The Magazine of
SCOTTISH
MOUNTAIN
RESCUE
Supported by
the Order of
St.John
www.mountainrescuescotland.org/
Issue 28 May 2012
The Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland
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MRCofS Executive Committee
CHAIRMAN Jonathon Hart
[email protected]
[email protected]
PROJECT MANAGER
Shaun Roberts [email protected]
New Easy-to-reach adjusters on sides
VICE CHAIR
Steve Penny
SECRETARY
Scott Douglas
TREASURER
Moira Weatherstone
New CentreFit
headband system
keeps the helmet shell
central on the head
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
MEDICAL OFFICER
Brian Tregaskis
[email protected]
[email protected]
TRAINING OFFICER
Stuart Johnston
[email protected]
EQUIPMENT OFFICER
STATISTICIAN Jim Sudd
New PETZL VIZIR eye shield
accessory - cannot be dropped
or left behind. meets EN166.
ACPOS
Colin Souter
ARCCK Tom Taylor
Vacant
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Co-opted Members
Compatible with the New PETZL PIXA
industrial lighting range
LEGAL ADVISOR Roddy Cormack [email protected]
RADIO / COMMS James Coles [email protected]
UKSAROPS (CWG) James Coles [email protected]
MLTS Graham McDonald
[email protected]
MRC Alfie Ingram
[email protected]
MC of S
Alfie Ingram
[email protected]
SMSF Vacant
MAGAZINE EDITOR Dave Cawthorn
[email protected]
Petzl products are distributed in the UK by
Lyon Equipment Limited
Front Cover: Time-out during a joint exercise between Cockermouth MRT
and Tweed Valley MRT.
Photo Credit: Steve Penny. See page 9.
Junction 38, M6, Tebay, Cumbria, CA10 3SS, UK
Tel: +44(0)15396 26250, Email: [email protected]
www.lyon.co.uk
.
The Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS) is a
Registered Scottish Charity – Number SC015257
editorial
Spring 2012 is going to be remembered for its unusually late snow and ice cover extending over Scotlands
highest tops long into the month of May , and then latterly the incredible spell of 25+ c weather across much
of the Country.
Like many Mountain Rescue team members I had packed away my winter climbing kit and was in summer climbing mode, out enjoying the rock and scrambling conditions. However several winter rescues later
I was brought down to earth when experiencing full on winter blizzard conditions , necessitating micro
navigation across Aonach Mor and then two weekends later lowering a Lochaber MRT colleague to a fallen
climber on the Ice climb, point 5 in late May!!!! The following week I met up with a bunch of the Syke MRT
folks on the Cuillin ridge in what can only be described as perfect summer (nae midges) conditions and
enjoyed our most magnificent mountain range in all its glory.
These huge changes and variations in our teams weather conditions and mountain geography are the essence of Scottish Mountain Rescue, whether you’re in the Borders , up in Assynt, or out in the Islands. Experienced , locally based and readily available mountain rescue volunteers , coordinated by their local police
officer and a fantastic ‘can do’ attitude to getting the job done is our great strength. Our volunteer teams
operate in some of the most demanding and hostile Mountain conditions in the world, and are able to react
to changes in these conditions and deploy the appropriate skills and techniques without hesitation. These
are outstanding skills of the highest order. Its no wonder then that the public sector agencies are requesting
that we respond to an increasing number of tasks. The MRCofS statistics for 2011 show an increase in the
number of call outs that we are responding to across the Country and there are no reports identifying that
the job was not completed, or aborted.
Other agencies reliability on Helicopter support has been also tested this month and early May saw a series of
Helicopter engineering issues that grounded both private and public sector fleets, across the country. Scottish Mountain Rescue teams’ ability to continue to operate , with reduced availability from the National Air
fleet , is another great strength of our organisation , albeit we might have to walk a lot further!!
The Magazine of
SCOTTISH
Have great summer, get out there doing what you love to do!!
Jonathan Hart
Chair - MRCofS
MOUNTAIN
RESCUE
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
My point with all of this….. is that as we move into a period of public sector change,
, we should all focus on the positive aspects of the service we provide as Scottish Mountain Rescue and be
proud of being part of a great organisation and focus on the needs of our casualties.
The Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland
3
Hebrides Search And Rescue
John Norfolk
Founder & Secretary
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
It has now been 12 months since Hebrides
Search And Rescue became affiliated to
the MRC of S. In terms of courses & training
we knew we had a steep learning curve to
conquer. Little did we expect it to have the
same profile as An Sgurr ! In terms of assets
and equipment the team has also come on in
leaps and bounds. I have been lucky enough
to be involved from the very start of HebSAR,
and it has been a great honour and privilege
to see the team achieve operational status
and deploy, assisting Northern Constabulary.
I have met some awesome and inspirational
instructors and individuals within the MRC of
S.
4
Thanks to the Order of St John we know have
Mobile One (Ex Tweed Valley MRT) Landrover
Defender and a Vauxhall Movano Incident
Control vehicle (Ex Northern Constabulary).
Through a grant from NHS Western Isles we
also have Mobile Two (Ex Coniston MRT)
another Landrover Defender. The NHS grant
also enabled the equipment officer, Adrian
Trevor, to purchase the vast majority of the
technical rope rescue gear that we require
in the short to medium term. Both of the
team Landrovers are registered ambulances
and each carries a Mackinnes stretcher and
a comprehensive medical bag. The team is
very aware of it’s carbon footprint and is very
happy to be able to extend the life of vehicles
that have already provided sterling service to
other teams and our stakeholders. The support
and assistance we have received from both of
these organisations has been fundamental
in enhancing the team capabilities. The team
would like to express it’s sincere gratitude
to Richard Waller and Janet Knox from the
Order of St John and Gordon Jamieson, Chief
Executive of NHS Western Isles.
The team now have a full set of radios, handheld and vehicle sets, supplied by Willie
Macpherson of Highland Signals Ltd. We
were lucky enough to get Iain MacLeod over
from Lochaber to give us a good introduction
to the radios and the correct use of voice
procedure. Both Tweed Valley and Coniston
were generous enough to leave the masts
and antennas on the Landrovers so we have
very few problems with comms despite the
terrain. From the summit of Am Clisham
we can get good comms on our hand-held
Icoms to Stornoway over 22 miles away. The
team also has a base station radio deployed
in Stornoway Police Station. On callouts the
team
One of the first courses team members
completed was the Search |Management
Course held in Aberfeldy. Jonathan Murray
and myself both attended the course and
gained a valuable insight into the theory
side. This course has been useful in several
of the live searches the team has conducted.
This was our first real opportunity to mix
with members of other MRT’s and learn from
their experience. It also gave us the chance
to have a chat with Heavy Walley, who has a
history with the Isle of Harris after the tragic
Shackleton crash in 1990. We also have two
members booked on the Digital mapping
Course in Lochaber in June. The laptop
computer will then complement the incident
control vehicle and give us a much better
environment to manage searches from.
April saw half of the team gain there basic
first aid qualification through BASP. We
were lucky to get Chris De Rollo over from
Dundonnel MRT to pass on a lot of real life
MRT first aid experience. We decided not to
go down the HSE approved course route,
instead opting for something that is more
relevant and in-line with our core capability.
Our team doctor, Dr Antony Latham was also
on hand to pick Chris’s brains over selection of
suitable medical kit. The course was superbly
run and everyone was impressed with the
amount of knowledge Chris passed on in
such a professional and humorous manner.
The team is lucky to have three doctors but
it is reassuring to know that team members
know the basics to a high standard, and can
then package the casualty in preparation for
onwards travel to definitive medical care. The
team continue to hold cascare sessions at
least once a month to maintain this standard.
The future will hopefully see team members
attending EMT and CasCare courses.
May saw a crack team of instructors venturing
over the Minch to help the team host it’s first
MRC of S Foundation Rigging Course. Shaun
Roberts MRCofS Project Officer (Glemore
Lodge MRT), Jon Sanders (Tayside MRT)
and John Armstrong(Glenmore Lodge &
Cairngorm MRT) were superb instructors, not
so good at sea crossings though it has to be
said. The weather was as you’d expect for the
Outer Hebrides in spring or monsoon season
as we like to call it. Since it’s foundation some
three years ago the team has established the
need for good climbers on the team. The
winter months tend to be on the indoor wall,
with lighter summer evenings spent out and
about on local crags. The foundation course
brought a lot of new skill sets in to the team
and we now know what the gold standard
is. The instructors also introduced us to lots
of technical gear that we have not trained
with before. Top of the procurement agenda
now has to be a couple of sets of hedgehogs.
Shaun and the guys did a superb job of
demonstrating how much purchase this
device has even in the peat of the Hebrides.
Several team members have been inspired
by the foundation course and now hope to
attend the next Level One course.
Since becoming operational in late 2011 the
team have attended 5 callouts. These have
seen the team deployed down to Benbecula
for a search over very varied terrain in a
hailstorm backed by winds gusting 60knots,
to a search at night in the village where 3
team members live. The team have also
deployed on searches over open moorland
and in urban areas. The professionalism team
members have shown during some difficult
callouts has been amazing and a credit to
their professionalism.
The team has developed a superb working
relationship with the officers and civilian
staff of Northern Constabulary, throughout
the Outer Hebrides and also in Inverness.
