Mountain rescue teams tasked to 16th callout of year

A BUSY start to 2019 continues for the county’s two mountain rescue teams as they responded to their 16th call-out of the year on Saturday.

Around 10.35 a.m. on Saturday, February 23, both the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team and the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team were tasked by An Garda Síochána to assist a walker near Djouce mountain who had become disorientated in poor visibility. The walker made the correct decision to call for help and mountain rescue personnel located them using Sarloc technology before sending a hill party to rendezvous with them at an agreed location.

The walker was then accompanied off the hill and transported to safety in a mountain rescue vehicle. The incident was stood down at 12.35 p.m. Mountain Rescue would like to thank all agencies involved.

At around 2.25 p.m. the previous day (Friday, February 22), both teams were alerted by the National Ambulance Service to an incident on Tibradden Mountain. Mountain rescue personnel responded and assisted an ambulance crew that was treating a walker who fell and sustained a suspected forearm fracture. The patient was assisted to a mountain rescue vehicle and trans- ported to a waiting ambulance. The incident was stood down at 3.18 p.m.

Earlier in the month, the teams responded to two incidents in two days at Glendalough.

On Saturday, February 9, both crews were contacted by the gardaí at 4.34 p.m. and made aware of a walker who had fallen and sustained a lower leg injury while descending from the Spinc to the Glenealo Valley. Mountain rescue personnel assessed and treated the walker’s injuries, before packaging them into a stretcher and carrying them from the hill to a waiting ambulance. The incident was stood down at 7.27 p.m.

Both teams were back the following day (Sunday, February 10) after being tasked by the gardaí at 6,23 p.m. to assist a group of four walkers who had become disorientated in poor weather while descending into Glendalough.

The group found their way to the car park just as the teams arrived on scene. The walkers were assessed and placed in mountain rescue vehicles to warm up. After this, they made their way home and the incident was stood down at 7.05 p.m.

Both the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team and the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team wish to thank to all the agencies invovled in these rescues.