Why do we need a new headquarters?

Our current rescue base is the equivalent of two double garages, side by side. Half of this space is a single room used as a meeting and training room. It also contains a sink and water heater, allowing us to provide hot drinks. During a callout everyone involved congregates here. This includes team members, other operational personnel, the casualties and their friends/relatives.

The other half of the rescue base contains a very small operations room used by the team leader and deputies to run the rescue operation. The team leader consults and briefs hill party leaders here. Finally, the base radio is here, so the radio operator is also in the room. A small storage room is used for specialist kit, including first aid kits and radios and their chargers. The rest of the space is taken up storing team equipment, including hill party kits, first aid equipment, rescue equipment and the team lighting, with chargers.

This is no longer adequate to support our operations. The main problems with it are:

• There is nowhere to park the two team Landrovers. This means that the vehicles are parked elsewhere and must be driven to the base and extra equipment loaded before they can be used on a callout.
• The meeting/training room is too small to accommodate the full team. Team training in these cramped conditions is difficult, especially as much of the training is practical. On callouts, it is difficult to brief and debrief the team.
• There is no separate room for casualties and their relatives/friends. During an operation there can be activity which is disturbing to the relatives/friends, for example overhearing radio messages or seeing hill parties returning to base, especially if the news is not good. The activities of the base staff can also be inhibited by working round casualties and their relatives/friends. At the end of a callout, the team is always debriefed. This allows all members of the team to be fully aware of the outcome, to review the operation together and learn any lessons for the future. This is very difficult in the presence of casualties and/or relatives/friends.
• There is no clinical treatment area to carry out first aid before the transfer of casualties to road ambulance.
• There are no toilet, washing or changing facilities.
• There are no cleaning facilities, nor a drying room for wet gear.
• The operations room is too cramped to accommodate all the personnel needed to run a search and rescue operation.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Kinder Mountain Rescue Team gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you for your donation