The team have a store within Stornoway
Police Station, which is now also a nominated
Mountain Rescue Post. Interestingly OS maps
have shown one in Tarbert Police Station for
many years, but nobody seems to remember
any equipment ever being there. We are now
a firm fixture at events such as the annual
Emergency Services Ball and regularly help
out at events supporting the other agencies
we work alongside. June will see HebSAR
personal assist officers organising the charity
cycle challenge from Barra to the Butt of
Lewis. This will also allow team members
to familiarise themselves with the Uists and
other areas we may be asked to deploy to.
The team have also developed close ties
with HMCG on Lewis and Harris. Several of
the large scale searches we have conducted
have been in conjunction with the
Coastguard Rescue Teams. We regularly use
the Coastguard Station and their excellent
facilities for courses. Having Rescue One
Zero Zero based at Stornoway Airport has
also provided us with easy access to training
with the CHC crew led by Alun Tink. The team
has already deployed on a search via One
Zero Zero, with additional team members
following on in Mobile One and Two after an
hour on the ferry.
HebSAR has been given the honour of
marshalling, and providing first aid cover, for
the route when the Olympic flame reaches
Stornoway.
So, what does the next 12 months hold
for Hebrides Search And Rescue ? Training,
training and training ! The team has a very
full training forecast for the rest of the year.
This does not include the usual on and
off-road driver training, refresher training
and induction training for new aspirant
members. HebSAR identified at an early
stage that Swiftwater rescue would also
be a fundamental skill that we must be
proficient in. One only has to look at a map
of the Western Isles to see how much of the
Islands is covered by Lochs and streams. The
team is also working hard at fund raising,
with Richard Hemmings now at the helm.
A recent bag packing event at the CO-OP in
Stornoway raised well over £700, the sale of
charity wristbands and t-shirts also provides a
steady income via ebay and the shop on the
Team’s website. We have also attracted close
on a thousand followers via our facebook and
twitter pages, with a reasonable following
from Indonesia !! We also have several teams
booked to visit for some joint training, Kintail
and Scarborough & Ryedale in the next couple
of months. HebSAR would welcome any
team, or team member, if they fancy visiting
and joining in some training. We are keen to
learn from the years of experience within the
MRCofS and wider MRT/SAR community. A
longer term project is working on identifying
a new team base.
UK MOUNTAIN RESCUE CONFERENCE 2012
7 - 9 September 2012, Leeds Metropolitan University
Technology in Mountain Rescue
The draft programme includes:
Austrian MR
PLB’s
Social Media (use in MR)
IT in MR
Search Management
Insurance Panel/Clinic
Inter-Agency Forum
Cas Care
Medical Emergency
Response Team
IKAR
Media Skills
Technical Workshops
Water Rescue
Avalanches
Helo’s RAF, Police, and
Air Ambulance
Weather
The oppor tunity for additional
speakers on other aspects
per tinent to MR (LandSAR) still
exist, and anyone who would
like to give a presentation
should contact Alfie Ingram :
01382 668193
Suppor ting
the
speaker
programme will be a an
extensive
exhibition
of
manufacturers, and suppliers
of SAR equipment.
The Conference opening will
feature a shor t DVD illustrating
the work of mountain rescue,
and Teams / Team members
who have suitable “clips” that
they would like to offer for
inclusion in the DVD should
contact Alfie Ingram : 01382
668193
Booking Forms for the
Conference will be available
shor tly, and as the UK MR
Conference is invariably a
“full house”, early return of
these is advised.
Leeds has ver y good
road, rail, and air links
so travel to the venue is
straightfor ward.
Mark your diar y now - 7 –
9 September 2012 UK MR
Conference, Leeds.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
Plans are forging ahead for the
bi-annual UK MR Conference
the largest mountain rescue
event in the UK in 2012.
Located
in
the
spacious
Headingley Campus of the
Metropolitan
University
in
Leeds
which
provides
outstanding
facilities,
the
Conference will stimulate much
thought and advice through
the
extensive
programme
of lectures, workshops, and
exhibitions,
presented
by
national
and
international
practitioners exper t in their
field of SAR.
5
SEARCH
AND RESCUE
HELICOPTER
SERVICE
Jim Fraser, Kintail MRT.
in 2012 but has been extended to 30th June
2013.
A joint Department for Transport (DfT) and
Ministry of Defence (MoD) project team
began a contract process for a service to
run for 20 to 30 years from 2012. The Soteria
Consortium (CHC, Thales, RBS and Sikorsky)
had been named as the preferred bidder.
Unfortunately, it became apparent that there
had been irregularities as a result of CHC
employing a former RAF officer who had
knowledge of the other bids. CHC stated that
they reported this to the government in late
2010. The suspension of the contract process
was announced on 8th February 2011.
However, as early as 2007 and 2008 doubts
had been expressed about inappropriate
moves by more than one individual from the
government project team to CHC. One of
the major bidding consortia, UK Air Rescue
(including Bristow), had withdrawn from the
competition in September 2008. The MoD
later confirmed that UK Air Rescue had written
to them about possible improprieties in
October 2008.
MILITARY helicopter flying started in Britain
after Fleet Air Arm pilots had been introduced
to helicopters in the United States during the
Second World War. British helicopter models
soon developed, as did uses for helicopters.
What do you think of my office? (Sea King)
Photo Credit: Royal Air Force/J Fraser
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
6
CIVILIAN contractors have been doing
helicopter search and rescue in the UK since
1971, with a break of a few years in the late
seventies and early eighties. Bristow had
a Coastguard contract for provision of a
Westland Whirlwind at Manston in Kent from
1971 to 1974. The Manston story is instructive
in the matter of changes in life-saving services.
There were objections when the RAF provision
was withdrawn. However, a few years later,
when the Bristow aircraft was to be replaced
by a RAF flight, there were objections again.
Hansard records not only commendations for
the work of the civilian aircraft but objections
to the additional cost of the Wessex flight.
Coastguard contracts introduced civilian
aircraft at Sumburgh (1983), Stornoway (1987),
Lee-on-the-Solent (1988) and Portland (1995),
all of which were operated by Bristow. In 2007,
the four Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(MCA) bases were part of a single contract that
was won by CHC Scotia. They use the Sikorsky
S-92 at Stornoway and Sumburgh and the
Agusta Westland AW139 at Lee-on-the-Solent
and Portland. This contract was due to end
Carrier SAR involves rescue of pilots during
carrier operations and had previously been
done by escort destroyers, which are clearly
even more expensive than helicopters.
Combat SAR involves the rescue of personnel,
usually downed aircrew, from hostile territory,
and generally involves fast aggressive
insertion of one or more armed aircraft, with
infantry, to identify and secure the missing
personnel.
With a similar role to carrier SAR, the RAF
moved helicopters around the country to the
locations of air exercises where there were no
air sea rescue launches. Air-sea rescue, using
massively powerful High Speed Launches of
the RAF Marine Branch, was established only
around the south-east of England having
been developed as a form of Combat SAR
during wartime. On land, there was also the
Mountain Rescue Service. 275 Sqn RAF (202’s
predecessor) is said to have been the world’s
first dedicated SAR helicopter squadron.
Eventually, a rather improvised mobile service
evolved into a wider network of permanent
RAF SAR helicopter flights serving every area
where aircraft were routinely exercising. As
helicopters became more reliable, faster and
had greater range, the number of stations
reduced drastically. Increased capability also
led them to become more involved in land
rescue and civilian rescue. As the size of the
air force reduced and aircraft became more
reliable, it was inevitable that most of the work
of these units would be civilian incidents.
Once aircraft developed enough to carry
heavy loads, naval helicopter use developed
far beyond the early cost-cutter of carrier SAR.
Helicopters are an essential part of modern
naval operations and the Fleet Air Arm’s
land bases became part of the evolved SAR
network we have today.
2013 – 2017: THE GAP OR INTERIM
CONTRACT
This contract is described as an “Accelerated
negotiated” procedure on the basis of the
“Emergency need” that developed after the
previous contract process was abandoned.
To ensure continuity of service, the DfT
unexpectedly had to conduct this competition
in a few months. In February 2012, they
awarded contracts to Bristow at Stornoway
and Sumburgh and CHC at Lee-on-the-Solent
and Portland. Operations are due to start on
1st July 2013 and end in spring and summer
of 2017.
The contract notice contained the unwelcome
term “limited overland capability” and the
MCA Aviation Department stated that key
technical requirements would be substantially
the same as the current contract. This means
that there is no low light capability required by
the contract and the contractor is not obliged
to fit or use night vision imaging systems.
Bristow have announced that they will also
use the Sikorsky S-92. We can expect that their
new aircraft will arrive in early 2013. We can
also expect that there will be opportunities
to engage with Bristow to develop a working
relationship with them before they take over
the service.
2015 – 2026: THE MAIN CONTRACT
Sometimes referred to as the main contract
or long-SAR, this is the first entirely planned
aeronautical search and rescue service for
the UK. It replaces the contract that was
abandoned in early 2011.
The service will operate from 10 bases across
the UK. These are “at or in the vicinity of“
existing base locations. Service will end
permanently on 30th Sept 2015 at RAF
Boulmer and on 30th June 2017 at the MCA
base at Portland.
