Mid-afternoon today we were alerted to a potential call-out to assist SWAST (Southwest Ambulance Service) with a casualty at Golitha Falls. As team members were en route, further details were received that this was a female suffering cardiac issues well into the woods along the river at Golitha Falls.

Several team members were able to respond quickly with a bell stretcher and liaised with SWAST paramedics to evacuate the female along the woodland track. This was a long carry out in rather hot and humid weather, but once safely delivered to a waiting ambulance she was taken to Derriford Hospital for further observation and we wish her a speedy recovery.

Another late night call-out, with concern raised for an elderly gentleman with dementia missing along the coast path near St Ives. As a team search manager was discussing likely search areas with police, the missing male was located safe and well.

The team were called out at midnight to assist in the large-scale search for a missing female in the Looe area. With large areas needing to be covered, a further call was put out to our neighbouring teams in Devon. With support from DSRT-Plymouth and DSRT-Tavistock, numerous foot teams and a SARDA dog team were able to search large areas of woodland along the East Looe River overnight, standing down early morning.

Further team members from Cornwall and DSRT-Ashburton then took over the search in the morning, when further intelligence shifted the focus of the search to the west of the river. Thankfully the missing female was located mid-afternoon and all resources stood-down.

Following the discovery of the car of a despondent male missing overnight in the Truro area, a dozen team members were deployed to search areas of woodland and open ground around Boscawen Park. Working alongside HM Coastguard teams searching the Truro River and NPAS searching overhead, numerous high-probability areas were searched to no avail. By mid-afternoon further intelligence suggested the male was safe and well in the city centre so team members were stood down while investigations continued.

The team were called during the day to assist police in the search for a despondent male in the Charlestown area. As team members were arriving at the RV the male was located and team members stood down.

The East Section of CSRT provided its annual rescue support to the Bodmin Moor Ten Tors event organised by Bodmin Lions. We provided assistance and evacuation of two walkers with a lower leg injury and the effects of not taking on enough water, in addition to general assistance to participants.

This is a fantastic event which raises thousands of pounds for local charities through individual sponsorship, and the team is pleased to be able to be a part of it and help in the way it does.

Yesterday evening the team were called by the police to assist in the search for a vulnerable missing male in the Penzance area. Three foot-teams conducted searches of residential streets, Penzance town centre and surrounding alleyways, along with thorough searches of all the public parks and overgrown areas. The team were later joined by HM Coastguard and both Penlee lifeboats who covered the coastline from Penzance to Longrock. By 11:30pm nothing had been found and all personnel were stood down.

Thankfully this morning the missing person was reported safe and well. Many thanks as ever to our volunteer team members who responded and freely gave their time and skills to help the local community.

Devon and Cornwall Police called the team to assist with a high risk missing person near Egloshayle. The 90 year old missing lady had not been seen since the previous evening and was believed to be suffering with dementia. Police dogs, an NPAS Police Helicopter, HM Coastguard and an inshore RNLI lifeboat had all been called to assist with the search.

As team members were preparing to deploy from the RV Point, an air ambulance landed nearby. It was quickly established that the lady had been found by a member of the public in the garden of a nearby property and they had contacted the ambulance service. She was taken to hospital cold but otherwise okay.

The team were placed on standby for a high risk missing person in St Gennys. The police were still carrying out basic enquiries and establishing required search areas. Shortly after we received confirmation that the missing person had been located safe and well.

A slightly unusual call out. The police had contacted the team for advice after a mineshaft had opened up in a residential car park. There was a concern that the shaft may cause a safety issue for nearby residents or members of the public.

A small contingent from our mine rescue team attended utilising basic edge restraint techniques to safely inspect the mineshaft which revealed that despite the small 3 foot opening, the tarmac was actually suspended above a 10 foot by 8 foot shaft, dropping around 40 feet. It was unknown if it was choked at the bottom, but with the vertical shaft running through bedrock, one of the mine rescue team who also works as a mining engineer was able to provide advice to the police and CORMAC.

An urgent call out for a 7 year old female who was missing in St Ives after becoming separated from her family. Working with HM Coastguard and Devon and Cornwall Police, the female was thankfully located by police whilst the team were still en route. Somehow the child had managed to make it back to her holiday cottage by herself.

With further heavy snow forecast in the region, team members were on stand-by to assist with further incidents, particularly outside of Cornwall. During the day, heavy snowfall caused numerous problems along the A30 in Devon and over 50 miles of the key road were closed. As traffic started to back-up in both directions, teams from North Dartmoor SRT and Dartmoor SRT - Tavistock worked tirelessly to keep traffic moving, carry out welfare checks on motorists and transporting stranded drivers to rest facilities in Okehampton.

After a long day for the Dartmoor teams, both Land Rovers from Cornwall were deployed to assist and by midnight were helping clear the remaining stranded vehicles from the A30 near Sourton Cross. Once the road was clear for gritters to access, both vehicles continued down the A386 Tavistock Road to carry out welfare checks on drivers stuck either side of a stranded articulated lorry. With strong wind, drifting snow reached several feet deep along the road, making access difficult; impossible without snow chains! Drifts were so deep in places that one vehicle was completely hidden from view, needing to be dug out to simply check if it was occupied.

Team members were able to check on the welfare of motorists in over 20 vehicles, including a young family, a nurse en route to work and two Marines! Most were safe enough to be left in warm cars, but others were taken to a local pub for food, drink and rest, with the pub staying open until 2am to help people. The bar soon filled up with people in sleeping bags, blankets and duvets, with people reunited with their cars in the morning. Once it was clear everyone was safe for the night, the Land Rovers stood down and were back at base at 5:30am.

CSRT received a request from D+C Police to assist a 54 year old male who was cold and lost near Lamorna. The original call had come from the ambulance service who were unable to locate him, and with concerns mounting in the cold weather, the team was asked to search surrounding farmland. Whilst arranging the call out, the male was located and conveyed to hospital.

With hundreds of outstanding incidents for the ambulance service due to an exceptional number of calls and difficulties in reaching patients, all 6 mountain rescue teams in the region were requested to go to active stand by by Devon and Cornwall Police who had set up a Silver SAR Coordination cell as part of their major incident response.

Although some teams in the region saw several incidents, Cornwall thankfully escaped and we stood down at 17:00 hours.

Just as the team had stood down after being deployed all night, we were requested by the ambulance service to assist them with a fallen casualty in Fraddon. Suffering with a fractured tibia and fibula, they were on sheet ice and an ambulance couldn’t get close enough to them to help.

A team Land Rover and crew arrived and after accessing and stabilising the casualty, we conveyed them to Treliske Hospital due to the ambulance service experiencing high demand from the weather.