Mountain Rescue history

Mountain Rescue in the whole of the United Kingdom is free of charge both to the person rescued and to any organisation to which he may belong. Except for incidents on sea cliffs where H.M Coastguard are responsible, the overall responsibility for search and rescue in the U.K. rests with the Chief Constable of the Police for the area in which the incident occurs. It may request the assistance of voluntary rescue teams, National Park Rangers, R.A.F. Mountain Rescue Teams, R.A.F. or Royal Navy search and rescue helicopters.

All the above bodies work together both in the field and in the planning and organisation of rescue and none make any charge. The voluntary rescue teams in England and Wales are all autonomous bodies composed of unpaid volunteers who are called out by the police when their services are required. Most teams only recruit already competent all weather mountaineers who are then required to undertake suitable training in search techniques, stretcher handling, on vertical faces and in snow and ice conditions, radio work, and First Aid.

During the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the number of requests by the police to the voluntary rescue teams for assistance in searching and rescuing in a non mountain or open country environment. These requests would include searching for elderly, confused, or potentially suicidal people missing from their home or an institution and searching snow bound roads for stranded motorists.

The various local teams are grouped into autonomous regional organisations as shown in the Handbook. These regional organisations vary slightly in their organisation and function. They are usually responsible for operations involving two or more teams together with co-operation with the police forces serving their area and the R.A.F. (or R.N.) helicopter stations and rescue teams serving their area. They also frequently organise a considerable amount of training on a regional basis.

The Mountain Rescue Council is an autonomous co-coordinating body to which all the various regional bodies belong together with the British Cave Rescue Council and the Search and Rescue Dogs Association . The membership of the Council extends to cover the Association of Chief Police Officers, H.M. Coastguard , RAF Search and Rescue, The Home Office Radio Branch and Fire Service Inspectorate, The Sports Council and the Association of Chief Ambulance Officers. It is again a voluntary body and a registered charity. Its main function is to liaise on behalf of the teams with the various government departments in the running of Mountain and Cave Rescue and to arrange such items as the provision of communications, stretchers and First Aid Equipment, and the provision of accident insurance for team members when they are training or operational. The MRC also purchase, public liability insurance for team members.

The Mountain Rescue Handbook is published and updated regularly. The handbook contains detailed information on the entire Mountain Rescue operations in Great Britain, the handbook also contains information on the work of the RAF rescue teams, radio communications and call signs, mountain first aid, Helicopter operations, rescue and accident statistics.

Organisation of the service

Before Mountain Rescue Teams were organised as today, rescues were carried out by whoever was at hand and with only limited equipment. As the hills have become more popular, teams of volunteers equipped with purpose built stretchers and other specialist equipment have developed in all main upland areas of Britain. The organisation of each team is a matter for its own members, but there are a number of common features. Teams are usually called out by the Police and any call for assistance should be through them by 999 system. In a major incident, a team leader may call on other teams in his region, or the resources of the armed services for assistance. On prolonged searches, teams from other regions may be drafted in to assist.

Each team through its regional body is affiliated to the national Mountain Rescue Council. This body co-ordinates such matters as Insurance, the supply of medical / first aid equipment and the production of its handbook. It also provides the interface between individual teams and Official Bodies and Government Departments concerned with Mountain Rescue. Mountain Rescue Teams are increasingly being involved in non-mountain incidents (e.g. Lockerbie air disaster) because of their specialist equipment and search skills. Most Police forces now include Mountain Rescue Teams in their major disaster plans. In almost all cases, teams are composed entirely of volunteers and the team itself is a registered charity. Teams may be volunteer, but they are not second rate - the service provided is professional and responsible.

The voluntary nature of the teams has traditionally kept us free of the worst excesses of bureaucracy and is a proud tradition that the service wishes to maintain. In areas with Caves and Mines, specialist teams under the auspices of the British Cave Rescue Council have been established, they too are affiliated to the MRC as there are many areas of common interest, for example in equipment and medical matters. North of the Border, teams are in some cases more directly involved with the Police than is the case in England and Wales, but the basic principles remain the same. These teams are represented by the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland.

Mountain Rescue: Saving lives in wild and remote places