Mountain rescue team promise no judgement or criticism
When the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association (SEMRA) post their latest callouts on Facebook, there is invariably a comment (or several) criticising the victims, or offering ‘helpful’ (or sanctimonious) advice.
In advance of the Climb With Charlie fundraiser this weekend, people might be nervous of exposing themselves to such criticism and possibly wondering if the rescue team are inwardly thinking the same thing.
However, when The Avondhu sat down with Chris Pires of SEMRA, he is adamant that that is absolutely not the case.
“We all do things we regret, we all make mistakes. No one wants to be the subject of ridicule - we at SEMRA don’t judge and are there to help. SEMRA members are motivated by helping people and doing our best to ensure people get down safely off of the hills.
"We encourage anyone in trouble to call for assistance (999 or 112). The sooner the better, as it takes time to mobilise to a callout and to locate a casualty on site and it certainly makes it easier if we can get to you before it gets dark. There is no doubt that making the call has saved lives and prevented serious injury on our hills."
That doesn’t stop people being very Irish about it though, when they are rescued.
“We’ll reach someone and say, ‘ how are you?’, and they’ll say, ‘ Oh I’m fine!’ and their leg could be hanging off! Or they see 20 of us turning up to rescue them and the first thing they say is, 'Oh I’m so sorry for all the trouble!’ or, ‘Thank God you brought the stretcher and not the helicopter - I’d be mortified’.”
WELL TRAINED
Some ingenuity is needed at times. Chris recalls lost walkers in the rhododendrons in the Knockmealdowns who helped the team find them by shaking the bushes. And while SEMRA are almost exclusively devoted to people, they were called to rescue Ruby, the working sheepdog, who got cragfast in the Comeraghs.
With regards to the helicopter Rescue 117, it is the Gardaí that make the final call if the helicopter is necessary. The most common reasons for SEMRA to be called to an incident are lower leg injuries, or walkers getting lost in bad weather or in the dark.
Occasionally, casualties that call SEMRA can be ‘ grouchy’ on the phone - a symptom of hypothermia. SEMRA callout officers that answer the phone are trained for this however and reassure the caller. Those that are lost are often scared of how long it will be before they are found. However, phone finder technology is very effective and works with ‘any bit of reception’, so a fully-charged phone is as essential as shoes on your feet.
WAITING LIST
There are circa 56 people registered as members of SEMRA. As the name suggests, the association cover the south east of the country, encompassing the Galtee, Knockmealdown, Ballyhoura and Comeragh regions. So, how does someone get involved?
“We actually have a waiting list at the moment. The fitness of each member is their own responsibility - actually, a lot of our more senior members are the fittest because they’ve spent so much time on the hills! We have understanding families, and always have our mountain gear in the car in order to respond quickly to a callout.”
Chris, a civil engineer by trade, used to play rugby with Galbally RFC. He always had an interest in the hills, and even today spends time exploring less-trod parts of the ranges, in preparation for a future callout. The organisation is busier than ever. Established in 1979, it took 40 years, until 2020, to reach their 500th callout. In the space of only 2 years however, SEMRA have reached 600 callouts. This is a reflection on lockdown, yes, but also an increasing interest in hillwalking generally. Remember, getting up is the easy bit but you have to get back down again!
To all doing Climb With Charlie this weekend, we wish them the best of luck, and a safe and tiring day on the hills!