The contract is in three lots. Lot 3 is for the
entire service at all 10 bases and consists of
the combined requirements of Lot 1 and Lot
2. This means that one contractor could be
awarded the entire contract or two different
contractors awarded the contract by lots.
Lot 1 is for the service at or in the vicinity of
Stornoway, Sumburgh, Culdrose, Leconfield
and Valley. The aircraft are required to have
accommodation for 8 survivors, 2 of whom
are on stretchers, and a greater range and
endurance (enhanced range and endurance
at Stornoway).
Lot 2 is for the service at or in the vicinity of
Lossiemouth, Prestwick, Chivenor, Wattisham
and Lee-on-the-Solent. The aircraft are
required to have accommodation for 4
survivors, 2 of whom are on stretchers, and a
lesser range and endurance.
The type and number of aircraft is not defined
and it is up to the bidders to propose solutions
that can satisfy all the other requirements. A
wide range of communications equipment is
specified that includes land SAR channels 62A
and 24A, MF/HF, sat phones, Airwave and data
services.
The DfT has defined progressively more
detailed technical requirements. As we would
expect, there are also extensive legal, financial
and insurance requirements that bidders must
meet. The Technical Requirement Matrix of
February 2012 is the latest published version
of the technical requirements and a summary
of its MR-related points is shown below.
• TRAINING. Ground familiarisation
training. Flying training for noncontractor SAR. Dependent on
geographic location. Training plan
to enable aircrew to obtain full
functionality from each system.
• HLS. Landing on unprepared
surfaces with up to 10% slope.
• MOUNTAIN. MRT standard load: 6
persons plus loads of kit. Deploy/
retrieve MRT standard load on
the ground or in air (hover). Hover
at 4000’ on hot day with MRT
standard load (well beyond Sea King
capability). Avionic systems accept
OS National Grid.
• CLIMATE. Continue ops in snow for
one hour. Ops down to -26 deg C.
Hover into wind without restriction.
Hover in downwind 18 kn, side 30
kn. Start/stop rotor in up to 45 kn.
• NIGHT VISION. NVG compatible
cockpit. Visual search down to 2
millilux: near moonless clear night
without cultural lighting. (NVG
operating levels are a requirement.
NVG not mandatory but most likely
solution. Does not rule out other
technologies.)
OPERATIONAL TRANSITION TIMELINE
01 April 2015 - Lossiemouth (Lot 2) &
Leconfield (Lot 1)
01 July 2015 - Valley (Lot 1) & Wattisham
(Lot 2)
01 Oct 2015 - Chivenor (Lot 2) & Boulmer
discontinued
01 Jan 2016 - Prestwick (Lot 2) & Culdrose
(Lot 1)
01 April 2017 - Sumburgh (Lot 1) & Leeon-the-Solent (Lot 2)
01 July 2017 - Stornoway (Lot 1) & Portland
discontinued
Ardennes) contractor. Already in
the UK, operating out of Norwich.
Operating MD Explorer through to
Dauphin (EC155).
• LOCKHEED MARTIN. A major
defence contractor with a turnover
like a small country. They have no
experience in helicopter SAR or as
any kind of helicopter operator.
REGULATORY
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates
civilian SAR helicopter flying. They have
BIDDERS BY LOTS (at
22nd May 2012):
LOT 1 (5 bases, big
spec)
• Bond
Offshore
Helicopters Ltd
• Bristow
Helicopters Ltd
• CHC Scotia Ltd
LOT 2 (5 bases, smaller
spec)
• Bond
Offshore
Helicopters Ltd
• Bristow
Helicopters Ltd
Your new best friend. (S-92) Photo Credit: J Fraser
• CHC Scotia Ltd
• Noordzee
Helikopters Vlaanderen N.V.
published a Civil Air Publication for SAR
LOT 3 (Lots 1 + 2)
helicopter operations (CAP 999). This
• Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd
specifically mentions mountain rescue
• Bristow Helicopters Ltd
teams as a group requiring training with SAR
• CHC Scotia Ltd
helicopters and lists a number of exemptions
• Lockheed Martin UK Integrated
to the normal rules of the air that are permitted
Systems Ltd
for SAR flying.
BIDDERS: WHO ARE THEY?
• BOND. BP’s SAR contractor. Scottish
Ambulance Service contractor.
Already well represented on the
ARCC state board. Now part of
World Helicopter Group with INEAR.
Eurocopter Super Puma fleet:
AS332L2 & EC225 including SAR.
Sixteen Sikorsky S-92 on order.
• BRISTOW. Owned by Bristow Group
Inc. (previously known as Offshore
Logistics). The BIG player, mainly
because of proven capability
through over 11500 SAR missions
and nearly 30 years of relationship
with the Coastguard. Recently
awarded the two northern bases
in the MCA’s Gap contract. Already
operating S-92, EC225 & AS332L2
including SAR.
• CHC. The current contractor at
the four MCA bases and recently
awarded the two southern bases
in the MCA’s Gap contract. Already
operating S-92, EC225 & AS332L2
including SAR.
• NHV. Belgian offshore, industrial
and HEMS (incl mountains of the
Operators must apply for an Air Operating
Certificate (AOC) before starting operations.
SAR operators will require an AOC for normal
flying and another for SAR flying. An AOC
application is a detailed submission that
includes training plans and operating manuals.
The operator must put all the operating
circumstances in the AOC application or they
cannot be approved. In the case of specialist
and expensive measures, the customer (DfT/
MCA) needs to put the correct operating
circumstances in the contract before an
operator is likely to put them in their AOC
application.
The CAA has made it clear that SAR operators
are permitted to do everything that is required
to do the job and enable them to provide the
same service as military flyers (dependent on a
correct AOC application!). Teams in the northwest will know that the MCA aircraft will not
do live stretcher winching during training. This
is a CAA restriction and it is the only one that I
have been able to identify during a number of
discussions with CAA inspectors.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
CONTRACT TIMELINE (at 5th March 2012):
14 June 2012 - Return of High Level
Proposals (Phase 1 Stage 2)
( TBC ) - Bidder presentations
24 July 2012 - Notify shortlisted bidders
27 July - 7 Sept 2012 - Dialogue meetings
(Phase 2 – Boot Camp)
17 Oct 2012 - Return of Revised Proposals
(Phase 3)
23 Nov 2012 - Issue Invitation to Submit
Final Tenders (ISFT)
14 Dec 2012 - Return of final tenders
(Phase 4)
11 March 2013 - Notification of intention
to award contract (Phase 5)
22 March 2013 - Sign contract
DISCUSSION
7
LAND SAR. In June 2001, the Maritime &
Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Ministry of
Defence (MoD) published a ‘Review of UK SAR
Helicopter Provision and Coverage Criteria
Report’ and in 2006 an update was published.
The 2006 update mentions the difficulty of
matching the MoD data with the MCA data.
It remains the case in spring 2012 that these
monthly data sources are not compatible.
In spite of this difficulty, it is clear that the
dominant task for the fleet as a whole is land
SAR.
BASE LOCATIONS are potentially the most
contentious matter of all. We have no idea
how many, if any, changes will occur. There
has already been considerable discussion
about alternatives to Prestwick, and Dyce may
replace Lossiemouth. The island bases could
move onto, or closer to, the mainland.
AIRCRAFT. We already know that the Sikorsky
S-92 and Eurocopter EC225 (Super Puma)
are leading contenders for Lot 1. The AW-101
(Merlin) is seen as too big and too expensive
and the NH-90 has no civilian accreditation.
Lot 2 is more difficult to predict, particularly
since a number of new aircraft in this class
have appeared on the market recently. The
current MCA aircraft in the south, the AW139,
may be a contender but recent newcomers
include the EC175 and AW189. Committing
to using new types for a contract with tight
availability requirements is a high-risk plan. An
option for bidders in Lot 3 is to equip all bases
with the same aircraft which allows greater
flexibility and reduced logistical costs.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
The S-61N or Sea King cannot meet the
performance specifications of the contract
and might not have sufficient safety margins
for the CAA to grant a SAR Air Operating
Certificate (AOC) in the future.
8
PILOTS from military SAR units, with
experience measured in decades, point out
that their less experienced military colleagues
may not push the boundaries in the way that
the ‘old sweats’ do and should not be expected
to do so. The same is true for contractors’ pilots
who will have a range of different experience
and are flying an aircraft with a short SAR
history. Military pilots, if given new aircraft
to replace the Sea King, would experience a
capability dip. By 2017, civilian SAR pilots will
have been flying S-92 up-close-and-personal
with Scottish mountains for 10 years. ‘There
are no old bold pilots.’
TRAINING for MRT features in both the
contract technical requirements and the
CAA’s CAP 999. The devil is in the detail,
and we need to keep pressing for good
workable training requirements that will be
deeply and permanently embedded in the
procedures. We should aim to engage not
only with regulators and the MCA but also
with incoming contractors to ensure that this
happens.
DOGS do not feature in any of the documents
published so far by the CAA or DfT. Taking
an animal on an aircraft requires controls.
The CAA has made it clear that dogs should
feature in the operating manual and thus
the AOC application. This is another area that
needs our continuing attention.
COMMS. The current S-92 spec does not enable
HF comms with ARCC or listening to multiple
marine VHF channels. Those facilities are likely
to be in the new specification. Unfortunately,
the communications specification is so
extensive that it is a potential source of project
delays or operational problems related to
Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC).
