More than just sticking plasters!

Following three months of intensive training and practical exercises twelve team members sharpened their pencils on Sunday ready for the final examination in Casualty Care.

The course syllabus and examination are set by rescue’s national body, Mountain Rescue England & Wales, and concentrates on the special skills necessary to aid a casualty in remote locations and where professional help may be hours away.  It takes the standard first aid course up to the next level preparing team members to offer initial assessment, treatment and ongoing care to the casualty throughout the evacuation from moor to hospital door.

Training involves a series of lectures from doctors and medical professionals together with practical simulated situations and involves many internal and external instructors.  The exam starts with a stern written test followed by the dreaded scenarios of medical and trauma incidents assessed by external examiners.

Now another twelve rescue team members proudly hold certificates of competence and will soon be putting their theoretical skills in to practice.

A load of old rope; or not?

Five Buxton team members spent the day with other teams from the Peak District learning the skill of examining the equipment used by mountain rescue teams when recovering casualties from crags and cliffs.  All rescue teams carry hundreds of metres of rope and many items of climbing hardware.   The lives of team members and casualties rely on all this equipment being in good condition and so every item requires careful examination to identify any damage or wear sustained in operations.

Accurate assessment of faulty equipment will not only save injury to team members but reduces the cost of scrapping equipment unnecessarily.

The Equipment Inspectors’ course was delivered at a greatly reduced cost by Oldham based, Height Safety Consultants Ltd, specialising in fall protection equipment.  The day consisted of both theoretical and practical training and culminated in a final examination with each candidate gaining a certificate.