I am tempted to try and join but I don’t have any climbing experience but would very good fitness and mountain biking skills be of good use to compensate for this? I am fairly local to the Kinder Mountain Rescue team and would be available for call out virtually at any time due to flexible job. Anyone got experience of mountain rescue work that could give me hints of what to think about before contacting the team?

Anyone got experience of mountain rescue work that could give me hints of what to think about before contacting the team?

I suggest that the biking is pretty irrelevant. Being self sufficient in the hills, on your own, at night in appalling weather is vital. Being ‘hill fit’ is also a given. Needing basic first aid would also be an advantage.
I would call them, but do consider whether in asking the question you really understand what the team do….?

http://kinderdownfall.co.uk/?page_id=183
http://kinderdownfall.co.uk/?page_id=7

That is exactly why I’m posting the question to find out more since if you don’t ask the questions how do you ever get more knowledge? (Also kind of checking if anyone from the Kinder group might even be a singletrack member as I know from reading their rescue reports that some members are keen mountain bikers!)

I wouldn’t even consider joining this unless a competent mountaineer in your own right. That comes with experience, so I would suggest getting this (and lots of it) before speaking to them.

Agreed – hit the hills time (great excuse for more days out!)

IanMunro- reading the links I get the feeling that I probably would be ok contacting them. There are so many roles that I’m sure they are not all expert rope climbers to start with. Wouldn’t rule out being part of the support group and do stuff like that. I have Wilderness first aid certificate, lots of outdoor/hill experience and good navigational skills so at least some things are already in place.

I was chatting with one of the Hayfield lot on a ride the other week, partly because I’m seriously considering getting involved with one of the local teams and it came up when we were chatting. I’ve also had mates in various MRTs over the years and there are a few general things to be aware of.

One is that it’s not so much availability for call-outs or ‘shouts’ that takes up the time, it’s more regular evening and weekend training sessions and exercises, it is quite a serious commitment. The other is that you may need to grow a beard 😉

I’d simply drop them a line and have a chat. Biking skills won’t be useful, more general hill competence and fitness plus first aid skills, which you’ll have already. Some teams seem to be a bit ‘blokey’, but I get the impression that Kinder is one of the more relaxed ones.

I go out in the hills regularly but it is the thought of doing it without bringing the bike that seem weird! Anyone know of a mountaineering group in the Peaks? Oh, probably would be better asking the rescue group as they probably are all members of it!

IME, MR groups already have a waiting list and they certainly don’t carry passengers. If there are other roles you can perform while gaining more experience and working your way up the list, then I’m sure they’ll let you know.

Speak to grittyshaker off here he goes out with Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue he should be able to tell you what you need to know. All I know is you don’t just join you have to be selected by attending training weekends with them. Try his blog @ brightaire.

Also polarisandy off here is in Penrith MRT, although I haven’t seen him post in a while.
As I’m sure you’re aware, they usually have alot of people wanting to join up. Many years ago, I did occasional supporting fundraising roles for the local Upper Wharfedale FR. Not wishing to be rude, but reading your OP, you appear to be starting from the lowest base, with no special skills to offer. One way of getting your foot in the door and showing commitment, is to be willing to do the mundane stuff like fund raising, you might have to be prepared to do that for a few years before being considered. Only people from relevent professions (Doctors, Fire services, Police, ex military etc) might stand a reasonable chance of getting seriously considered initially, but even they would have to prove commitment. The MRT people I’ve Known or met have generally had previous relevent skills and/or experience to bring along at the outset. Usually, but not exclusively, they’ve previously been MLTB trained and/or ex services, Doctors etc. Being involved with a local mountaineering/pot holing/caving type club might possibly get you ‘connected’ or open some doors.

I’m a former member of both Oldham Mountain Rescue Team (northern end of the Peaks, Saddleworth Moors) and Swaledale Fell Rescue Team (Eastern Dales). And waht everybody says is right but don’t think you need to be a ninja rock climber to be in MR, that’s not what it’s about. The vast majority of the work I did was hill searches looking for lost/injured walkers and day trippers who’d gone a bit further than the local beauty spots on to the moors or urban searches in support of the Police. Crag rescues tend to require roped access skills rather than pure climbing skills because 9 times out of 10 you’ll be abseiling down to a casualty, loading them on a stretcher and then taking them off either on a lower or a cableway. the last couple of years my brother, who’s still in Oldham Team, has done a hell of a lot in support of GMAS in the winter months when the normal ambulances have been unable to cope with the snow, either in the towns and city or in rural areas, and supporting GMP with the evacuation of stranded drivers on the cross-Pennine routes.

