Lake District mountain rescue teams being stretched to breaking point

Volunteers are facing intolerable pressures with many being forced to take to the hills five times a week to rescue stricken walkers, many of whom are ill-prepared.

Richard Warren, chair of Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association (LDSAMRA), says if the number of call-outs continues to escalate then teams will be unable to respond quickly, leaving some casualties waiting longer for help.

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The situation prompted a crisis meeting between mountain rescuers, the police, the Lake District National Park Authority and the National Trust in a bid to ease the “unsustainable” pressure on the teams.

“These sort of figures are totally unsustainable because mountain rescuers are volunteers,” said Mr Warren, who heads up the Wasdale MRT, which has responded to 137 emergency call-outs so far this year. “Most of them have day jobs and the majority of them have wives and husbands and families.

“If they continue to increase it’s going to be more difficult for the teams to respond quickly and efficiently to the rescues.”

Mr Warren suggested that unless something was done to reduce the number of call outs, the pressures on team members could mean adding to the workloads of neighbouring teams.

Although he did not think more volunteers were needed or that team members would choose to abandon their positions, the pressures of the role were taking their toll.

“Going out in the mountains two or three times a week, sometimes four or five times, totally takes over your life,” he said.

“And it’s just not fair on the mountain rescuers.”

He added: “Morale is high but people do feel guilty if they cannot come out to all these call outs.”

The ten Lake District mountain rescue teams have responded to 570 call-outs so far this year - close to its record of 600 in 2010.

Increased demand not only results in tired volunteers but in damaged clothing and equipment, meaning more money is needed for replacements.

“If we get a lot more of these call outs, with people missing through not being responsible, then we could get in to a situation where there’s a second call out where someone is having a cardiac arrest or a major fall. It’s going to take a lot longer to get the team to that call out,” Mr Warren said.

Following Wasdale’s record figures and a fatality on Scafell Pike last month, Mr Warren was spurred to call key Lake District agencies to work together to prevent accidents on the mountains.

Mr Warren said that it was a ‘positive meeting’ which involved going up Scafell Pike to look at spots where walkers often get themselves into navigational difficulties.

He said that there was now plans in place to improve signage, make main paths clearer and to launch a joint awareness raising campaign in advance of next year’s summer season.

Mr Warren said that in particular the campaigns would be targeting those tackling the Three Peaks Challenge, as they caused a ‘significant’ number of call-outs for the Wasdale team.

Richard Leafe, the chief executive of the LDNPA, who attended the meeting, said: “This meeting was a great opportunity to explore how we can work together to help educate and inform people to take better responsibility for their own personal safety before heading out.

“We’re now planning to work on a joint safety campaign with mountain rescue and the National Trust in advance of next year’s summer season.”

And superintendent Matt Kennerley, of Cumbria Police, told The Westmorland Gazette: “The mountain rescue teams are made up of 100 per cent volunteers.

“They do an amazing job saving the lives of members of the public, in all conditions, all year round

“We always have, and we will continue to, work closely with them to ensure the safety of the community and those visiting this beautiful county.”

Mr Warren assured the Gazette that mountain rescuers would continue to do their ‘upmost’ to deal with the volume of call outs but that it was essential the public were alerted to the safety message.