NIGHT VISION IMAGING SYSTEMS.
The 2001 provision and coverage report
records a night vision capability for all SAR
helicopter providers including the MCA
contractor (Bristow). CHC, the contractor on
the current 2007 contract, does not have NVG
because the DfT/MCA has not put a low light
requirement in the contract. The Gap contract,
awarded to Bristow and starting in 2013, is also
believed not to have a low light requirement in
the contract. The Main contract has a low light
requirement and NVG is the expected solution.
Although some suspect cost is the reason
for current lack of NVG in MCA contractors’
aircraft, laws on hazardous substances, waste
management and defence trade controls have
all been suggested as contributing factors.
CONCLUSION
This has the makings of a world-class service.
With a few tweaks here and there, it will be.
With 20 years experience of working with
civilian contractors’ aircraft and 5 years of
working with the S-92, teams in the northwest have an important contribution to make
to the development of this service as it rolls
out across the entire UK. Mountain rescue,
here and elsewhere in the UK, needs to open
new channels of communications to ensure
that the land SAR message is heard load
and clear, and that details vital to working in
mountainous terrain are not overlooked. Once
contracts are awarded, we need to work with
the contractors to help them prepare. The
more everyone involved takes an objective
and collaborative approach, the better the
service can become.
Experience with the S-92 identifies
downdraught as troublesome. This is a
function of weight, power and rotor blade
design. All modern helicopter types have
a more effective blade design and greater
engine power. These advances ensure the
performance levels that give us reliable
mountain flying and therefore greater safety
for our members and for rescued persons.
Downdraught is not going away, so both
aircrew and MR personnel need to adapt. We
need to make this happen collaboratively
rather than it being a source of conflict. I say
again, downdraught is not going away.
At CHC Ireland, from 2013, the four S-92 from
Sumburgh and Stornoway will enter service
with the coastguard thus achieving the full
complement of five aircraft. One aircraft will
operate at each of four bases and the fifth
aircraft will be a spare. We can expect a similar
approach to be used in the UK. Inevitably, this
will make Lot 3 of the contract cheaper than
Lot 1 and Lot 2 because in the latter case each
contractor would require spare aircraft.
SAR at Hammerfest in Norway. (EC225) Photo Credit: Eurocopter/Anthony Pecchi
Tweed Valley
Mountain Rescue
Team (TVMRT)
Exercise in Lake
District With
Cockermouth MRT.
Steve Penny. TVMRT Team Leader
Last year we welcomed a past member of the
Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team to join us in
TVMRT and this gave us an excuse (if one was ever
needed) for 12 of our members to spend a weekend
in the Lakes based at Cockermouth.
Many will remember the floods that struck
Cockermouth in 2009 (picture?). Markers showing
the levels reached are placed on various properties
along the high street and as we arrived in sweltering
27oC sunshine it was hard to believe that less than
three years previous the town had been a scene of
such a natural disaster.
We had been given permission to overnight at the
Cockermouth MRT base, which was opened in 2002
(picture). This is a fantastic facility on two levels with
garaging for three landrovers, kit rooms, workshops,
classroom, control room, kitchen, relatives room and
a two storey climbing wall with various platforms for
training on belay and stretcher lowers (pictures).
The first and second lowers included some sections
of vertical drops and thereafter the slopes eased
slightly (pictures). It was encouraging to see that the
methods and equipment used by both teams were
very closely matched and everyone ell comfortably
into setting up the systems.
In the evening, we met up with Cockermouth team
Chair, Steve Brailey, team leader Mike Park and
others. We enjoyed the food, beers and chat that
helped to prepare us for the joint exercise that was
planned for the Sunday morning.
We were up for an early start on Sunday as members
of CMRT started arriving at base from about 0730hrs.
After an initial briefing and demonstration of belay
set up and stretcher lowering on the climbing wall,
both teams headed again for Grasmoor where a
casualty had already been despatched to the higher
slopes.
The scenario was based on a walker who had fallen
while descending and was lying on one of the high
ledges. Two “fast response” runners from CMRT
… and our own racing snake, Pete ….. were sent
initially up the hill with a first aid pack. Their task
was to get to the casualty as quickly as possible
and stabilise as the rest of the team made their way
up with the stretcher and rope rescue kits. As they
sped off like mountain goats, we made our way up
the steeps slopes with bags of metalwork and rope
at a (slightly) slower pace. The teams were mixed
together and worked closely to start setting up the
various belay points required for the first, second
and third stretcher lowers (pictures).
It was not long before the casualty (a CMRT member
who must have drawn the short straw!) was
packaged ready to start the descent to the road far
below. The stretcher was lowered from belay point
to belay point until such a stage that it required only
a back rope to provide some security on the lower
grass and scree slopes (pictures). The casualty was
brought safely down to the roadside and the whole
exercise from start to finish was completed in two
and a half hours. With midday temperatures again
reaching 27oC everyone headed to a local pub
garden for the debrief!
This was an excellent weekend for reinforcing skills
and working with one of the Lakes teams. We are
very grateful to CMRT for their hospitality over the
weekend and their willingness to share their own
experiences and an excellent training exercise.
Thanks also must go to Ray Smith and Pete Hall of
TVMRT who organised the weekend.
All photographs Steve Penny.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN
MOUNTAIN RESCUE
RESCUE May
May 2012
2012
SCOTTISH
It was hard to get folk away from this building and
out onto the fells but soon enough we set out for
the slopes of Grasmoor. Our training officer, Ray
Smith, planned for us to work on team skills on steep
slopes, building on the MRCofS Rigging courses. We
have updated and refreshed all of our steep ground
kit to align with best practice as demonstrated on
these courses and have been working to bring the
skills of all our team members up to a common
minimum level.
The slopes of Grasmoor gave us plenty of scope to
work on our team skills and build confidence for
members who were not as used to working on
steep ground as others (pictures).
9
CORROUR,
COOKING
& CARN
DEARG with
Ochils MRT.
Andy Cloquet, Ochils MRT.
with
collapsing
snow holes one year,
but perhaps due a
wee shake-up.
So, this year I
continued the subtle
edging away from
our comfort circle & I
found my initial plan
of ‘doing something
out of the box’
for this winter’s
adventure training
a welcome idea by
Team members.
Smithy & Billy de-rig lower in the windscoop
Although
the
hugely
variable
early ‘12 weather pushed Micks’ first
ideas into touch, his considerable
personal experience, local contacts
and my sketchy training aims brought
us to Corrour station @ 2117 on a
bleak Friday with a scantily detailed
mock-callout brief which had arrived
De-brief map ready: Custard = cliffs, jelly babies
on our phones a few hours earlier.
= team members
SCOTTISH
SCOTTISHMOUNTAIN
MOUNTAINRESCUE
RESCUEMay
May2012
2012
Last year, as you might have read in
the MREW journal, our team’s winter
training included a wee bit of good ol’
guided mountaineering in The
Mamores and on The Ben. Nothing
10
This was to take us onto Meall Garbh’s
Easterly cliffs with the aim of assisting
‘a stranded and injured climber’:
however, of Vernon, the person who
‘alerted’ Police, there was no sign!
Bellhaven’s finest brew in Roy Bridge.
You’ll be familiar with night searches,
crag work & full-on snow and ice at
night so I won’t dally over the details.
Suffice, we located the ‘casualty’
who was mightily relieved to see our
lights but increasingly miffed that we
couldn’t find the ropes he was trying
to alert us to, which had supposedly
been left dangling from his stance by
his climbing partner Vernon.
There are no excuses for not working
out that there should have been insitu ropes used by Vernon to retreat
from the crag but had someone been
on the slopes opposite the crag, I think
the information being shouted by the
With our Team
Leader having to
recover his longgaraged VW
& regrettably
unavailable,
Mario and Gary
took duties at
the footplate
and we were
met off the last
train across the
moor, by Jon
who made a
Dave Leven, John Brannan & Neil check their nav
ferry-like job
of
shuttling
controversial here but a long way from bodies and kit around Loch
some of the more formalised training Ossian to the track head from
often described in these pages.
where shank’s pony took over on
The Team liked the end result as did the haul into the corrie.
I. My training skills and those of our
Guide were more suitably put to use Despite the unrelenting grind
than perhaps on previous trips where into the corrie & full-on winter
we often went through set-pieces with conditions, this night exercise was
more or less the same routine each a welcome alternative to the usual
year. It’s all been good training, even of being flushed through with Casualty prepared for tensioned traverse
casualty might just have been more
clear: for us, tucked away underneath
the cliff in a mighty wind only gave
us audible muffles – any excuse to
minimise the fault will do, eh?
Despite failing to access our now
hoarse casualty from below, Simon’s
mini-team’s efforts to access the
casualty’s stance from the side was
commendably necky.
A luxury sleep in the estate’s supremely
comfortable The Chapel & Corrie
Odhar accommodations by 0400 was
short-lived as training re-started with
a 1000hrs de-brief. Using food cartons
and jelly babies to model the incident
site and a personalised verbal lashing
for each of us was equal to the ferocity
of the coffee and in our fully awakened
state we then happily settled into a
navigation exercise before lunch!
