CSRT Press Room

PLBs now legal for land use

27 Jan 12

Date: 26th January 2012
Press Release: Immediate

Source: Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team

Personal Locator Beacons for Land Use heralds in a new era of safety for outdoor enthusiasts

The start of 2012 has seen a significant development for the emergency services involved in ‘search and rescue activity’. From the 12th January onwards Personal Locator Beacons are now legal for use on land. Personal Locator Beacons which can be the size of a mobile phone are already commonly used by people involved in flying and maritime activity. In an emergency when some-one using a PBL activates the beacon it then transmits unique identification information and provides data about the position of the beacon.

PLB’s are expected to be used on land primarily by those involved in recreational and outdoor activities. They are also likely to be used by those whose role involves them in working alone in rural areas.

The use of a PBL will help the emergency services to locate casualties and so reduce the time and effort that is frequently involved in searching for, and locating such casualties. This change in legislation will allow members of the public to use these handheld PLBs on land anywhere in the UK, which when activated will send a distress alert message that will be picked up by satellite and relayed via the UK Mission Control Centre direct to the relevant emergency services.

A significant advantage of these PLBs is that ‘satellite’ coverage is much wider than the mobile phone coverage so this again increases the likelihood of a speedy rescue.

Barry Warrington a spokes-person for the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team said ‘This is clearly a significant and welcomed change in the legislation. Obviously not everyone who enjoys the outdoors is going to rush out and buy such a device but for the serious adventure sports person, or someone planning a group exercise such as the ‘Three Peaks Challenge’, then they provide additional safety equipment which means that if anything does go wrong, then help gets to them much quicker than might otherwise have been the case’


For further details contact
Barry Warrington
Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team
07801 320212

PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACONS
AUTHORISED FOR USE ON LAND
Association of Chief
Police Officers Press Release

Review of the Year for the Media

04 Jan 12


Press release: 2nd January 2012
Immediate
Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team: Review of 2011:
For the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team the last 12 months have been the busiest on record. The Team has responded to 49 ‘call-outs’. This is the largest number of ‘call-outs’ in the 46 years of its operations. The calls involved 22 search ‘call-outs’, 25 rescues and 2 calls relating to the rescue of animals. In one case it was to rescue a dog which had fallen 60 feet down the cliffs at Sutton Bank. The other animal rescue was to work with the North Yorkshire Caving Club to rescue 16 sheep which had fallen down a sink hole into a cave system in the Rievaulx area. The ‘call-outs’ have involved incidents ranging from the rescue of mountain bikers and walkers to searching for missing fell-runners and vulnerable and despondent people.

As well as being a record year in terms of ‘call-out’ it has also been a notable year for a number of other reasons. During 2011 worked began on refurbishing the Team Base near Great Ayton. Following a 4 year fund raising campaign the Team were able to begin work on phase 1 of the programme to refurbish the Base. Work is nearing completion and for 2012 the Team can now look forward to operating from a building which has a proper roof, a reliable and up-to-date electrical system and is equipped with the latest computer based training facilities. Tim Wood the Team chairman said ‘This has only been possible as a result of the generosity of people in the local community who have supported the Team through-out the years and we owe all those people and organisations a massive vote of thanks. We still need to continue to raise funds to refurbish the garage area but for 2012 we can look forward to working from a renewed training centre’

In addition 2012 will see the Team commencing operations as the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team. Barry Warrington a spokes-person for the Team said the change in name from Cleveland Search and rescue Team was to bring the Team more in line with most of the other Mountain Rescue Team who operate through-out the UK’.

For further details contact;
Barry Warrington 07801 320212

Rescue of Woman above Faceby

15 Nov 11


13th November 2011

Press release: Immediate

Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team Rescue Injured Woman

Members of the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team were called out at lunch time on Sunday by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to help with the rescue of a 61 year old woman who had slipped and severely injured her leg and ankle.

