2016

Jan 3 2016

Incident 13/2016 – A missing male teenager at Rivington, thankfully quickly resolved

At 10.31hrs this very wet and damp morning, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE received a mobile phone call from a concerned member of the public, who whilst walking with her daughter and son in the Rivington area, had become separated from her fifteen year old son, and now on Rivington Pike, had failed to locate her son for a time period long enough to cause her worry, given the wet and cold weather, her sons medical condition and the fact she could not contact her son on his mobile phone.

A kindly member of the public, out walking with her boyfriend had noticed the concern of the mother, found out her worries, and suggested calling out the Bolton MRT, establishing contact via a ‘Google search.’ (we are ordinarily and usually contacted via the Police or Ambulance Control Rooms)

Our Team Leader gathered appropriate information and suggested the mother (from the Penwortham area of Preston) retrace her route back to their family car parked at the Great House Barn Information Centre.

To reassure the concerned mother, who could still not raise her son on his mobilephone, it was decided to send team member Mike Marsh to meet up with her, whilst as a necessary precaution, our Team Leader liaised with Lancashire Constabulary as to the actions taken.

They in turn also tried to contact the ‘missing youth’ on his mobile phone.

At 11.15hrs, with team members Mike Marsh and Heath Doran en route to meet the mother and her daughter at Rivington, and just as team member Steve Fletcher was attempting to try and SARLOC the youths location, the mother re contacted our Team Leader to say she had located her son and all was well.

Lancashire Constabulary were informed, and by 11.20hrs the four team members who had been involved were stood down.

The mother concerned had nothing but praise for the help offered and that she had received from the Bolton MRT, and via our Team Leader asked that thanks be passed on to our three other team members involved and the Police.

She also expressed thanks to the young woman and her boyfriend who seeing her concern, had offered to help her on a rainy windswept Rivington Pike.

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Jan 2 2016

Incident 12/2016 – Team Water Search Dog deployment to Coventry to search for a missing man from January 31st 2015

Following on from our report dated Friday 1st January 2016, this morning our specialist Water Search Dog / DVSD, deployed to Coventry.

There follows an account by our Team DVSD / Water Search Dog Dave Marsh;

Team Water Search Dog Handler Dave Marsh with Search Dog Sasha and  fellow handler Mike Dermody [British Transport Police] with his Search Dog Quincy journeyed down to Coventry on Saturday 2nd January 2016.

Both Dave and Mike are also members of SARDA Ireland North.

Meeting up at Dave’s house at circa 08-00 hrs, they met up with Dave Cook,[Bolton MRT Equipment Officer – Water] and Phil Davies [member of Oldham MRT].

Arriving at Coventry at 10-30hrs, they met up with a West Midlands Police Search Manager and also West Mercia Search and Rescue Team.

Following discussions, the assembled searchers undertook a search of the Coventry Canal from the city centre basin along a 5.5 mile stretch up to the Hawksbury junction.

The search centred around a 24 year old male who has been missing for eleven months

Supplied and crewed by members of WMSAR, the two boats present provided a ‘working platform’ which enabled the two handlers and dogs to concentrate on the important aspect of the search – mainly watching the dogs for any indication of them making a find whilst operating and searching on the waters surface.

Unfortunately, on this occasion, the search proved to be negative, so after a debrief and with gear packed away, the foursome travelled back to Bolton and onwards, to finish around 19-00 hrs.

Further details on this search can be found within the news pages of the Coventry Telegraph, and the website and Facebook site of WMSART (West Mercia Search and Rescue Team)

This search today represents the first deployment of 2016 for our DVSD Dog team.

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Jan 1 2016

Incident 11. Our Trailing Search Dog assists Rossendale and Pendle MRT with a search in the Healey Dell area of Rochdale

At circa 12.56hrs today, Greater Manchester Police paged the Rossendale and Pendle MRT, for their assistance with a search for a missing 50  year old male, in circumstances giving Police concern for his well being.

The search area was centred upon the Healey Dell area of Rochdale, with at least twelve RPMRT team members quickly responding to the search RVP from both their Burnley and Haslingden bases.

RPMRTs response also included their SARDA England Air Scenting Mountain Rescue Dog Handler Steve Garafalo and his Search Dog Finn.

A requirement for our Mountain Rescue Trailing Search Dog handler Steve Nelson, with his Trailing Search Dog Boris, and navigator / Bolton MRT colleague Elaine Gilliland (Both Steve and Elaine are also members of SARDA Wales) led to Steve being contacted to assist at 14.20hrs.

Steve and Elaine who were in Liverpool at the time, journeyed to their Bolton home to collect Boris, departing at 16.15hrs for the search RVP.

Arriving soon afterwards, Steve, Boris and Elaine, joined in the RPMRT / GMP search operation, from circa 17.00hrs, standing down their particular specialist search involvement at circa 19.10hrs, returning to their Bolton home address by 19.40hrs.

Rossendale and Pendle MRT stood down their involvement at 20.45hrs this evening, with GMP enquiries still continuing in to the whereabouts of this missing person, who has also been the subject of social media appeals.

Please refer to the website and Facebook sites of our colleagues at Rossendale and Pendle MRT for more information about this search operation.

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Jan 1 2016

Incidents 1 to 10 – 2016. Team assists North West Ambulance Service (Greater Manchester Area) during the early morning of New Years Day

This morning as with all previous New Year Days (For eighteen years now, commencing on 1st January 1998) the team had all four of it’s Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, its Minibus Ambulance and our Incident Control Vehicle available, at the disposal of NWAS (Greater Manchester) who were dealing with a very high volume of calls upon its services, as part of the NWAS ‘Step Up’ procedure to mobilise additional resources to cope with the situation.

We had been formally requested on New Years Eve 2015, to be available at the request and tasking of NWAS (Greater Manchester) EOC Parkway.

Two team members had attended a briefing meeting at NWAS EOC Parkway on the evening of Thursday 31st December 2015 at 20.00hrs.

The team was working alongside additional resources also drafted in to help NWAS on what is now its busiest evening and early morning of the year.

All four of our Land Rover Defender Mountain Rescue Ambulances, Minibus Ambulance and Incident Control Vehicle were available, crewed with appropriately trained team personnel on board, all co-ordinated from our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ by our ’Control Team,’ themselves in contact with NWAS (Greater Manchester) Emergency Operations Centre, Parkway.

In total this evening we had thirteen team Call Out list members, assisted by team friend Louise Copley (helping with logging tasks) on immediate standby to assist at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ.

In total ten incidents were responded to, assisting NWAS (GMA) with the first at 00.12hrs and the last coming in at 05.14hrs.

All the calls were in the Bolton and Horwich areas,  mostly involving minor injuries and drink related injuries, with one suspected leg fracture dealt with, alongside a person with rib injuries.

By circa 06.45hrs, with all vehicles involved checked and kit used replenished, our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ was closed for the morning, with all our members present returning to catch up on some sleep.

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