For ‘afters’, we were
served a training feast
of
Stretcher
tie-ins,
Tyrollean
traverses,
knot tying, tensioning,
loading ‘n testing a semi
static rope to destruction
using a Freelander & a
prussik loop with nowt a
‘clanky’ gadget in sight!
Moving stretcher out onto rope
Out of the gloom and frustration of
not getting to the stranded climber
Vernon (aka – Mick, our Guide) had repositioned himself close to his ‘casualty’
and lowered him to the stretcher team
with the prospect of an early morning
bed instead of the his now familiar
ledge.
Muted comments about our night’s
efforts outstripped one of our former
Tighe-blasted escapades in which we
achieved the accolade, ‘Never in the
field of mountain rescue, have so many
done so little, so slowly!’
A tremendous venue, a superb menu
of training led by Mick Tighe of Nevis
Guides, a brace of Munros and stacks
of local History all under the gaze of
Lisbet Rausing’s modernist take of a
Scottish country estate house designed
by Moshe Safdie……..all for £80 per
person including £10 each for travel.
A massive dining table
soon became the social This type of training, in my view, is
hub of our gathering and the heartbeat of the most productive
as night
emerged
from the insidious cold
of the late afternoon,
our Team caterers,
Ben, Jon, Simon & Paul
set about preparing a
sumptuous 3 course
meal which included
venison from the estate,
only interrupted by
a mountaineering &
mrt quiz, a 9x Malt
Whisky tasting and
many recalled stories;
all in the name of team Mick ready for Sunday’s training
bonding......and
onto
Sunday which arrived far too quickly.
and successful form of training for MR
I worked with our hugely Teams and it should never be ditched.
enthusiastic Trainees with a Clearly, our specialist training events
simple plan to return to our have a place in our work but without
cars at Rannoch some 16K repeatedly revisiting our core skills
away, via Carn Dearg in the and ensuring our team workmanship
fairly limited vis. 2/3m and is firmly in place no Level ‘whatever’
biting SE winds.
course is going to fit the purpose
The
remaining
team of training and maintaining a
members formed small professionally prepared but voluntary
walking groups to follow mountain rescue service.
our tracks, first traversing
Sgor Gaibhre whilst our off- Links:
road driving team re-traced http://ochilsmrttraining.blogspot.
their 11k route out to the com/2012/02/corrour-cooking-carnLaggan road.
dearg.html
SCOTTISH
SCOTTISHMOUNTAIN
MOUNTAINRESCUE
RESCUEMay
May2012
2012
Stretcher on the move
Smithy hanging above a freezing dip!
11
HebSAR Host Foundation Rigging Course
The MRC of S Foundation Rigging course was hosted by HebSAR on the Isle of Lewis this weekend. Three of our national
trainers traveled to Stornoway to deliver the course. Shaun Roberts (Project Manager & Glenmore Lodge MRT), Jon Sanders
(Tayside MRT) and John Armstrong (Cairngorm & Glenmore Lodge MRT) endured the rolling seas of The Minch, arriving to a
warm welcome but feeling somewhat sick.
SCOTTISH
SCOTTISHMOUNTAIN
MOUNTAINRESCUE
RESCUEMay
May2012
2012
Foundation Course
The course kicked off on the Friday night, 10 HebSAR team members in attendance, with an overview of Foundation syllabus
and looking into gear ratings and safety factors. Saturday we looked at some basic knots, personal safety and in the afternoon
used a small local crag for abseiling and some basic rigging. A comprehensive stake/hedgehog session was included as it
12
was recognized as a potential key anchor system for the team and the day finished with operating Rescue 8′s, ID’s and a
human lower/haul system.
Level 1 Rigging Awareness
Given the time commitment for the trainers to get out to Stornoway it was previously agreed to have a weekend course
that covered the Foundation level but also engaged in some awareness of Level 1 Rigging. The windy and wet day started
with stretcher rigging and barrow boy systems whilst taking shelter around the coastguard station that was the course base.
Some indoor work around basic rigging systems and then off into the Atlantic gale to put the systems into practice.
Our thanks to HebSAR for their enthusiasm, hospitality and paying the additional costs of getting the trainers across, and to
the Coastguard station for providing a course venue.
SCOTTISH
SCOTTISHMOUNTAIN
MOUNTAINRESCUE
RESCUEMay
May2012
2012
13
The Recent North Sea Helicopter Ditching
by Jim Fraser and A N Other
Introduction
Previously, mountain rescue personnel have asked questions
about the safety of helicopters following incidents involving
North Sea service aircraft. It may seem to non-helicopter people that all major helicopter incidents are similar and why don’t
they sort them out. Always something called the MRGB or MGB
is involved. Here we try to provide some insight into what happened during the incident on the 10th May 2012.
Summary of the Incident
(Based on AAIB Special Bulletin S2/2012)
On Thursday 10th May 2012, the EC225 helicopter G-REDW was
on a scheduled flight from Aberdeen Airport to the Maersk Resilient platform, in the North Sea 150 nm east of Aberdeen. On
board were two flight crew and twelve passengers. The helicopter was in the cruise at 3,000 ft with the autopilot engaged and
at an approximate speed of 143 knots. 34 nm east of Aberdeen
Airport, the crew were presented, almost simultaneously, with
the multiple warnings. These included gearbox main oil system
pressure warning, gearbox standby oil system pressure warning, metal chip detection in gearbox and gearbox oil temperature warning.
The commander assumed control of the helicopter, reduced
speed towards 80 knots, turned back towards the coast and initiated a descent. The crew activated the emergency lubrication
system. During the descent, there was a warning of emergency
lubrication failure, for which the associated procedure is to land
immediately. The commander briefed the passengers and carried out a controlled ditching. The total flight time was 27 minutes.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
The helicopter remained upright, supported by the emergency
flotation gear. After shutting down the engines and stopping
the rotors, the crew and passengers evacuated the helicopter
into one of the life rafts via the starboard cabin door. Six of the
occupants were rescued from the life raft by a search and rescue
helicopter, eight were transferred to a RNLI lifeboat.
14
During the preliminary engineering investigation, the main
gearbox was drained and was found to contain about 14 litres of fluid, which was predominantly oil but with evidence
of some glycol. An initial visual inspection of the main gearbox
has identified a 360° circumferential crack on the bevel gear
vertical shaft, in the vicinity of the weld that joins the two sections. As a consequence of this failure, the main and standby oil
pump gears ceased to be driven. During this inspection it was
observed that the lower part of the vertical shaft was displaced
downward by 6 mm. Investigation and analysis continue.
MRGB
The MRGB is the Main Rotor Gear Box. The helicopter MRGB is
the pinnacle of gearbox design. It is important to realise the
central role that the MRGB plays in the design and operation of
every helicopter. It is completely fundamental. Every helicopter is an MRGB with some engines, rotors and essential services
such as lubrication pumps attached and somewhere for the
people to sit underneath. The main vertical shaft drives the
main rotors and without an MRGB there is no electrics, no hydraulics, no lift, no forward motion, nothing.
Because any MRGB is a complex collection of gears and shafts
under stress, a range of faults are possible. Some are easily
managed, but others require immediate and sometimes dramatic pilot response that can give a melodramatic but misleading impression.
Generally, every helicopter model is built around a unique
design of MRGB. Often, this design will be an evolution from
a previous model. Typically, the MRGB in the S-92 is based on
the one that has seen decades of service in the S-70 (Blackhawk
range). However, it may be based on it but it is not the same
since the power levels are higher for the newer and heavier
aircraft. Therefore, the MRGB for the S-92 is unique to the S-92.
The history of the Puma family is different again. The Puma was
the first successful French medium helicopter and has been
around since 1965. It has decades of service, over a thousand
aircraft, millions of flying hours (around half a million hours
by the RAF alone), and inevitably a few prangs, the majority of
which had nothing to do with the MRGB. Over those decades
there have been 3 major upgrades of the original Puma, including the Super Puma (named Tiger in Bristow use), the latest being the EC225. This 225 version is a major re-design, and also
distinguished by having a new rotorhead and 5 main blades
compared with 4 in earlier variants.
There has been wide publicity about the three recent accidents
involving a Super Puma and two EC225s operated by Bond. I
have looked at AAIB reports and found the following. One incident involved an optical illusion during an approach in difficult
conditions. The other two involve the MGB and apparently different faults at opposite ends of the mainshaft. Loss of oil pressure was a common factor but AAIB the reports suggest different causes. Loss of MRGB oil pressure is not in itself a major
emergency in many circumstances.
The illustration shows a simplified Puma MRGB diagram. The
recent incident involved failure of the bottom gear (pink) driving the oil pumps. The previous MRGB failure in 2009 (16 fatalities) involved the secondary epicyclic gear train at the top of
the main shaft (brown and yellow), causing the casing to fail
catastrophically and the main rotor to separate. The majority of
MRGB problems are not catastrophic in any sense, assuming the
pilot follows the appropriate drills.
No helicopter design is immune to MRGB faults and many do
not receive any publicity. Incidents with loss of MRGB oil pressure have also occurred with the S-92. In 2009, ‘Cougar 91’
crashed off Newfoundland with 1 survivor and 17 fatalities after
MRGB oil pressure failure during cruising at 9000 feet. My enquiries indicate that such a failure was not likely to provide sufficient time for a helicopter to descend from 9000 feet given the
standard of MRGB design in use at the time, and the associated
cockpit warnings available. This makes the immediate ditching
decision of the pilots during the recent EC225 incident all the
more commendable.
