Rescue team assist nurses

4x4 helps NHS staff get to patients

Volunteers from Ochils Mountain Rescue Team (Ochils MRT) were on hand to help nurses reach their patients during last week’s heavy snowfall.

A crew from the team, based at Fishcross, were mobilised to assist critical care nurses in accessing their patients across the NHS Forth Valley area.

The two-man crew used their Land Rover 4x4 vehicle to help the nurses negotiate treacherous routes and reach areas that regular vehicles struggled to get to on Friday evening.

Ochils MRT leader Kevin Mitchell said: “We are part of the Forth Valley Voluntary Sector Local Resilience Partnership. We received a request from the central control to assist NHS Forth Valley and our team worked alongside colleagues at International Rescue Corps at Grangemouth and Lothian 4x4 Response who also assisted with 4x4 vehicles and trained drivers.

“The critical care nurses were going out to care for patients across the whole of Stirlingshire. These included nurses who are required to stay with patients overnight and our team agreed to drop them off and pick them up again the following morning.

“There were some areas they couldn’t get to, even by car. But we had the vehicles that could cope with the conditions and we were able to assist.

“Our volunteers are embedded in the communities they serve and this allows us to respond quickly and provide support at times of need. We wish the nurses well in their vital work and applaud all the volunteers who are supporting them.”

NHS Forth Valley’s director of public health and strategic planning, Dr Graham Foster, welcomed the help from the volunteers over the winter period.

Dr Foster said: “We’re very grateful for the support and assistance we have received from a number of voluntary organisations over the last few weeks, including the Ochils Mountain Rescue Team, Trossachs Search and Rescue Team and the International Rescue Corps based in Grangemouth.”

Temperatures on Friday night plunged to as low as –9 Celsius, causing underfoot conditions to become increasingly more treacherous.

Elsewhere, the Lomond Mountain Rescue Team had a busy weekend due to the adverse weather.

Volunteers from the group were called out on Sunday afternoon following reports that hillwalkers were lost in heavy snow at Ben Lomond. Rescue crews discovered the walkers on the Ptarmigan Ridge and both were safe and well.

Returning from the rescue, the crew were then called upon to help stranded vehicles at Rowardennan.

The mountain rescue team were assisted by police. Kevin Mitchell, also vice–chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue said: “It was a busy week for the teams.”