This evening with most available team members deployed on the standby rescue cover for the Hendersons End Fell Race, our Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon attended the quarterly meeting of the Greater Manchester Emergency Services Liaison Group meeting.
Held between the Mountain Rescue Teams which operate in Greater Manchester, namely Bolton MRT, Rossendale and Pendle MRT, Oldham MRT, Kinder MRT and Glossop MRT, and GMP, NWAS (Manchester) NWAS HART, NWAA, and GMFRS, the meetings feature an agenda covering operational incident responses, items of mutual interest, and future developments alongside training requirements and occasional mutual exercises.
Joining Geoff at the meeting was Bolton MRT Trainee Team member Michael Eddleston, there in his capacity representing the GMP Force Duty Control Room Officers.
Each MRT invited reports on a short review of team matters since the previous meeting, and the below represents our report made this evening;
INCIDENTS
We ended 2012 having responded to 118x separate calls on the team for our assistance throughout the year.
To date this year we have attended 65x separate operational incidents, mostly rescues, with the small number of ‘full team call out’ searches undertaken, largely involving water bodies.
RESOURCES
The team commissioned in to full operational service, its brand new custom built VW Crafter LWB Incident Control Vehicle on Monday 3rd June 2013.
Full details, specification and features, and comments on how we intend to deploy and operate this vehicle can be found within the teams website ‘news’ section at www.boltonmrt.org.uk
Invites will be sent to all involved in the GMESLG to the Official Dedication and Blessing Evening of this vehicle at a date yet to be arranged, at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, which will include a buffet and wine.
We currently expect our Trainee Drowned Victim Search Dog to qualify / be graded in August 2013, which will result in DVSD Sasha and her Handler Dave Marsh, being available for operational incident deployment.
TRAINING
Of specific note are;
On Tuesday 2nd July 2013, we are providing moorland navigation training assistance to GMFRS Broughton, Salford, and Bolton Central Fire Fighters on Rivington Moor / Winter Hill.
On Sunday 14th July 2013, in our team area we are hosting a Joint Exercise involving NEWSART and AirRescue 24.
We have our usual Foundation Course in Mountain Rescue residential weekend at Bibbys Farm, Limbreck, booked for Friday to Sunday, 11th to 13th October 2013.
We would appreciate the usual input on this course from GMP regards search operations, and as per last year, the continuing involvement of NWAS HART.
On Wednesday 20th November 2013, we are hosting a Bolton MRT Awareness Day for GMP Bolton Division Officers from 08.00hrs until 15.00hrs. Circa 20x Divisional Police Officers are attending for a practical hands on and awareness day, at both our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ and on the local moorlands.
DISPLAYS
We are currently ‘booked’ to attend GMFRS Fire Station Displays in 2013 at Horwich on Saturday 15th June, Irlam on Monday 26th August and Bolton Central on Saturday 31st August.
We are displaying the entire resources of the team at the Darwen Town Centre (Lancashire) 999 day on Saturday 22nd June 2013, and for the third year running at the Greater Manchester Emergency Services 999 Day at the Trafford Centre on Thursday 8th August 2013, within the ‘Mountain Rescue Zone.’