Helicopter MRGB design has become inherently safer over the decades and the regulatory authorities will not certify a new design to
fly unless key safety margins can be demonstrated. However, design perfection is impossible and human fallibility is also a fact of life.
In the final analysis, providing accurate warnings to the pilot will always be necessary for the right emergency actions to be taken. It is
better to have a short swim or a longer walk out on the very few occasions that this may prove necessary.
ALLAN FORBES AVIATION ART
AVIATION ART
Historic aeroplanes
in Oils, Watercolours,
Pastel or Pencil.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
www.allanforbes.co.uk
15
Police Reform
and
Mountain Rescue
Andrew Todd
ACPOS Mountain Rescue Manager
As we all know the creation of a single Police Service of Scotland will come about on 1 April 2013. This will be the
biggest change within Policing in Scotland, since the creation of the current Police Forces over 30 years ago. Our
structures and certain areas of our service delivery will inevitably change, and some areas of our partnerships
with others will also change. So how does the affect Mountain Rescue?
Firstly, I think it is important to emphasise the point which Deputy Chief Constable Andy Cowie made to team
leaders last year in Aberfeldy. “Mountain rescue isn’t broken”. All of us involved in the delivery of mountain rescue
are extremely committed to the roles and responsibilities we have, and we should all be rightly very proud of the
service which we provide to those in need of help. Given that mountain rescue isn’t broken, we need to be very
careful that the reform of the Scottish Police Service doesn’t introduce change which damages the successful way
in which we all deliver our respective roles.
So how are we going to manage this change? Well, as you can imagine reforming the entire Scottish Police Service
is a substantial undertaking, with some considerable risk to public safety if the Police don’t get this right. With
this in mind, the reform will be incremental. Not everything can, or will, happen on 1 April, which I trust provides
reassurance to team members that within mountain rescue we have no need to take risk by rushing proposals
for deep seated or dramatic reform. As a consequence, it is the strategy of the Police that for 1 April I approach
to mountain rescue will remain - as far as possible - similar to right now. However, to suggest that we can move
through the Police reform process without changing anything, is probably wishful thinking, to say the least. Some
change is clearly required, and I know from meeting and speaking with some Team Leaders - some change is
being looked for.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
As we progress through the Police Reform timetable it appears that we can begin to identify the main points
which I believe we require to develop to ensure we continue successfully on 1 April and beyond.
16
• Insurance. A single policy for Scotland, which is simple, clear and unambiguous - but provides the
correct level of cover for individuals volunteering on behalf of the Chief Constable, and training, is a basic
fundamental requirement. Be assured this will be delivered.
• Callout Protocols. Who is going to call the MRTs out? Will it remain the local police office for those teams that
currently have that? Possibly, but some teams don’t have that arrangement and are looking for something
better during callouts.
• Incident coordination. I’ve received a number of comments that a more skilled and consistent Police officer
would help when it comes to incident coordination. How do we deliver that and define their role?
• Command Protocols. Who in the Police is going to be in Command of an incident. Will it be a local Inspector,
an incident specialist, a senior officer in an incident control room? All of these models are currently followed
in Scotland. Who are you going to go to, within your area of Scotland, if there are local matters you need
discussed between incidents?
• Funding. There are different mechanism of support. Some teams receive direct cash funding, other receive
support in less direct ways.
• Statistics. Are we getting the right value from statistics, are they being gathered consistently and are the
Police taking the correct level of responsibility for recording the response to an activity which they have
responsibility for?
There are undoubtedly many other opportunities, and currently unforeseen matters, which none of us will wish
to ignore as we transition to 1 April 2013 and beyond. Whilst those that need to be resolved prior to 1 April 2013,
will be, that are others which can be deferred for yet to be defined longer term ambitions about where we might
be in 2, 3 or 5 years time. Look to Police reform as a two stage process. What do we need for 1 April and what do
we want to be later.
So how are we progressing? The Team Leaders meeting in April was a very valuable exercise and I’ve taken much
from that. There is regular and ongoing communication between the MRCofS chair and myself to ensure we
understand, indentify, and agree points to be progressed. With this information, my own carried knowledge of
nearly 20 years as a mountain rescue team member and leader, and my knowledge of Police structures and
command and control, I am currently in the process of defining exactly the tasks we need to progress. Once we
have that to hand we will then simply work through each one to an agreed end state. Some of these tasks will
need complete agreement and support of all teams, others might only need agreement from certain affected
teams, and others may only need an awareness as it won’t actually impact how you do your portion of the service
delivery.
Whilst this may seem a very simplistic overview and plan, experience informs me that simple is best.
Over the coming months you will all see and variously be involved in discussions around designing
solutions to the main points identified, not just the short list above, but others we’ve yet to identify
and agree.
These are positive times and an opportunity to move forward in some key areas, without jeopardising
what we do well. As ever, I am grateful to be contacted if any team, or any individual, has any thoughts,
concerns or ideas regarding Police Reform as it affects mountain rescue.
[email protected]
Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
Part of the commemorative celebrations related to the Queens Diamond
Jubilee is the awarding of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal to
current operational members of the statute and voluntary emergency
services with 5 years service at February 2012. Through the MRCof S 533
medals were awarded to members of Scottish Mountain Rescue Teams.
All teams were in receipt of their medals by the 11th of May, allowing
good time for all recipients to have received their decoration before
the official date for wearing the medal the 2nd June 2012 which is
the commencement of the four days of the Queens Diamond Jubilee
celebrations.
17
Climbing Myth Busting
George McEwan
George McEwan Head of
Mountaineering at Glenmore
Lodge National Outdoor Training
Centre and Technical Officer for
The Association of Mountaineering
Instructors. George is also a
member of Glenmore Lodge MRT.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
I
18
ntroduction
I’m sure we have all faced the situation as Instructors
where someone has asked a question about a
particular technique, use of a piece of equipment
or an appropriate course of action to deal with a
mountaineering situation. As Instructors I’d say we are
all pretty good at giving the appropriate answer based
on our experience, technical ability and judgment.
However it’s often the case that myths, handed down
through generation of gnarled outdoor professional
to outdoor professional, seem to be exempt from this
process. Often they are a short hand way of giving an
easy answer for those less experienced to apply a quick
fix – ‘Rules of Thumb’ – to what may in reality have a
variety of different responses any of which depending
on the actual situation may be appropriate. It is here
that myths are born. So in this article I’m going to
highlight a few of these Rules of Thumb which, arguably,
have become myths, and see if they are workable and
based on a reality, or whether they truly are myths.
Now I’m not suggesting my answers or challenges to
these myths are the ‘one and true way’ but I do hope
to encourage us as Instructors to perhaps think a bit
beyond the implications of our Rules of Thumb.
I’ve highlighted three of the most common climbing
myths that I’ve come across, their (possible) reasons
for being used and why I think (my opinion!) as to why
they are myths. Oh and by the way it’s meant to be
contentious – so if you feel suitably outraged feel free
to write to the Editor.
N
ever clip metal to metal
This phrase is often used when someone goes
to clip a karabiner to a karabiner. It’s usually preceded
by a sucking of teeth noise and accompanied by a
horrified look indicating surprise that anyone could be
so reckless. So where does this come from? I’ve often
heard it used when there is the possibility of the clipped
together karabiners being dynamically loaded - such
as would happen in a climbing fall. Where this would
be an issue is if you were to clip one snap gate krab to
another snap gate krab e.g. one quick draw to another.
In this situation if the krabs were shock loaded there is
the possibility of the krabs twisting against each other
and cross loading each other. In such a situation the
krabs could fail at the low load of 7Kn rather than it’s
stated full load (typically around 22 to 23Kn). So in that
case it has a ring of truth.
However there are many situations in climbing and
mountaineering where we habitually clip metal to
metal with complete disregard to the ‘metal on metal’
mantra e.g. clipping a krab into a wire; clipping a krab
into a bolt eye; clipping a peg; clipping an ice screw.
Well you get my drift. So as a Rule of Thumb I would
suggest it’s very misleading.
So should we clip krabs to krabs? Generally speaking I’m
sure we would all agree that clipping a krab to a krab in
a potential shock load situation is not a good thing to
do for the reasons I outlined above. But what about in a
static load situation? For example when clipping say a
cows tail into a done up screw gate krab that’s clipped
into the central point of an equalized sling?
As long as the cows tail is tight between the climber
who it is attached to, and the anchor point - tight
enough that there is no chance of any major shock
loading - then I would say it’s OK. A better course of
action would be to clip the screw gate krab straight
into the power point of the sling. So I would suggest
that ‘never clip metal to metal’ is guff. We pretty much
do it all the time. If you want a rule of thumb I’d suggest
‘never clip a snap link krab to a snap link krab in a
potential shock loading situation’.
Although using thinner diameter ropes means the
instructor towing less weight behind them on climbs,
you have to balance out that weight saving with the
ability of your clients to hold a potential fall. Thinner
ropes require attention to the relative diameters of rope
and belay plate slots. There will come a point, especially
if you choose to use half ropes where both ropes have
to be inserted into an appropriate belay device if the
second is to have any chance of holding a leader fall.
Then the issue comes down to how competent your
client or clients are at belaying two ropes through a
single plate. If both are novice clients then such a task
might be awkward or challenging for them.
