Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team would like to remind our local community to please adhere to the Government lockdown restrictions and only exercise locally to your home. Now is not the time to be venturing into the more remote parts of our countryside and potentially putting yourself in harm’s way.

Granted, accidents can happen to anyone, at any time, in any location (even close to home). By definition, an accident is an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

If an accident happened to you in a remote, inaccessible location, would you know what to do? Before you set out on your next daily exercise, (or adventure when the time is right), please ask yourself:

1. Do I have the knowledge and skills to accomplish the day?
2. Do I have the right gear and spare kit if the weather changes or night falls?
3. Do I know what the weather will be like?
4. Does anyone know your plans for the day?

By planning ahead, preparing well and being aware of your environment, you could prevent an accident or should the worst happen, save your life.

In the event of an emergency and you require the assistance of a Mountain Rescue Team, please do not hesitate in making that call. We would rather initiate an emergency response and be stood down en-route, rather than not being called at all or alerted too late.

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

PLEASE NOTE: Register your phone with www.emergencysms.net – this will enable you to contact the emergency services by SMS if required.

To help your rescuers pinpoint your location, you will need to provide a grid reference by using a map or via *OS Locate App or *What3Words App (*Note: Apps need installing on your smartphone prior to setting out). Once you have requested Mountain Rescue assistance, it is very important to stay where you are until the Mountain Rescue team have made contact.

Above all, please stay safe, exercise sensibly and #adventuresmart

A Few Facts About CVSRT

Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team (CVSRT) is a charity run by unpaid volunteers providing search and rescue support to the statutory emergency services in the northern half of West Yorkshire, including Calderdale, Airedale and part of Wharfedale. CVSRT operates within Mountain Rescue (England & Wales) guidelines, working on behalf of West Yorkshire Police.

During 2020, the team attended 96 callouts providing essential life-saving care to the community. We have four emergency response vehicles, strategically located in Halifax, Copley, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Our team members come from all walks of life and live within the local community. Where appropriate and necessary, local team members will respond directly to an incident. This allows us to have boots on the ground and on-scene within 10-15 minutes providing initial medical assistance, with the full team response in attendance within 28mins of callout (on average in 2020).

Our Resources Include:

• 50+ Operational Full Team Members (including Doctors & Paramedics)
• 9 Flood Rescue Specialists
• 7 MRSDE Search Dog Handlers
• 4 MRSDE Search Dogs
• 4 Trainee Search Dogs
• 4 Specialist Vehicles
• 1 Operational Support Team Member
• 7 Support Team Members
• Many Friends of CVSRT

CVSRT have been saving lives in wild and remote places since 1966.

Our Operational Area

Here’s a few extra tips to help you remain safe whilst out and about:

• Charge your phone before you set off (and think about carrying a portable battery charger).
• Carry a map and compass and know how to use them. Don’t rely on your smartphone apps for navigation! Using GPS and Navigation Apps will drain your phone batteries quickly leaving you without a phone when you really need it most.
• Before leaving home, consider downloading the OS Locate App or the What3Words App to help you pinpoint your location in an emergency – remembering to cross check this location on your paper map before passing to the emergency services.
• Carrying a headtorch, handheld torch and spare batteries are essential, or take a second torch so you don’t have to change batteries in the dark.
• Have a good meal before you start and take plenty of food and water to refuel and keep hydrated during the day.
• Remember if you stop for any reason, you will get cold very quickly. Make sure you have warm, windproof and waterproof clothing (and spares) – hat and gloves are essential. Wear several thin layers rather than one thick layer so you can add or remove them to maintain a comfortable temperature.
• Carry a foil blanket or bivvy bag for emergencies.

CVSRT is very fortunate to have 6 qualified MRSDE Search dog handlers in the team, working 4 air-scenting search dogs, and two dogs in training (…possibly a third aspirant pup, but that’s another story, Sssh!!)

To maintain the search skills of the dogs, the handlers train with them twice weekly, searching for dogsbodies (volunteers hiding from the dogs), as well as regular training with the full team. Life in lockdown and adhering to social distancing guidelines obviously has its challenges when it comes to training, however search dog training is naturally a socially distanced activity with dogsbodies generally hiding 500mtres apart in remote locations, like moorland or rocky outcrops.

CVSRT always welcomes the opportunity (when appropriate), to work with other emergency services, neighbouring rescue teams and fellow rescue personnel visiting our operational area. Recently the team welcomed Stephan Rosenburg and Silvia Crowley, two search dog handlers from Rettungshundestaffel Fuerstenfeldbruck based near Munich. They were with their search dogs, Isa (Isa les Gardiens de l’ Esprit Hardi), a Beauceron and Arabella (Shamrock Shepherds’ Arabella), a White Swiss Shepherd.

During their visit, the couple attended a socially distanced, full team search training exercise at Norland Moor, which focussed on a 3k rapid path search for items left by an ‘exercise’ high risk missing person. The visitors also attended the twice weekly dog training at two locations around the region. This was a great opportunity to exercise the dogs, share knowledge and practise techniques, and enjoy the stunning views around the Calder Valley.

