At 13:33, CVSRT received a request from Yorkshire Ambulance Service to assist with the evacuation of a 31yr male who had fallen from a rope swing sustaining an open ankle fracture. Due to the location of the incident and anticipating a long stretcher carry, 12 members from CVSRT with additional members from Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team were deployed.

Once on-scene, team members administered pain relief before packaging and evacuating the casualty from the woodland to a farm track where the ambulance was waiting. Following decontamination of all equipment and personal kit, all members stood down and returned to bases.

As vehicles arrived back at their bases, CVSRT members were alerted to a second incident at Lumb Falls, Pecket Well and immediately deployed to scene.

HVMRT members also received an alert from West Yorkshire Police to an imminent missing persons search in their operational area, therefore returned to their base ready for deployment.

Duration 4hrs 14mins
Person Hours: 80 hrs
In Attendance: 12 CVSRT
1 MRSDE (Meg)
7 HVMRT
Yorkshire Ambulance Service

#CALLOUT At 11:00 on 18th November Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team (CVSRT) members and Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England (MRSDE) dog handlers were assisting our neighbouring Mountain Rescue team, Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team (HVMRT) and West Yorkshire Police (WYP) with the ongoing search for missing Dewsbury pensioner Mr Colin Vasey (89).

#1211 Assist HVMRT
18th November
In attendance
18 CVSRT
HVMRT
WYP
3 Search Dogs

The last ten days has seen CVSRT receive eight requests for assistance from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS). The first was on the evening of 13th June, just as our search dogs and handlers were meeting for one of their regular training sessions. A young man had come off his mountain bike in Hardcastle Crags and needed assistance to be evacuated to an ambulance.

The second request was on the evening of Sunday 16th June for a young male who had fallen in Judy Woods on the outskirts of Bradford. A wet, muddy and slippery stretcher carry through woodland saw him transferred into the care of a YAS crew.

Simultaneously with the second incident came a request to evacuate another young male who had fallen, in old stone quarries in the Shibden Valley near Queensbury. Some team members were diverted from the Judy Woods incident to deal with this job. After treatment by YAS paramedics and Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew he was carried by stretcher to the roadside and a waiting ambulance. Team members then left to join colleagues at Judy Woods to assist with the much longer stretcher carry taking place there.

The fourth request was on Monday 17th June to evacuate a female with a lower leg injury from a field near Todmorden. After treatment by CVSRT members she was stretchered across farmland to a waiting ambulance.

In addition to this incident Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England Search Dogs Wyn and Meg, and their handlers, assisted with the search for a missing male in Rossington, near Doncaster.

Next, on Thursday 20th June, came a request to assist a couple who, although uninjured, had become stuck while traversing steep ground between paths in Chevin Woods, Otley. Team members set up a simple rope system to help them to the safety of a path, before they continued their walk.

The following day the sixth request saw the team assist with the evacuation of a female who had been found unconscious on moorland above Walsden. YAS paramedics provided treatment for low blood sugar, and after a short while the casualty was able to walk to a waiting ambulance.

On Saturday 22nd June the team were called to incident near Esholt, to assist with the evacuation of a mountain biker who had fallen off and tumbled 15 metres down a steep slope. After treatment by YAS paramedics he was carried by stretcher to the roadside and a waiting ambulance.

And finally, yesterday, came a request to evacuate a female who had fallen off her mountain bike, sustaining an upper arm injury, on the Rochdale Canal towpath. After treatment by a CVSRT Doctor and YAS paramedics she was carried by stretcher to a nearby ambulance.

Over the same ten days period team members have also taken part in two further Search Dog training sessions (in the Calder Valley and the Yorkshire Dales),a casualty care training session organised by Bolton Mountain Rescue Team (BMRT), 4x4 and winch refresher training, a Water First Responder Course alongside members of Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team and BMRT in the River Calder, provided safety cover at the Overgate Hospice Mountain Bike Challenge and the monthly equipment maintenance evening.

These incidents/activities involved 62 people and amounted to over 500 volunteer hours – a massive commitment from each and every operational member of the team and our wonderful supporters.

CVSRT is a fully voluntary organisation which is on-call to respond to those in need 24/7. The team relies entirely on donations to continue to provide essential life-saving rescue service. We receive no direct funding from local authorities or the government. You can help support the team here https://cvsrt.org.uk/support-us#donate

For full details of all incidents attended by Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team visit https://cvsrt.org.uk/incidents

At 17:17 on Saturday 25th May Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team (CVSRT) received a request from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to assist with the evacuation of a male with a lower leg injury.

Due to CVSRT members already attending an incident at Otley Chevin, Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team (HVMRT) were requested to assist. Three CVSRT members were also available to respond immediately and deployed direct to the incident to assist with the evacuation.

CVSRT members responded direct from Otley Chevin but were stood down enroute as sufficient resources were already on scene.

YAS paramedics, assisted by HVMRT, assessed and provided medical care to treat the casualty’s injuries. HVMRT and CVSRT members then packaged and stretchered him to an awaiting ambulance for transfer to hospital.

Many thanks to HVMRT for their rapid response to the request for support.

In Attendance: 17 CVSRT + HVMRT
Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Total Duration: 1hr 45mins

At 18:30 on Monday 5th November, Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team received a request from West Yorkshire Police to assist with the search for a missing 70 year old male walker.