Thinner ropes generally mean more stretch - this can
be exciting for your seconding clients if one of them
falls off and that individual gets to experientially
discover what is meant by ‘rope elongation’. In saying
that careful rope management e.g. keeping the ropes
very tight can help mitigate how much stretch occurs
should one or other fall off.
However in practice there are a few issues to consider.
Choosing a rope that has superior abrasion resistance
C
lients should never second on a single half rope
This is not nearly as popular as our first example
but still you hear it being said – again cue sucking of
teeth and surprised but disbelieving look. So what’s
the basis for this one? Well having seconds follow
their instructor up on a single half rope when using
parallel rope techniques has always provoked a lot of
discussion. Like all these things individual instructors
tended to make their own call on a situational basis as
to when this type of use was appropriate. Hence some
thought it was OK, whilst others took the view that it
should never be used.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
So what do the manufacturers say? Well it’s been this
way for a long time (I first wrote about this issue back in
1997) but the three main manufacturers (Edelrid, Beal
and Mammut) I checked out all had a statement in their
description of rope use suggesting that such use was
possible i.e. their rope product use instructions for ½
ropes states that it is OK to bring up two seconds each
tied into one strand of a double rope.
One of the issues that crops up as an argument against
using half ropes with clients is the risk of ropes being
cut – although it should be borne in mind that any rope,
single or half, can potentially be cut. I would suggest
that some of the factors you might have to consider
regarding this risk include the following:
• How likely is this to happen, and if it does what are
the consequences?
If there is a risk of a stone fall (go to any crag, cliff, or
mountain and you must have a stone fall risk, either
natural or climber triggered), it probably does raise the
issue would you want to be climbing in such a place?
• How great is the risk?
Low or high risk? Do you then balance that out against
the advantages that using half ropes give you - such as
speed of movement, ease of climbing for the leader etc.
What about the second putting their ice tool through
their rope?
• Is the rope liable to run over an edge?
In many cases this can either be avoided, or the risk
lessened, by good rope work, but some rock types are
more prone to nasty, sharp wee edges.
19
or is edge tested (Edelrid for example market their ropes
on their resistance to being cut when loaded over an
edge – see www.edelrid.de ) might help mitigate any
such fears of ropes being cut or damaged.
Pit Schubert has an article on the UIAA website where
he describes the adventure two of his friends had
when one of their ‘twin’ ropes was partially cut by
some stonefall high on an alpine rock climb. When he
recreated the situation, by cutting a twin rope 1/3 of
the way through, he found that it still managed to hold
8 falls!
I think on balance (and taking into account the points
raised above) the decision about whether to have your
clients second on half ropes or single ropes hinges more
on the actual aims of the climbing (broadly speaking
Coaching Vs Guiding) and each individual client’s
belay skills and experience. Skinnier ropes potentially
make holding any leader fall more problematic - unless
both ropes are inserted into a single belay plate, in
which case the belay skills of the belayer are the main
consideration. Like all these things it comes down to
the instructor making an appropriate judgment based
on the prevailing and unique situation. So this one is a
myth – from the manufacturer’s perspective it’s OK to
have your clients second on one half rope – just keep
the rope tight!
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
B
20
owlines are dangerous.
Well if you teach people to use a bowline you are
just a step away from drowning kittens for fun? Why
are they dangerous? Well first off any knot if not tied
properly is potentially dangerous. So where has this
assertion that bowlines are dangerous come from?
Well bowlines can come work themselves loose and
become undone. In one scenario recounted to me
the knot had been tied in a stiff new half rope and the
stopper knot was half a double fishermans. The stopper
came undone, the bowline loosened off and the brand
new half rope now that it was untied just dribbled of
the climbers harness. I suspect that this was mildly
exciting when it happened.
I’ve noticed myself that a half double fishermans used
as the stopper knot on a bowline is prone to coming
undone. At that point it is easy enough for the bowline
to undo itself or, potentially, if the bowline is subject to
a large impact force with no stopper knot in place to
catastrophically come undone. So there is a very real
chance of a stopper knot tied in this fashion coming
undone. A bowline without it’s stopper can fail when
dynamically loaded. In saying that there are other
stopper knots you can tie (I use a triple fishermans) that
are less prone to coming undone.
Tying a bowline in a climbing rope weakens it by
approximately 37% compared to a Figure of Eight
which will weaken the rope by around 30%. So even
although both knots weaken the rope they both do so
by a similar amount. In reality even in a Fall Factor 2 we
will not generate enough load to have a bowline knot
fail. Generally if ropes fail they do so by cutting, usually
over a rock edge.
So there is some truth to bowlines are dangerous but
only if you don’t take care to tie a stopper knot that can
easily undo. If you tie a stopper knot that is less prone
to coming undone then I think the bowline is as safe or
unsafe as any other climbing knot out there. So less a
myth this one as there is some fact to underpin it – but
I think if proper use is made of the bowline then it’s a
very useful and safe knot to use.
So there you have it - three climbing myths. You can
clip metal to metal, we do it all the time in climbing.
However in the context of clipping a karabiner to
karabiner then yeah best take care. Static loads are OK
but in the situation where shock loading may occur
then it’s best avoided, especially if clipping a snap link
to snap link. You can have your seconds follow you up
a climb each tied into a half rope. Rope manufacturers
state in their instructions that it is OK to do so - just
mind that if your second or seconds fall off then there
is a lot of stretch in that single half rope. And as for
bowlines being dangerous, well they are no more or
less dangerous than any other climbing knot out there
– if you tie them properly and use a stopper knot that
is not prone to coming undone. Enjoy your summer
climbing!
SPOT Messenger Rescue?
About four o’clock in the afternoon of Thursday 16 February
2012 Grampian Police Control Room received a call from a
concerned spouse. She had been tracking her husband’s
progress on her iPad via his SPOT Messenger, and was now
very worried as he had not moved from his location at the foot
of some crags in the vicinity of Loch Etchachan (NO 006 991)
for more than three hours.
Meanwhile, members of the Braemar MRT were just returning
to base after another, sadly fruitless, two day search in and
around the Lairig Ghru for Grant Cunliffe. The now very
familiar trudge from Derry Lodge to Corrour via Robber’s
Copse and back had required a modicum more willpower
than was usual it had been Donald’s fortieth the night before
but was helped by the rapidly clearing clag, which rewarded
us with remarkably good panoramas from the top of The
Devil’s Point and Carn a’ Mhaim.
As the weather was fine, there was no known medical
condition, and he was not actually overdue Kenny raised the
possibility of an IT fault or a dropped device, however, the
informant pressed for a MR response. She was clearly of a mind
that her husband was injured or incapacitated at the foot of a
cliff face. A Landrover with two team members was sent to
Derry Lodge. ARCC were given a ‘heads up’ and Helicopter 137,
which was training in Cairngorms, was re-designated Rescue
137 and tasked with searching the location given. A wee
while later the hasty team in Glen Derry met a rather surprised
A few weeks later a follow-up call was made to the informant
and a full explanation of what had actually occurred was arrived
at. Prior to his trip up north from Cumbria the informant’s
husband had quite sensibly replaced the batteries in his Spot
Messenger, unfortunately, he had forgotten to switch it off
meaning the batteries were dangerously low when he began
his walk to Ben Macdui. When the batteries ran too low to
update his location the software reverted to showing his last
known location (NO 006 991). The informant then mistook her
iPad’s screen refreshing every ten minutes to be the software
updating his location. Finally, to make a perfect storm, he is
red/green colour blind and could not distinguish between the
green LED for good charge and the red LED for low charge.
Like many items of new technology Spot Messengers,
Personal Locator Beacons, and kindred devices are excellent
pieces of kit, but must be used properly and fully understood
by their operators to be truly useful. It is also worth noting that
at no time was the subject below the crags at Corrie Sputan
Dearg at the grid reference given but had walked down the
path about a half kilometer north of that location. With the
experience and knowledge gained from this incident our
Rescue Co-ordinators will be able to question informants more
robustly regarding the functionality and their understanding
of how their device works, which will hopefully mitigate
against such unnecessary calls in the future. The challenges
and opportunities associated with these devices, much like
the advent and hand-held GPS, will be learning process for
us all. However, sharing information regarding our successes
and failures will enable us to adapt to the new environment
all the quicker.
Braemar MRT Contact
Malcolm MacIntyre Team Secretary: malcolmmacintyre@mac.
com
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
As we came in through the door, on our return to the rescue
centre, we could hear the phone ringing and Kenny, with
his trademark boundless-enthusiasm, shot through to the
office to take the call. After getting the initial update he
contacted the concerned spouse who told him her fifty yearold, experienced, mountaineer husband was dropped off at
Linn of Dee that morning, intending to walk alone up the
Sron Riach to Ben Macdui and return via Glen Derry. (She
was due to collect him at half past six that evening.) He was
carrying a Spot Messenger set to transmit his location every
ten minutes, which she was monitoring with a mapping
programme on her iPad. To add to her obvious concern her
husband had configured his Spot Messenger to bleep every
forty-five minutes to remind him to send a canned ‘everything
fine’ message: she had not received any of these for over two
hours.
and bemused subject walking-off, and blissfully unaware that
he was a missing man. He still had his Spot Messenger, which
was apparently working normally, and checks, carried out
on his arrival back a the rescue centre, suggested the device
appeared to be working properly. However, the battery did
go dead later that evening. Following a hot-debrief, or more
accurately a tepid-debrief, over a cup of tea and a fine piece
or two the husband undertook to consult the manufacturer
regarding what appeared to be a technical issue.
