Training Update 3
TRAINING UP DATE
On Sunday the 5th April, the Southport Rescue Crew took part in a beach search and mud rescue training exercise with two members of Cheshire Lowland Search and Rescue Team.
There were two reasons for this, Joanne Pritchard, Cheshire SAR team dog training co-ordinator, is helping us with William’s training and her husband, Malcolm Pritchard, came along to see how we were doing things and to offer some advice and tips on foot search techniques.
This was the first time we had used William on one of our exercises.
The scenario was that two people were in trouble on the north side of Rainfords track. One had fallen on the marsh and had injured their leg. The second had gone for help and then got stuck in a gutter.
Two teams were sent out to look for them, one team of three and the other consisted of two and William.
William is sent out to start searching
He hunted the wind until he found a scent (the strike)
He makes the find and barks to let me know that he has found someone
Then off back to tell me
He barks again to let me know that he has made a find
Then he leads me back to the casualty
We found the casualty stuck in the mud in the bottom of a gutter
Job done and time for a rest.
In the meantime, the other SAR team have found the other casualty, some distance away from the first stuck in the mud.
Their casualty had an injured leg and was given priority.
The quads were called in to help with the job of removing the casualty from the marsh
Quad 1 and quad 2 bring the rescue equipment as near as they can to the casualty
The casualty’s leg is immobilised to prevent further injury
The Quads arrive on scene with the rescue gear
Onto the stretcher and away
 
More gutters and mud to cross.
Job done!
Back at second casualty we wait for the quads to arrive with the mud rescue gear
 
We needed to use the raft and mud rescue kit to free the casualty's feet.
As ever, William is there to help
Once he was out we got him stuck again in some quicksand
We told him to get stuck, but maybe not quite that stuck
By the look on his face he was as relieved as we were to get him out.
Job done and back to the boathouse for a wash down and a brew.
A lot was learnt on the exercise, not only about search techniques, but also about using the mud rescue gear and that different types of entrapment need different approaches.
Many thanks to Northern Searches for the donation of £1,000 towards the purchase of the mud rescue equipment.
Many thanks to Joanne and Malcolm Pritchard from Cheshire Lowland SAR team for coming over and playing in the mud with us. We look forward to training with Cheshire lowland Search and Rescue again.
Check out there website. www.cheshire-sarteam.org
Neil Rothwell Coxswain/chairman but most of all William’s Dad |
