Wednesday 11th February 2009 19:30hrs – Training (Mini Exercise)
showing just how dark night is away from the towns, the top light is the moon, the lower lights are a Kinder party approaching the cas site
Phil (Training Officer): Tonight was a change of plan. We should have been practicing Rope rescue techniques. However it was decide to change this and have a SNATCH type mini exercise. Luckily there was still quite a bit of snow and ice around, so this would add to the evening’s entertainment (sliding around the place for those who forgot to bring crampons!). It would also be an insight for those taking part in tomorrow’s probationer mini exercise as well.
The scenario was two reasonably equipped walkers set out mid morning from the Snake Inn intending to walk the snake path to Hayfield. At approx 16:00 one of the walkers slipped injuring his leg. They try to walk off but after making very slow progress they call M.R. at 18:30. Contact is made with them at 19:00. The injured walker is in great pain and very cold, the second walker is also very cold and tired. They are unsure of their location, they know they came off the plateau down a valley, overlooked the reservoir and passed a white building. Shortly after this the accident happened, whilst trying to walk off they have become disorientated, they think they are still on a path. They say they can see lights in the distance and think they can see water. Their mobile battery is failing and can only be used for short periods at a time.
Me: Tonight we had been warned in advance that we would be in for a late night, as we were holding an outdoor training session. It was going to be a mini callout exercise and as there was snow on the ground it was looking like an interesting one.
I was sent out in a search party to look for two of our team who were playing the roles of a couple of walkers, injured on a day out in the snow. We were asked to clear a route up to the shooting cabins, which we decided to carry out as a sweep, either side of the path. This meant that we were knee deep in heather and snow, which is quite a tiring way to walk up a hill. Fortunately we decided to take this approach, as it wasn’t too long before we came across our missing colleagues, a short distance off the path. They had been sat in the snow for a while by now and were starting to get cold.
Vinny and Pete went to assess the casualties’ injuries, while I set up control with AJ. The report from Vinny was that one of them had a suspected Tib / Fib fracture and would need stretchering off the hill. The other parties were all diverted to our location along with the kit. We had to sit tight, wait and put up with the cold.
Phil: A number of teams were deployed on search patterns. It was a lovely night as well – clear sky, snow and ice covered ground. Kinder’s 1,2 & 3 were all converging on the ‘white shooting cabin’ when K4 radioed in that they had located two casualties just off the footpath. K5 deployed with ‘heavy’ equipment to the casualty site. All other kinder party’s would now make for the casualty site as well. As it happened, Bernie and John were also trying out a new location for ‘radio link’. Unfortunately, this proved to be futile and communications with hill parties was poor (just adding to the realism).
By the time everyone had reached the casualty site, Vinny had stabilized the casualties, and was ready to receive the stretcher for immediate casevac back to the road head. This was another opportunity for us to try the ‘Alpine stretcher’ rather than the ‘Bell’.
Me: After sitting around with only a radio link to base to keep us company, suddenly the other teams all arrived together. Things suddenly jumped in to life, with people assembling the stretcher and getting the equipment together. Everyone “cramponed” up and we carried our supposedly injured colleague down the hill and back to the Land Rovers.