21
Pete Coulson, TVMRT
As part of our links with Kopavogur Search and Rescue
Team in Iceland, 5 of Tweed valley Mountain Rescue Team
members visited Iceland at Easter for a week to experience
the country and learn about their team. This trip was made
possible thanks to twining between Kopavogur Search and
Rescue Team and the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team
who got together when celebrating their 40th anniversaries
several years ago. Regular exchange visits are now used as
a way of sharing ideas and best practice between teams.
Every Easter the Kopavogur team takes part in a 3 day trip
to test and utilise their equipment in the very dynamic
Icelandic back-country. This year they planned a multi day
trip over the Myrsdaljokull ice cap visiting a mountain hut
and testing vehicles and equipment to the limits along the
way. We were lucky enough to be invited along on this trip.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
Ragna and Valli from the Kopavogur team who had visited
TVMRT last year organised our visit and we were incredibly
well looked after in the homes of team members. Our first
day was a whistle-stop tour around the capital Reykjavik
including visits to ICE-SAR (Icelandic Association for Search
and Rescue), the Icelandic emergency control centre and
the Coastgaurd base where we were given a personal tour
of their $25m search plane (paid for before the financial
problems!). Like Scotland the team is made up of volunteers
but they are also integral to Iceland’s civil response and
22
can be tasked with all sorts of civil contingency as well as
mountain rescue. They play an important role in volcanic
emergencies, floods and earthquakes as well as providing
an inshore boat rescue service.
Day 2 and our trip started. The team use an inacredible array
of equipment including 2 Land Cruisers with 42” wheels, 2
snow cats and 5 skidoos and the whole lot is carried to the
start point by a caravan of trucks. The Myrsdaljokull ice cap is
in the south of the island and will be remembered by many
as the source of the air traffic problems a couple of years
ago when the Eyjafjallajokull (no we still can’t pronounce
it either!) volcano erupted. The ice cap is accessed from the
coast up a dirt track before becoming snow and ice and
rising to a height of 1400m over the top of the still active
Mount Katla. The weather is claggy and warm with zero
visibility and we could easily have been on the Cairngorm
plateau on a “typical” Scottish mountain day. We arrive at the
hut in the evening
where the skiddoo
team
are
brave
enough to allow the
TVMRT members a
go on their precious
machines.
The next day is
an overland trip
travelling
across
30km of central
Iceland and pushing
their vehicles to
the limits. Up steep
slopes,
through
rivers, over snow
.....Take 2
bridges. In a rough count the vehicles were bogged down
on at least 20 occasions. This does not seem to phase them
though, in fact once the drivers realise they are bogged
down a little smile appears! This is the fun bit for them.
The end point was a gorgeous hot pool where everyone
could relax in the perfect temperatures looking out over
a snow covered landscape. Not only was this a wonderful
experience but it gave us a taste of the Icelanders passion
for their “hot pots” which are an integral part of their way
of life.
Day 4 sees us heading back over the icecap and includes a
visit to the crater of the Fimmvorouhals volcano where the
ground is still hot to the touch and the air steams. Our bags
with twin 250hp engines and a top speed of 45knots. The
day ends with a get together of many of the team and the
families who have been hosting us. A BBQ on the balcony,
which seems to be an Icelandic pass time even in the winter
and just as we are going to bed a phone call - “the northern
lights are out”. We scramble for a dark spot to witness a
fitting end to our incredible trip.
filled with warm rocks we head down to the lowlands and a
stay in one of the many summer houses that every family in
Iceland retires to for their vacation.
The final day in Reykjavik gives us a chance to see the
Nautical side of the Kopavogur team and we experience an
exciting ride in their 10m RIB. This is the local search and
rescue boat for Reykjavik and functions in a similar way
to the RNLI in the UK. Their boat is particularly impressive
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
The last day of travel brings a visit to one of the many
glaciers that stretch down towards Iceland’s coast. Our
guides take us up on to the snout of the Solheimajokull
where we practice some crampon work on “real” ice as well
as ice climbing out of a crevasse. Its a picturesque day with
visits to some outstanding waterfalls including one that
you can stand behind as it thunders down.
The Icelanders are a generous, determined and patient
people and share many similarities with the Scots. In our
experience they have a similar sense of humour, a strong
sense of community and a fascination with the weather
- which is not dissimilar to Scotland! Our thanks to the
wonderful hosts and the friendliness that we were shown
throughout. We look forward to the next exchange when
members of the Kopavogur team will visit the Borders in
2013.
23
Force Excellence Award
Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team (along with Borders Search
and Rescue Unit and the Borders Underwater Search Team) was
nominated by officers in G-Division, Lothian & Borders Police, for
a Force Excellence Award 2011 in the category of Valued Service
The Force Excellence Awards recognise special achievements
within L&B Police and the Awards Ceremony was held in Force
Headquarters, Edinburgh on 25th April, hosted by Chief Constable
David Strang.
Mountain Rescue Team please log onto www.tweedvalleymrt.org.
uk
Further Information:
For further information regarding this press release please contact:
Dave Wright, Team Press Officer by email or call 07967 208 029
[email protected]
The team was honoured to be recognised with an award in the
category of Valued Service and even more honoured that the
three rescues teams together were awarded overall “winner” in the
category.
Steve Penny, Team Leader TVMRT said, “We are grateful to L&B Police
and the Chief Constable for recognising the work of the volunteers
in the teams in the Borders. We have been actively assisting the
police and supporting the communities in the Lothians and the
Borders for just under 50 years (50th Anniversary in 2013) and
we look forward to continuing that support and the excellent
relationships with the police as we move forward”.
Editors Notes
TVMRT: Tweed Valley MRT have 40 team members who are unpaid
but very highly trained volunteers, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year to render assistance to lost or injured people in mountainous
or remote areas. To date the Team have responded to 11 incidents
in 2012 included the high profile rescue of a missing person who
had been overcome by carbon monoxide poising in his tent. For
more information or to find out how you can support Tweed Valley
From Left, Stuart Fuller-Shapcott (BSARU), David Fuller-Shapcott
(BUWST) Rhona Morrison (TVMRT) Steve Penny (TVMRT) and Brian
Tyson (BSARU)
Garden Open Day
Donation
Malvina Dwyer
Quarrybank Cottage,
Falkirk Road,
Avon Bridge,
Falkirk.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
Tel 01324 861337
24
Proceeds to:
50 % MRCof S
50 % Disabled Children
The Garden has been:
• Published in ‘Gardens of Scotland’ by Ken Cox.
• 1st Overall four times in the last five years in the Falkirk
and District Garden Competition.
• Featured in the BBC TV Beechgrove Garden.
• Consists of ¾ acre terraced, formal, informal
woodland and wild.
Supported by
the Order of
St.John
St. John Car Sticker
A car sticker design has now been produced by St.John with the logos of both St. John and
Mountain Rescue Scotland. (Below) It is with a printer now for production and it is hoped
this will be to the mutual benefit of both our organisations.
Supporting Scottish
Mountain Rescue
stjohnscotland.org.uk 0131 556 8711
Outdoor Pursuits Show
Unjustifiable Risk - The Story of British Climbing
Simon Thompson
Cicerone
Unjustifiable Risk is more
than just a historical scan
of the achievements of
mountaineers. It outlines
the
socio-historical,
economic and cultural
background
conditions
that have shaped the sport.
Simon Thompson presents
a reflection of how the
wider social changes that
have occurred in British
society; class, gender,
nationalism, war, etc. have
impacted on the climbing
community. This wellcrafted chronicle is a very rewarding and informative
read.
Simon Thompson started climbing at the age of 16 and
has been fascinated by the sport ever since. A former
director of Anglo American and chairman of Tarmac,
he has lived in seven different countries and currently
sits on the boards of companies headquartered in
Sweden, the UK and the US, but he continues to
escape to the mountains whenever time permits.
SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE May 2012
The Outdoor Pursuits show (21-22 April) held in the
prestigious venue of Ingleston Showground main hall
attracts a very wide range of outdoor enthusiasts from
the casual visitor to the serious expeditionary. Hosting
not only a wide range of outdoor activity related stands
the Show also features displays of hands on displays and
presentations all of which are included in the exhibition
ticket. An invitation to the MRCof S to exhibit free of
charge together with the opportunity to present one
of the daily half hour talks at the Show was accepted
by the Committee, the option of a corner stand being
beneficial to the frontage of the stand. 2012 being the
second year of the event the show attracted a considerable
increase in numbers from the previous year the MRCof S
stand benefiting from this increase with a steady stream
of interested members of the public taking time to chat
and discuss their “hill activity” plans and avail themselves
of the selection of information and instructional leaflets
freely available. In addition a number of queries re making
donations and leaving legacies to MR were discussed - so
all in all a most worthwhile two days of excellent PR,
and grateful thanks are extended to the organisers for the
opportunity to present the Mountain Rescue service to the
wider public.
GFM4/Rev14
25
A LIGHT FOR EVERY NEED
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