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.

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

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

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

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

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

During the weekend of 17th & 18th March, CVSRT provided assistance to our emergency services:

Saturday 17th March
12:58
CVSRT were alerted to an incident involving a hypothermic mountain biker at Warland Reservoir who required assistance. The rider had managed to find shelter but was unable to continue with his ride. Five members were deployed to locate the rider, provide casualty care and transfer him to a place of safety.

During the day, weather warnings had been issued for the region and by early evening the wintery conditions began to take hold so CVSRT was placed on stand-by to assist the emergency services if required.

20:40
CVSRT received a request from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to assist with the evacuation of a casualty who was suffering with chest pain. Ten team members were deployed to the scene to help the crew to transfer the casualty to the ambulance.

Due to the worsening weather conditions, CVSRT members continued to provide emergency assistance throughout the night. Here’s a brief summary:

23:55
CVSRT called to assist YAS with the evacuation of an 80yo female from an address in Halifax.

Sunday 18th March
00:12
Team members were alerted to an incident at Dean Clough, Halifax where a 64yo male had fallen and sustained facial injuries. CM3 was deployed to find the casualty and transport him to A&E.

01:33
CVSRT received a request form YAS to assist with a 77yo male who was having breathing difficulties. Within 15mins the team were on-scene and evacuated the casualty to the ambulance. By 03:00 the team returned to the Rescue Post to wait for the next tasking.

07:03
CVSRT received a request from Oldham Mountain Rescue Team to assist with an incident involving a coach with 18 passengers on board that was stranded on Blackstone Edge Road.

11:00
CM3 assisted a motorist who had become stuck in the wintery conditions near Scammonden.

11;52
CVSRT called to assist YAS with the evacuation of a casualty from an inaccessible residential property. Ambulance crew actually managed to evacuate the casualty themselves, however team vehicles remained close by whilst the ambulance had returned to the main road.

17:15
CVSRT received a request for assistance from YAS with the evacuation of a young female who required urgent medical assistance from an isolated location near Hardcastle Crags. Due to the remote location and the urgency, CVSRT requested the assistance of the HM Coastguard from Humberside (Rescue 912).

Once the casualty was packaged and loaded onto the helicopter, she was airlifted to Saville Park, Halifax and handed over to the ambulance crew for onward journey to Calderdale Royal Hospital.

19:30
Whilst dealing with previous incident, it became apparent that several vehicles were stuck in the snow with stranded passengers on the A6033. CVSRT members proceeded to move the occupants to a place of safety or turned vehicles around and directed them back down towards Hebden Bridge.

Saturday 26th December 2015 (Boxing Day), 09:20am

CVSRT received an urgent request from West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and West Yorkshire Police for immediate assistance with the widespread severe flooding along the River Calder and throughout the Calder Valley.

What followed over the next 24 hours, (and continues to reek havoc) is well documented in the press and across all the social media channels.  There is very little more we can say to describe the utter devastation that has ruined so many homes and lives.

CVSRT Swiftwater Rescue Technicians (SRTs) were tasked to assist with numerous rescues throughout the valley based on medical priority, including checking the welfare of several elderly and ‘at risk’ members of the community, and also the evacuation of medical emergencies including the evacuation of an elderly gentleman suffering from chest pains via HM Coastguard helicopter (SAR-H).

In early December, our SRTs helped fellow rescuers in Cumbria with their floods.  Yesterday our local emergency services battled tirelessly to assist those in need in Calderdale.  Today the clean up began throughout the valley. Tomorrow, CVSRT will deploy several SRTs to assist within another surge expected in York whilst the remaining CVSRT members remain on stand-by to assist the other emergency services. 

The scale of the destruction is vast, swift and heartbreaking, and as members of the community, we feel the extreme sadness too.

Please pull together at this horrendous time and help each other as members of your community. 

Community Foundation for Calderdale have launched the ‘Calderdale Flood Relief Appeal’ to raise funds to support people within the valley whose lives have been affected by the floods.

Please dig deep and support if you can: https://localgiving.com/appeal/Flooding

Photograph by Dave Whitehouses, Mytholmroyd.  

In this issue:

• Callout Reports (Feb – Aug 2015)
• Fundraising News and Donations
• Public Events, Visits and Presentations
• Sainsbury’s Charity of the Year
• HM Coastguard Helicopter Training
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance Training
• Croagh Patrick Reek Sunday Pilgrimage
• Hot Air Balloon Crash Scenario
• Our 50th Anniversary Celebration Plans
• Aim Higher Stoodley Pike Challenge
• Probationary Training
• How to support the team

Click to view: CVSRT NEWSLETTER

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