To find out more about our visitors please visit: facebook.com/bundesverband.rettungshunde or facebook.com/BRH.Rettungshundestaffel.Fuerstenfeldbruck/ or www.bundesverband-rettungshunde.de/en/

To find out more about MRSDE and to support the search dogs visit: mountainrescuesearchdogsengland.org.uk/fundraising/

To volunteer as a CVSRT dogsbody or training casualty, please email: enquiries@cvsrt.org.uk

At 17:42, CVSRT received a request from Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Yorkshire Ambulance Service to assist with an incident involving a young female who had fallen on rocks sustaining a suspected back injury. Team vehicles deployed immediately and arrived on-scene within 23minutes, just as Helimed was landing.

Once the casualty had been assessed by a doctor and paramedics, she was immobilised in a vacuum mattress, packaged and stretchered by CVSRT members to the ambulance at a nearby farm.

Duration 2hrs
Person Hours: 39 hrs
In Attendance: 19 CVSRT
1 MRSDE (Meg)
Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Community Safety Warden
West Yorkshire Police

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

During a cold and rainy weekend in February, before the #COVID19 restrictions were in place, a group of 3rd-year Digital Television Production students from Ravensbourne University London joined Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England (MRSDE) dogs, handlers and dogsbodies as they completed one of their regular training sessions at Widdop and Langfield.

The students were looking for subjects for part of their final major project and being impressed by the work the Search dogs do, they wanted members of Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team (CVSRT) to be subjects in their documentary. The film provides a glimpse of the work that the Search dogs do for missing people in the Calder Valley and further afield.

They managed all aspects of the filming, production and editing for their project and as a thank you to the team they raised £150 for CVSRT alongside the fundraising activity to make the documentary itself.

All the dogs, handlers and dogsbodies really enjoyed working with the the students and we can’t wait to watch the finished documentary. Follow the link to watch a short edit - > Search Dogs Documentary Clip <

Thank you to all the students involved in making the film, you can see more of their work on Facebook and Instagram under the name @animalsoncall and good luck for your degree results.

From the 23rd May, less than a weeks time, 2 of Calder Valley Search And Rescue Team’s (CVSRT) active supporters will be joining other Mountain Rescue volunteers to run a MR’athon, covering 26 miles in a week whilst adhering to all current government guidelines.

With several of our planned fundraising events cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic it is fantastic to see volunteers from around the country stepping up to the challenge to help raise much needed funds that help to keep search and rescue teams operational.

Thank you to everyone who is taking part, with an extra special thanks to Tracy Cokill and Janet Whittaker. Good luck!

Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England's message:

A tenacious team in trainers are running, walking, cycling or crawling to complete a 'from the front door' (within relevant government exercise guidelines) a 26 mile MR'athon in support of Mountain Rescue!

Last year more than 2000 people in need were helped by Mountain Rescue volunteers and in 2020 MR continues to show selfless commitment to helping others, assisting walkers and climbers, providing crucial support during flood crises, searching for vulnerable people missing from home and supporting the police and ambulance service. Volunteers do all this while having regular jobs and family lives to juggle! During lockdown teams have been supporting their local communities and many team members are key workers currently working incredibly hard on the front line.

Whilst our activities in the outdoors are temporarily limited the Mountain Rescue teams are still working hard to remain operational to save lives. The teams rely on donations and many avenues of fundraising has completely dried up as charity boxes sit empty in pubs, shops and cafes that are closed.

An enthusiastic bunch of volunteer Mountain Rescue Search Dog handlers, Trainee Search Dog handlers, 'Dogsbodies' and supporters have teamed up to run an MR'athon in support of MR Teams across England & Wales. Over 40 runner and non-runner folk alike are dusting off their trainers and adjusting their buffs to clock up the K's from their own front doors over one week from 23rd May 2020. You can follow the efforts of your local team members and everyone online at MRSDE FB page. I'm sure some of the Search Dogs will be getting in on the action too - in fact if you threw their favourite toy for 26 miles there's no way you'd stop them!

We all thank you very, very much if you can help with a donation at this time. We have often been reminded that when this difficult time passes 'the mountains will still be there' and so, with everyone's support, will be our phenomenal volunteer Mountain Rescue Teams saving lives.

To show your support to everyone taking part please visit - http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/MRmarathon

On Wednesday 22nd January at 22:17 CVSRT received a request from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to assist with the evacuation of a male trapped by a snare in Ogden Clough. 

West Yorkshire Police were on scene and following the arrival of CVSRT members and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), the casualty was able to be walked safely to the awaiting ambulance. 

#1220 Emily Stone, Ogden Clough

22nd January 2020

In Attendance;

25 CVSRT

YAS

WYP

YAS HART

MRSDE (search dog Meg)

#CALLOUT  On Saturday 4th January, Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team (CVSRT) received a request from West Yorkshire Police (WYP) to assist with the search for a person missing on the Pennine Way between Stanbury and Hebden Bridge.

The gentleman was located by CVSRT members, treated, then assisted off the hill initially on foot then by team vehicle and transferred to a Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) ambulance. 

#1217 Pennine Way, Gorple

4th January

In Attendance;

31 CVSRT

1 Edale Mountain Rescue Team (EMRT)

3 Mountain Rescure Search Dogs England (Meg, Wynn and Jack)

WYP

YAS

National Police Air Service (NPAS)