The woman and her husband, from South Shields were out walking along the Cleveland Way above Faceby. As the mist came down they decided to walk back to their car, which was parked near Swainby. They descended off the top of the moor down a path which was steep in parts and proved to be very slippy. Unfortunately the woman slipped and fell while descending the path and severely damaged her ankle and lower leg.

The Team doctor treated her at the site of the incident before she was then carried by stretcher off the moor. By members of the Cleveland Team and two members of Scarborough and Ryedale Team. Although she was only about a 1½ miles from a road at the top end of Faceby Village it was decided that the paths were too steep and too water-logged to enable a safe evacuation for the woman. Instead she was stretchered back up onto the Cleveland Way and to a Team Land-Rover waiting at the end of what used to be the Carlton Bank Glider Runway. She was then transported by Land-Rover to a waiting Ambulance near Lordstone Café at the top of Carlton Bank.

Given the severity of the injury the Team explored the possibility of using the Sea King Helicopter but given the foggy conditions on the top of the moor it was felt that this would not be a straight forward option. It was therefore decided to carry the lady ‘out’.

Barry Warrington a spokes-person for the Team said “It was clear that the lady had severely injured her lower leg and ankle and we wanted to ensure that we evacuated her as safely as possibly. This meant carrying the stretcher for at least a kilo-metre along the Cleveland Way but it proved to be the quickest and safest way to get the lady to the waiting ambulance”

Twenty members of the volunteer Cleveland Team and 2 members of Scarborough Team were involved and the incident lasted just over 2 hours.


For further information contact
Barry Warrington
07801-320212

Record 'Call-Out'

10 Nov 11




10th Nov 2011

Cleveland Mountain rescue Team

Press Release; Immediate

Search for missing man represents a record for the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team

Wednesday night is Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team’s training night but at 9.30 just as a special Casualty Care Training Programme was ending the Team was called-out to assist in the search for a man missing in the Glaisdale area.

The 42 year old man was a forestry working from the local area and he had not returned home at the end of the working day.

Both the Cleveland Team and the Scarborough Team were called-out to assist in the search, together with the RAF Sea King Helicopter. At about 11.30 pm the Sea King Helicopter located the man and he was then airlift off the moor and transported to a waiting Team Land-Rover.

Much to everyone’s relief the man was safe and well. It seems he had been working late and as the light faded and a bank of fog came in across the moor he realised he was lost. He decided to stay put and sit it out. When he saw the lights of the Sea King Helicopter he signalled and was quickly located by the crew.

For the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team this, the 46th call-out so far this year was also a little bit of history in the making because in the 46 years of the Team’s history 2011 is proving to be the busiest year on record so far – and there is still 7 weeks to go.

Barry Warrington a spokes person for the Team said ‘Obviously as a Team we are always delighted when call-outs have such good out-comes. Clearly it was also special because it represented something of a record for the Team in terms of providing a ‘Search and Rescue Service’ to people in and around the North York Moors


For further details contact

Barry Warrington
Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team
Mobile; 07801 320212

Press Release

07 Nov 11

7th November 2011

Press Release: Immediate

Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team Search for Middlesbrough man

At 6 pm on Sunday evening the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team were ‘called-out’ by Cleveland Police to assist in the search for a 52 year old man from the Nunthorpe area of Middlesbrough. Police were concerned for the man’s welfare.

The search was initially focused on the Nunthorpe area, where there are many small areas of woodland and patches of farmland.

The volunteer members of the Team have a great deal of experience of searching in such areas

Shortly after 6 pm, 28 members of the Team, working in parties of 4 began an extensive search of likely areas. At 7.45 pm the body of a man answering the description of the missing person was found in a small patch of woodland. The Police confirmed the identity of the man as the person being searched for.

Barry Warrington a spokes-person for the Team said “Call-outs of this nature always leave the Team saddened and subdued. Our thoughts are very much with the man’s relatives and friends’


Further information

Barry Warrington
Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team
07801 320212

For older news, please see the news archive