Hill fitness and strong navigation skills (map and compass, not GPS!) are the single biggest skills to have, most other things can be gained through experience and Team training. The ability to commit to training, rather than availability for call-outs, is also very important – our kid has to do 1 Tuesday training session, 1 Friday night exercise and 1 full day Sunday exercise a month.

Get in touch with them and let them be the judge of wht you’ve got to offer…

As Davetrave said +2.I looked into joining Tayside last year.I have walked/climbed/MTB’ed for years and I am sitting my ML assessment in July and even then I think I will only just have the skill set/experience needed.Your local group will also need volunteers to act as casualties during training,so that might be a way to get involved and see what you can offer and the members are like.

The other is that you may need to grow a beard

😆

If there are other roles you can perform while gaining more experience and working your way up the list, then I’m sure they’ll let you know.

Coffee, white, no sugar please. times 20.

Might be worth looking at other options too, Cheshire have a lowland team that supports searches for missing people etc Cheshire SAR team

I looked into joining them but even they had quite a rigourous training schedule that I couldn’t committ to. Have you checked that your employer would support you leaving work on call outs etc?

From what I gather from friends who are in the MRT it is becoming rather more demanding, and they are having to cater more to the “blame culture” and increasing litigiosity (is that a word?…they are worried about being sued).

I was in Moffat MRT for a short while a few years ago until work took me away from the area.

What Davetrave says is a good reflection of what I experienced. I dont think MMRT turned away many volunteers.

You do have to serve a probationary period anyway where you go through a training period, and you have to show commitment to the training that is available. The team will then put you on the call out list if you make the grade.

I am not a rock climber but I got onto the call out list because of the other skills that I had – hill craft, navigation, communication, trained in emergency first aid etc. BTW some skilled rock climbers arent the best at these other skills.

The best thing is to call them up and I am sure you will be invited along to the training sessions to see if you like it and get on with the team.

Sister in Law is in the Rossendale MRT.
Very fit runner with lots of mountain experience, but hasn’t been climbing for a while IIRC.

She signed up about three years ago, really enjoyed the (very comprehensive) training and loves it.
She’s ex police, so already had some relevant experience at dealing with emergencies etc.

If you want to drop me a line with your details I can ask her to give you a call to discuss.

I joined my local MR team several years, no you not need a beard/pewter mug or a host of stories concerning your experiences in the Himalayas.

If you are reasonably “hill fit” have navigational ability and are able to show commitment to the training schedule that your local team require then go and talk to them, your be made most welcome.
Most teams are made up from a mixture of walkers, climbers, MBers and those weird people who go down holes in the ground.

Enjoy.

I did quite a few years with Bowland-Pennine MRT when I was younger.

Davetrave and Scotabroad have summed it up well:

Hill fitness and strong navigation skills (map and compass, not GPS!)

You do have to serve a probationary period anyway where you go through a training period, and you have to show commitment to the training

You are basically an assett that has eyeballs and legs. You should be able to get to whereever they want to put you and they’ll need to have confidence that you’ll be there when you said you’d be there.

Thanks for all the useful information. I think I will do a Mountain Leader course before doing anything else. It will be useful for adding to the knowledge I’ve already got (through doing the SMBLA course for instance) and also checking that things I’ve been taught as a kid growing up in Sweden roaming the forests at an early age, is actually correct! Might see if the local rescue group needs some pretend casualties in the meantime for their training sessions.

MLTB, Not sure if it’s changed now, but basics are:
You need to start by recalling and recording all the mountain days you can recall from previous years: year, month, region, your status in the group, weather details, no of peaks over 600m ascended, no of different camp sites used.
I think I detailed everything from the previous 2 years and then prior to that, just significant stuff. You also list additional experience, winter or foreign mountaineering, rock climbing, orienteering, MRT etc
You then record experience gained between your basic training and assessment. At least 12 months between training and assessment, 16 full mountain days, 8 nights camping in diff. locations, 30 named peaks over 600m, mountain days in 3 diff. regions, valid 1st aid cert. at time of assessment.
The most important thing is to record occassions where you have been involved in taking a group out, so your SMBLA history would be very important to record. Certainly between training and assessment, they are looking to you to have done group leading days, rather than just going out with your mates or on your own.

That is exactly why I’m posting the question to find out more since if you don’t ask the questions how do you ever get more knowledge?

I’d have thought that if you need to ask the questions you’re too distant from their skill-set to be of use.

(Also kind of checking if anyone from the Kinder group might even be a singletrack member as I know from reading their rescue reports that some members are keen mountain bikers!)

I was in the Kinder team many years ago…. hmmm, 15 years ago, so I am pretty out of date :o). Much of what has been said above is right. The Kinder team does a lot of hill and moorland searches, crag rescue is not that common.

