MORE PEOPLE ARE AVAILING OF KERRY’S MOUNTAINS BUT IT MEANS THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ARE RISING TOO
KERRY Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) responded to over 50 per cent more call-outs this year compared to 2017. Statistics revealing callouts to date in 2018 – part of the service’s annual winter safety message – also highlight how volunteers collectively put in more than double the hours assisting in live rescues throughout the year compared to the 12 months previous.
The figures reveal that 67 people received assistance on Kerry’s mountains in 2018, compared to 37 in 2017 and that the team responded to 44 calls this year, up from 29 in 2017.
The rescues were dealt with by a core team of 35 volunteers and with many of the call-outs shouldered into the tourism season, the statistics show just how busy the volunteers behind the vital service have been.
But such expertice doesn’t come overnight and this year so far they have collectively put in more than 2,000 hours of training in Kerry and across Munster. That’s almost 900 hours of extra training in 2018 compared to the previous year – in addition to 2,400 hours of live rescues.
The volunteers deal with all kinds of call outs from search operations to removing injured walkers and climbers from the mountain. This is done in conjunction with Coastguard helicopter Rescue 115 and 117.
Not all call-outs are high up in the mountains though.
Tragically, the team assisted in the recovery of seven fatalities in 2018, which included a cardiac arrest on the mountain, a drowning in the River Laune, and a tragic jarvey accident that occurred in the Gap of Dunloe last April in which two people died. KMRT’s assistance in seven deaths is a sharp increase on the one fatality recorded in 2017.
Colm Burke is PRO for KMRT and said the increases across all sectors indicated a busy year on all fronts. It represents the ongoing challenges faced by KMRT as more people take to the mountains. The county has some of Europe’s best mountain ranges that attracts tourists from all over the world which can put added strain on resources.
“The volume of call outs went up this year, as did the duration of those calls. A couple of search operations ran into a number of days, which stretched resources,” Colm said.
He added that the increase is down to a combination of factors that are due to a variety of different causes.
“While none of the accidents can be said to have a common thread to them, in general the call outs do seem to be increasing every year. This is obviously down to more people heading to the mountains. We had some additional training days this year to roll out some new safety kit. This is alongside the regular training we do like First Aid, navigation and technical rescue.
We also have a reserve team that comprises of members from some of the clubs around Kerry. We call on them in cases where rescue resources are extended,” Colm said.