Mountain rescue teams the busiest in Ireland
WICKLOW CREWS BOTH CALLED OUT 66 TIMES IN 2016
WICKLOW’S two mountain rescue teams were the most called out services in the country last year according to figures released by Mountain Rescue Ireland.
The Mountain Rescue Ireland Annual Report 2016 reveals that, with 66 call-outs each, the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team and Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team (DWMRT) were the busiest in the country in the past year. Mayo Mountain Rescue Team were the next busiest with 52 call-outs, while the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team had 44 shouts and the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team responded to 41 calls for help.
In fact, the report highlights that 2016 was another busy year for the 384 volunteers that make up the 12 mountain rescue teams in Ireland, as they responded to 405 call-outs as a result of over 300 separate incidents. More than half of these incidents required helicopter assistance.
The report references some of the training carried out by both Co Wicklow rescue teams last year, including joint training days, excercises with a Swiftwater Technician Panel and talks with An Garda Siochana about important topics such as crime scene awareness.
In the past year, the Glen Team opened a second base at the old Donard Garda Station, which has provided them with a dedicated base when dealing with callouts in that area. The team also noted that Glendalough is the busiest area for rescue call-outs.
Fundraising, for both teams, is a key consideration each year. The DWMRT has three main fundraisers – the Art O’Neill Challenge in January, Walk the Line in March and Run the Line in November – while the chief fundraiser for the Glen Team is the Moonlight Challenge.
Last year, the Glen Team adopted a constitution for Friends of the Glen (FOG) so that FOG members can assist them in fundraising matters.
In 2016, the DWMRT expanded their experience of technology when they carried out their first training sessions with drones and the teams acknowledges the potention of this technology in assisting them to search large areas and deploy team members on the ground more efficiently.
Both teams enjoy good working relationships with An Garda Siochana, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wicklow County Council, the Defence Forces, Air Corps and Coast Guard, all of which they work hand-in-hand with on a regular basis.
In its round-up of the past year featured in the report, the Search and Rescue Dog Asso- ciation thanked all the farmers who let the group use their land and work around their stock and gave particular mention to Sean Nolan in Co Wicklow.
Nationally, the highest frequency of incidents occurred in the summer months, according to the Mountain Rescue Ireland report. The highest number of incidents were reported in August (52), followed by July (50), May (46), September (39) and June (36). By far, Sunday was the busiest day for incidents, followed closely by Saturday.