General news

Over the past three weeks five team members have undertaken a Rescue 3 Europe Module 4 (Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator) course, under the guidance of Austin Lewis and Andy Topping at A&A Technical Rescue.

All five team members were previously qualified to the Module 3 Swiftwater Rescue Technician standard; Module 4 essentially brings in the concept of operations of powered boats in moving water and floods.

The course took place over several evenings in Bolton and three full days in the Menai Straits between Anglesey and North Wales.

A wide range of subject matter was covered – and in the end all five students completed the course and achieved the Module 4 SFRBO qualification.

The team now has a large number of externally qualified members and specialist equipment that may be deployed on any water rescue or flooding incidents – 40 x team members qualified to Mod 1 (Water Awareness), 5 x Mod 2 (Water First Responder), 7 x Mod 3 (Swiftwater Rescue Technician), Included in the Mod 3 numbers are now 5 x Mod 4 (Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator) and 2 x Mod 5 (Water Incident Manager).

Bolton MRT wish to thank Austin and Andy for a very informative and enjoyable course, and also the Lancashire Community Foundation, whose grant funding allowed our team members to partake in this cuorse.

We’re now one week in to our month-long recruitment process for the January 2018 operational intake.

To date, 11 applications of interest have been received.

The recruitment window closes on the 15th December – all are welcome to apply.

For further details, click here.

Bolton MRT is inviting applications to join the team as volunteer operational members today.

Recruitment will remain open for one month between 15th November – 15th December 2017. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the membership requirements listed on the Membership page before applying via the online form (the form is linked from the membership page). Suitable applicants will be selected after the closing date, and all applicants will receive a response, whether successful or not.

The timeline for handling applications:

• 15th November – 15th December – online recruitment open
• 16th – 31st December – applicants will receive a response to their applications
• 20th – 21st January – recruitment weekend for applicants who are initially successful

Applicants MUST be available to attend the full weekend of the 20th & 21st January 2018 – there are no exceptions.

Following the recruitment weekend, approximately six applicants will be selected to commence probationary team membership for a period of between 6-8 weeks. At the conclusion of this probation period probationers will then be subjected to further review regarding their suitability to join the team. If considered suitable beyond this initial period, probationers will then be invited to join the Team as a Trainee Team member for a minimum 1 year period.

In March 2006 (see incidents 30/2006 and 31/2006) the team were called out to search for a schoolboy called Joe Geeling who was missing in Bury. It is a search that ended with a deeply sad and tragic conclusion. Joe was found deceased (although not by the team) and it transpired he had been murdered by another boy from his school.

A television company have made a documentary about this case, including the team’s involvement in the search. As a member of one of the search parties, the now Assistant Team Leader Mark Scott, was interviewed in mid July this year to explain the team’s capabilities in searching for missing people and how the events in March 2006 unfolded.

The programme is on Sky channel 553 “Crime and Investigation” at 9pm today (Monday 30th October). It’s also on Virgin at this time, channel 275.