You need basic hillcraft (not the same as mountainbiking…), ability to navigate confidently and accurately in places like the Kinder plateau in bad conditions (ie dark, mist, snow) and be able to make sensible decisions on safety in these sort of conditions. My view is that these sort of skills are best gained through spending lots of time in the mountains summer and winter, you can get some of it by doing a course, but be aware of the limitations of stuff learnt on courses rather than through experience.

The other skills (advanced first aid, search techniques etc) – the team will train you. Give them a call and they will give you an idea of what time commitments are involved and whether you have the right experience.

Oh, and if you can yomp around the hills all day with a pack, you’ll be fit enough.

I’d have thought that if you need to ask the questions you’re too distant from their skill-set to be of use.

Brilliant, the forum equivalent of one of those sad ‘If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand’ tee-shirts.

Hi
I think sometimes who you know, helps you get in a team.
when i came up here to scotland to live. I tried to join the Dundonnell MRT.
I had at the time nearly 30 years experience on the hills,I have also Climbed around the world and 20 odd years as a weird person going down holes. I had been in a team in England in the past and 20 years experience walking and climbing in Scotland and mountain leadership training in the past.
I also run and mountainbike.
But that did not help get me in.
I am still waiting after 6 years for somebody to get in touch.
So don’t hold your breath.
Good luck.
john

I’m a pre-probationer with my local fell rescue team.

When I applied I was very straightforward with the level of commitment I thought I’d be able to give, saying that if it worked out then this would be great and that if it didn’t there’d be no hard feelings either way.

It seems, and this is just my perspective, that many teams may be suffering from:

1 An ageing membership
2 The fact that young people can’t afford to live in the rural areas where they operate
3 People’s work commitments meaning that they have less time to be involved in the training

Go along, see what they say. If you’re straightforward at the outset you can always back out without putting anyone’s nose out of joint.

One very real risk is that the only time you get outdoors is marshalling a fell race or similar or on training and shouts. You may find that it can seriously eat in to your outdoor “me time”.

coffeeking –

I’d have thought that if you need to ask the questions you’re too distant from their skill-set to be of use.

You’ve always come across on the forums as a helpful chap, so I’m amazed at that kind of comment.

I think he meant to type ‘skillet’ – binoculars should sort things out anyway.

Before his untimely death my brother was involved in mountain & cave rescue for almost 40 years. RAF, UWFRA,CRO and SARDA. He was totally committed to MR & a very experienced caver but for everyone like him there are plenty of foot soldiers who will turnout for the less technical fell searches etc.

It’s been mentioned above but the one thing he always ensured was co-operation from his employer that they would allow him time off at the drop of hat. He wouldn’t take a job without this agreement. Plus he lived in the area.

Contact the local MR team and ask about joining. I’m sure they’ll be happy to discuss what’s involved.

Clive: you with UWFRA?

I haven’t read all the thread but just read “Cairngorm John” about mountain rescue in surprise Cairngorms. brilliant book well worth a read and shows you don’t all have to be epic climbers or mountaineers. they need a variety of people. I would love to do something like that but in Oxon!!! Go for it I say.

Hi Granville

Yes, UWFRA.

Resurrecting the thread… I’m a member of Kinder team, and have been for about ten years. This is what life is like in Kinder team (probably not that dissimilar to most other teams).

Commitment can be difficult at times. Training wise we meet one Monday evening a month for our ‘first aid’ training (think of it as H&S at work first aid on steroids – you will eventually be expected to take MREW Casualty Care Evacuation Certificate); one Weds evening a month for ‘rescue’ training – this could be about scene of crimes, search patterns, helicopter training, missing person behaviour etc. One Sunday a month is devoted to an exercise. This usually takes up the whole day. Finally one Friday a month is our team meeting – discussing accounts, falling asleep then drinking beer.

On top of that we are on call 24/7/364.5 (we get one evening off a year for our annual team dinner). We generally get called out at silly o’clock in the morning or Sunday evening when the weather is at its worst.

Basic prerequisites are: can you spare the time, would you be available, do you live in our area (so you can get here quickly), do you hold H&S FAW, and you will have to prove you can navigate with a map and compass. If you can do all that then you’ll make it as a probationer. This involves attending literally everything and an extra evening a month for probationer training.

For a good insight into what we do check out the diary and Alan’s video blogs. They are becoming quite famous – we’ve appeared on Real Rescues and Helicopter Heroes quite a lot.

Still reading? Still interested? Visit our website and email our secretary….

Not in Kinder’s patch? http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/ for details of your local team. Live somewhere flat and boring? http://www.alsar.org.uk/ for lowland SAR teams