CVSRT members undertook an overnight search of open areas and woodland. In the early hours of Tuesday the search was enlarged to include fell parties and search dogs from eleven neighbouring Mountain Rescue Teams who were drafted in to continue the search in daylight hours.

The casualty was located at 11:45 on 6th November by HM Coastguard S92 helicopter with only minor injuries and taken to hospital for treatment.

Thank-you to all the Mountain Rescue England and Wales teams involved in assisting Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team, West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service; Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, Rossendale & Pendle Mountain Rescue Team, Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT), Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team, Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA), Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team, Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England and Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs.

In Attendance: 37 CVSRT
Other : 90 Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, Rossendale & Pendle Mountain Rescue Team, Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT), Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team, Oldham Mountain Rescue Team, Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA), Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team, Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England and Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs.
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
HM Coastguard S92 (Bristows Helicopters – Humberside)
Total Duration: 22hrs

At 01:08 on Thursday 27th December, CVSRT were alerted to an ongoing search for a vulnerable missing pensioner with dementia who was reported missing in the Allerton Bywater area at 19:00hrs on Boxing Day.

Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and WYP NPAS CarrGate were already involved with the ongoing search when extra help was requested for additional members from CVSRT and SARDA Search Dogs.

As CVSRT members arrived on-scene they were greeted with the fantastic news that the gentleman had just been found alive by members of Holme Valley MRT, and required immediate evacuation. He was promptly packaged and transferred by stretcher to an ambulance for treatment and onward journey to hospital.

CVSRT received a request from Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team to assist with an on going missing persons search near Methley.

We provided additional fell party members, including our water team to do water margins and search dog team to search woodland.

In attendance: 20 CVSRT and 1 Search dog
Duration: 8hrs

And the results are in…

We are very pleased to announce that 35 members from CVSRT and 1 member from HVMRT successfully completed the MREW Casualty Care Examination (Theory & Practical) this weekend. For some this was their first time to take the exams whilst for most it was to recertify their qualifications.

CVSRT would like to thank members of: Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) for providing a Senior Examiner and two training casualties, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team (BMRT) for providing an assessor and to Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA) for providing four casualties. Many thanks also to the four examiners who were in attendance from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) – from Halifax, Bradford Emergency Department, Scarborough RNLI and a clinical supervisor from East Yorkshire.

The successful completion of this Casualty Care Examination is the culmination of several months hard work, perseverance and dedication by team members. It’s worth remembering that all members are specially trained volunteers from the community who have full time jobs where medical care isn’t their chosen vocation. We feel this is an excellent achievement and reinforces our commitment to provide the best possible casualty care to the community.

Non of this would be possible without the selfless help from the numerous medical professionals and fellow mountain rescue volunteers who, over the last few months and this weekend have given up their spare time to assist with our casualty care training and examination. This will be echoed around the country over the coming months as other mountain rescue teams take their examinations. We would also like to thank our active supporters who continue to support the team week after week.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to our families who put up with the long hours of training and who make it possible for us to drop everything at a moments notice to dash off to provide assistance to a complete stranger in their time of need.

Thank you all.
CVSRT

On Saturday 15th July 2017, Mountain Rescue members from the Mid-Pennine Region who are specially trained in water rescues techniques came together at the River Washburn in North Yorkshire to refresh their water rescue skills and to forge a stronger working relationship. Water First Responders and Swift Water Rescue Technicians from Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team and Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team gathered in the river flow beneath Woodyard on the river.

It’s worth mentioning that this training was made possible by a kind invitation from Halifax Canoe Club and Yorkshire Water. On limited occasions the river is supplemented from Thruscross Reservoir, providing a guaranteed strong flow of water along the river length into Fewston Reservoir. This in turn provides the perfect opportunity for the canoe club members to enjoy a slalom competition in the upper section, whilst we trained downstream in the lower section of the river.

Throughout the day, team members trained together to practice core water rescue skills required to operate safely around swift water including defensive and aggressive swimming through the flows, throw line rescue and tethered rescue swims to retrieve casualties from the water. The afternoon session included more technical rescue skills training including the tethering and manoeuvring of a rescue craft across the river and into the flow using high lines. Such skills may be called upon to carry out a rescue from a vehicle trapped during a flood.

This training was also part of a developing program to bring together Mountain Rescue water rescue members from across the Mid Pennine Region. All members are trained to the same National Standards for water rescue and from experience during recent major water rescue incidents, i.e. the flooding incident witnessed earlier this year on the East coast, Mountain Rescue water rescue specialists often work together to support the statutory emergency services.

Finally it’s worth remembering that all the equipment seen in these photographs such as the dry suits, water craft, specialist ropes etc. are all funded by generous donations from the public and sponsors from across the region, all supporting their own local Mountain Rescue teams.

We would all like to thank everyone for the continued support for Mountain Rescue teams. This allows us to train and maintain essential skills, ensuring we are prepared to help the public in times of need.

Mick Smith
CVSRT Water Lead

CVSRT received a request from Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team to assist with the search for a high risk vulnerable 52yr old male who was reported missing from his home.

21 CVSRT members were available to assist with the search and once on-scene were tasked with searching areas of interest for the misper. After 5hrs all areas were cleared and both teams stood down and returned to their respective bases.

Shortly later a member of the public located the missing person walking outside our search area. He returned home safe and well.

In attendance: 21 CVSRT
Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team

Total Duration: 5hrs 55mins