West England Rescue Association
- Avon and Somerset Search & Cliff Rescue Team
- Cornwall Search & Rescue TeamCornwall Search & Rescue TeamCornwall Search and Rescue Team was set up in 2003 to provide inland search and rescue cover for the county of Cornwall, United Kingdom...
- Dartmoor Rescue Group
- DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
Cave Rescue - Exmoor Search & Rescue Team (SRT)
- GloucestershireGloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
Cave Rescue Group - MendipMendipMendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...
Rescue Organisation - Severn Area Rescue AssociationSevern Area Rescue AssociationThe Severn Area Rescue Association aka SARA or Severn Rescue is an Inshore Rescue boat and Land Search organisation covering the Severn Estuary and upper reaches of the River Severn. SARA is the largest independent lifeboat service in the UK, second only to the RNLI, with 12 operational boats and...
The Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
are covered by the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
Dales Rescue Panel
- Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO)
- Upper WharfedaleWharfedaleWharfedale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham, and Wetherby...
Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA)
External links
- Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue
- Bolton Mountain Rescue Team
- Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team
- Buxton Mountain Rescue Team
- Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team
- Central Beacons MRT
- Cleveland Search and Rescue Team
- Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team
- Coniston Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT)
- Cornwall Search and Rescue Team
- Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team
- Derby Mountain Rescue Team
- Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team (DFMRT)
- Edale Mountain Rescue Team
- Exmoor Search & Rescue Team
- Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team
- Internationale Kommission für Alpines Rettungswesen IKAR - Commission Internationale de Sauvetage Alpin CISA - International Commission for Alpine Rescue ICAR
- Keswick Mountain Rescue Team
- UK Lake District Search and Rescue Dog Association
- Moffat Mountain Rescue Team
- Mountain Rescue England & Wales
- Mountain Rescue Committee for Scotland
- North East Wales Search & Rescue team (NEWSAR)
- North of Tyne Search and Rescue Team
- Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team
- Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation
- Oldham Mountain Rescue Team
- Penrith Mountain Rescue Team
- Rescuebase
- Rossendale & Pendle Mountain Rescue Team
- Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team
- Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team
- Western Beacons Mountain SART
- Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team