Since recently commencing our recruitment drive for trainee team call out list members on 30th July 2008, we have had 10x enquiries to date, including 9x via our on line initial membership application form and one enquiry by post.
All have been replied to, with the following outcomes;
Two applications have been made from persons resident a distance from our ideal catchment / realistic response distance area.
Of these the applicant living in Preston has been advised to contact our colleagues in Bowland Pennine MRT, whilst another applicant resident in Runcorn has been advised to contact our colleagues at Cheshire Lowland Search and Rescue Team.
An applicant without access to personal transport has been advised to apply again when he gets such transport as this is an essential membership requirement. That is unless someone happens to live and work within a couple of minutes of our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ premises !
So far three applicants have been to visit the team, one on a Wednesday night exercise and a full day on Sunday 3rd August, and two (a GMP Police Officer and a High Dependency Unit Nurse) who came on Sunday 10th August, barely entering our Base / HQ when the team was called out (see Incident 81) meaning their day with us was cancelled before it even started, they both attended on Wednesday night 13th August and will revisit the team for ’ their ’ Sunday experience on 17th August, call outs permitting of course.
A husband and wife hillwalking duo have been invited to join the above two by also visiting the team on Sunday 17th August, when the four will hopefully be given an insight into how the team operates.
One applicant did not have the required basic hillwalking experience and was advised to gain considerably more hill experience before reapplying.
Leaving one further applicant who applied by post today and will be sent a hard copy of the on line initila membership application form.
All initially suitable applicants to date have been out with or will shortly complete, an evening with the team on our regular training night, and a Sunday initial afternoon out with the team. Following this their fully detailed membership application forms, a questionnaire on their hill experience and a short navigation test paper will all be scrutinised by our Team Leader, Deputy Team Leader, and our Training Officer before any are further invited to join in with the team as (initially) Probationery Team Members leading to Trainee Team Membership.
Through these pages can we reiterate that this particular recruitment drive is aimed at selecting a small number of Trainee Members who are very experienced in the hills and have the flexibility in their working arrangements and their home life / domestic arrangements to attend our training commitments and also attend a very high majority of operational call outs. Which after all is what we are all about !
For full details of what we are looking for regards team members please refer to our 30th July 2008 news entry and to the ’ membership ’ section of this website.
