Mountain Rescue England and Wales Information

Mountain rescue team members are on call, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to recover climbers from precipitous crags, reunite lost walkers with their pals and ensure injured and sick casualties are safely delivered into vital hospital care. But they also regularly help search for missing children and vulnerable adults, on and off the hills, whilst administering sympathetic support to their families. They search river banks and swift water, and wade chest-deep through flooded urban streets aiding swimmers, kayakers and devastated homeowners. And, between them, they rescue a frankly stunning number of dogs, cows, sheep and any number of other animals, from all manner of inaccessible places. All this whilst continuing to practise and hone their first aid skills, technical rope-work, water rescue and search management, and maintaining their bases, equipment and vehicles – not to mention taking time to maintain their own fitness. Oh, and did we mention they’re all volunteers? Mountain rescue. So much more than mountains. Mountain Rescue England and Wales has 48 mountain rescue teams within 9 regions and the Charity has a devolved structure with an operations group, regional group, management committee and executive board of trustees. The Charity also represents the interests of Mountain Rescue at a national level on a variety of emergency response coordinating groups which include Police, Coastguard, Fire and Ambulance Services It also works to develop good practice in mountain rescue; provides insurance cover and national training as well as major emergency coordination. This vital role helps to ensure that this essential volunteer rescue service is able to meet the demands not just in its traditional mountain environment but in the broader emergency response role that it is often now asked to fulfil.