EMERGENCY PROCEDURES:

know what you need to do

Mountain incidents can come in many shapes and forms, and how you should act will depend on the situation – there is no ‘golden rule’. However, there are some well-established principles you can follow...

1. Stay calm and assess the situation.

If you’re in a group and the casualty is someone else, think about what should be done to safeguard everyone. Keep the casualty warm and insulated as much as possible without disturbing their position. Determine your exact position, and consider if there are options for walking down, sending for help, or finding shelter. If you’re unsure if it is an emergency, investigate a little yourself before summoning outside help.

2. Call for help. If you are confident emergency help is needed, dial 999 (112 also works in the UK, EU and many other countries across the globe) and ask for police, then mountain rescue.

3. When connected, provide key information. This is:

• The location of the incident.

• The number and names of people in the party.

• Any injuries and the names of casualties.

Rescuers will also probably want to know things like the number of the phone you are using and any other phones in the group; the nature and time of the incident; the equipment at the accident site; any distinguishing feature, marker or colour at the incident site.

4. Seek help via other means if a phone signal is unavailable. If there is no coverage at your location, you can consider walking uphill to find a better signal. If you still can’t get any, one or more members of your party, with full information about the accident, should be sent to find the nearest telephone. At least one person should stay with the casualty.

5. Prepare for help to arrive.

A helicopter may arrive before the mountain rescue team. Extinguish all flames and secure all equipment.