Due to the wide range of incidents the team attends, we have a large amount of resources available to us to assist us on searches and rescues.
Medical equipment
The team has a wide selection of medical equipment for use above and below ground. Each vehicle carries an Automated External Defibrillator and specialist kits containing a variety of dressings, bandages and splints, as well as more advanced items including resuscitation equipment, Entonox and drugs. Some of our members have undertaken the Mountain Rescue Casualty Care certificate which allows us to use certain analgesics, antiemetics and antibiotics.
All team members are trained in first aid and each party will carry a smaller team medical kit for initial treatment and monitoring.
Evacuation equipment
None of our evacuation equipment will be found in the back of a standard ambulance. Although similar in function, all of the items have been specifically designed for use in remote locations and bad weather.
This includes stretchers which can be winched directly into helicopters. They can also have a wheel fitted to aid long carry offs. Specially designed casualty bags (a heavy duty weatherproof insulated bag) and vacuum mattresses (full length body splint) is also standard equipment.
Technical
The team operates the latest technical equipment to assist us with search and rescue operations. This includes real time mapping of our teams via GPS tracking. The information is relayed via our radios which includes a fixed site repeater which gives us wide coverage of the county.
We also utilise specialist software which can pinpoint the location of lost people using their smartphones.
Occasionally team members have to use ropes to access a casualty or to enable them to be rescued safely. All team members receive basic training in use of this equipment, however we also have a dedicated mine rescue team.
A lot of our operations also take place around moving or still water, therefore we have throwbags, personal floatation devices and other specialist items to ensure we can work safely.
Vehicles
All of this equipment is carried in three vehicles which are located at the busier areas of the county.
Land Rover 110 Ambulances
Both of our Land Rovers have been adapted to carry one of our ‘Bell’ stretchers and it is particularly useful during long evacuations, deployment of team members and during severe weather and flooding.
Control vehicles
Two control vehicles (a Peugeot Boxer and a Mercedes Sprinter) form the main hub of our operations on an incident. The front of the vehicles provide a control area with radios, search management equipment and digital mapping facilities. The back of the vehicles have stowage for search and rescue and incident support equipment.
