With demand for its services as strong as ever, the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team adapted fast to uphold safety and critical rescues under the pandemic.
Mountain rescue teams exist to save lives. But to be effective, they must make their own safety as much of a priority as that of the people they set out to save.
“YOU NEED TO ENSURE YOUR OWN SAFETY ON A RESCUE AND THAT OF YOUR TEAM TO BE ABLE TO HELP WHOEVER IS INJURED AND IN NEED OF SUPPORT,”
says Penny Brockman, who has served as the team’s leader for the past nine years and is soon to become Chair.
TYPICAL SCENARIOS INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO GOT LOST WHILE OUT WALKING, MISSING YOUNG PEOPLE, BICYCLE ACCIDENTS AND ANKLE INJURIES.HARMONICS AND SO FORTH CAN AVOID TRAGEDY,
CBMRT operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and is recognised as an official 999 Emergency Service. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Penny says the number of callouts last year stood at 99 — only marginally less than the normal average of 120 especially when the country was in lockdown for many months. A notable change was that a higher proportion of incidents happened in the urban and rural area as people stayed local rather than the mountainous areas which for many months were closed. Typical scenarios include people who got lost while out walking, missing young people, bicycle accidents and ankle injuries.
While team safety is always top-of-mind, the pandemic brought about a change in procedure. CBMRT implemented a COVID-19 Manager to ensure adherence to the rules introduced when on call during the pandemic.
CURRENT REVISED MEASURES INCLUDE:
1.“Donning and Doffing”
“Donning and doffing” — putting on and removing personal protective equipment in a safe manner to reduce the potential spread of the virus.
2. Number of Resources
The number of resources that respond to incidents to minimize the risk of the virus spreading.
3. Ensure Mask-Wearing
Ensure mask-wearing worn by team members when evacuating the casualty on the stretcher and the setup of clearly demarcated areas for the removal of clothing, which is then put into bags and sanitized.
4. Regular Cleaning & Sanitation
Regular cleaning and sanitation of equipment which is rested for 72 hours after use.
5. Safeguard Measures
When travelling with others in vehicles safeguard measures have been put in place with windows being open and team members wearing facemasks.
ALL TRAINING TOOK PLACE ONLINE FOR MANY MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC AND THEN IT WENT INTO A MIX OF VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON TRAINING.
Furthermore, the team had to overhaul its training in the early days of the pandemic as well as implementing a COVID-19 risk management assessment. All training took place online for many months of the pandemic and then it went into a mix of virtual and in-person training. Currently we are now undertaking face to face training. As well it had to look at how to saves costs, which is important for a volunteer organisation especially when financing, and public relation activities have proved a challenge under the current circumstances; (many collection boxes and live fundraising have been halted).
While individual behaviour determines the team’s safety and success at every turn, Penny also says technology “drives the team”. SARCALL, an online incident management platform, enables the operational management to easily monitor information around factors such as location and the number of responders.
GETAC’S TOUCH SCREEN MOBILE DEVICES ENSURE THAT ESSENTIAL INFORMATION IS READILY AVAILABLE AND VIEWABLE WHATEVER THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Rugged technology plays an important supporting role in the work of organisations like CBMRT, in both outdoor and urban settings. Getac’s touch screen mobile devices ensure that essential information is readily available and viewable whatever the weather conditions. Their built-in 4G LTE connectivity enables team members to log into the SARCALL platform from any location and continue to communicate effectively. They can then interact directly with other rescue services to coordinate searches and provide real-time updates.
Currently, CBMRT and other emergency workers such as police and helicopter pilots use these devices in their control vehicles, and as a result are able to share information seamlessly while in transit.
Whatever state the world is in, it appears that CBMRT will never be short of work. Combining passion, discipline and advanced technology, its members press on undaunted.
