As it turned out, the ambulance crew was able to reach the casualty, near the Tea Rooms at Minffordd, and the Team was stood down.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m. the Team was requested by the Welsh Ambulance Service to assist in attending a man reporting chest pains near the foot of Cader Idris.
As it turned out, the ambulance crew was able to reach the casualty, near the Tea Rooms at Minffordd, and the Team was stood down. Shortly after 3:00 p.m. Team call-handlers were made aware of a walker suffering from heat related illness near the summit of Cader Idris.
The woman, part of an organised group, was showing symptoms of heat-exhaustion/heat-stroke, a potentially life-threatening condition. At least two members of the group remained to help the casualty, but the others, including the organisers, opted to continue with their day, and played no further part in her care or rescue. The group members who remained on scene with the casualty were assisted by a number of members of public including a GP. They were able to provide an important flow of information to co-odinators as the rescue developed. As Team volunteers made their way up the mountain, the woman's condition had improved greatly in the cool of the summit hut, and she was assisted slowly down the mountain to meet up with the approaching rescuers. Everyone was safely off the mountain by 6:00 p.m. Shortly after 5:15 p.m. Team call-handlers were made aware of a party of walkers lost on Cader Idris.
The party of two had set out from Minffordd and been to the summit. In low visibility they mistakenly descended the Foxes Path, realised they were on the wrong side of the mountain, and tried to cut around the north flanks of the range to reach their vehicle. Fatigue and the approaching night made them call for assistance. As Team volunteers approached the RV it was evident that the cloudbase had lifted significantly, and that the casualties' last position should now be clear of mist. Instructions for an exit route were given by phone to the lost party, and progress was monitored by the Phonefind smartphone protocol. In the meantime, Team volunteers worked their way up the mountain to intercept the pair. Both were cold and wet, but in good spirits considering their long ordeal. After the offer of some warm drinks, food and extra clothing, the group was escorted off the mountain and given a lift back into Dolgellau to pick up a taxi back to their vehicle. Everyone was safely back off the mountain by 8:00 p.m. Shortly after 1:30 p.m., Team call-handlers were made aware of a walker with a leg injury near the summit of Cader Idris.
The 27 year old woman had slipped on rocks near the summit and sustained injuries to her hip that left her unable to stand. With the cloud-base well below the summit, there was no possibility of a helicopter evacuation, but Coastguard Rescue936 was able to uplift an advanced party as high as possible before they were called away to another incident. The advanced party were able to make the casualty as comfortable as possible while the main party of rescuers made their way up the mountain with equipment to carry her off again. With low numbers available on the Bank Holiday weekend, the Team was very ably assisted by a large number of volunteers from our neighbouring team, South Snowdonia Search & Rescue. Just as the long process of a stretcher carry all the way down the mountain was underway, Rescue936 once again became available to assist with the evacuation. With the cloud-base lifting, this meant that only a short carry was required to reach the waiting aircraft. The casualty was flown down to Minffordd, where her friend drove her to seek further assessment and treatment. Rescue volunteers made their way off the mountain on foot, and everyone was safely off the mountain by 8:00 p.m. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Team call-handlers were made aware of concerns raised for an overdue walker on Cader Idris.
The informant had become separated from her 70 year old father as they made their way up the mountain. On reaching the summit they waited, but he failed to appear. A highly credible sighting by other walkers placed him near the summit at around 3:00 p.m., but he had subsequently failed to appear down at the base. As call-handlers were making enquiries, and developing a plan with the volunteers already on the mountain, the man reappeared at home, safe and well. Shortly after 3:30 p.m. Team call-handlers were made aware of an unconscious walker in the hills south of Aberhosan.
The student, part of an expedition group, had reportedly fainted and remained unresponsive for some 20 minutes on a track near Tarren Bwlch-gwyn. Falling within Brecon MRT's area, the Team was informed of the incident and they took over investigations while Aberdyfi was put on standby to assist. As preparations were ongoing, the group leader reported that the student had regained consciousness and that they were organising extraction by 4x4 locally. Both Teams were stood down accordingly. At around 4:00 p.m., as Team volunteers were returning home from the Rhydymain incident, the Team was made aware of a walker with an ankle injury on Cader Idris.
The teenage male was part of a large organised youth group out on the mountain. He had sustained what was thought to be a sprained ankle by Llyn Cau, and was unable to load-bear on that foot. The walker was extracted by stretcher down the Minnfordd steps, and discharged to group leader for further care and treatment. Everyone was down off the hill by 7:40 p.m. Shortly before 1:30 p.m., Team call-handlers were made aware of a man with significant head injuries near Rhydymain.
The man had sustained the injuries at a property in the area, and had wandered away from the location in a concussed state, and was thought to be in steep and wooded terrain. The incident was also attended by North Wales Police, Welsh Ambulance Service crew and EMRTS Air-Ambulance. The man was located at the foot of steep ground below the house in a serious condition. Attended to by WAST and EMRTS paramedics, the mad was transported by the Team to the waiting helicopter for transport to hospital. Shortly after 3:00 p.m. Team call-handlers received a request for assistance in extracting a casualty experiencing a medical episode on Minffordd steps, Cader Idris.
As Team volunteers were making their way to the location, they received the news that the Welsh Ambulance Service crew attending the casualty had managed to assist the patient off the mountain, and the Team was stood down. Shortly before 10:00 a.m. Team call-handlers were informed of a fragmented message received by the Welsh Ambulance Service from a walker with a leg injury on Gau Craig, a spur of Cader Idris.
The call had been cut-off without the callers number being captured, but a brief description and a What3words location had been given. The description just about fitted the w3w location, but local knowledge raised a question about the likelihood of that being correct. Team volunteers deployed to the meeting point at the top of Tal y Llyn pass, and while waiting for others to arrive the first person there was tasked to chat to plane-spotters coming down off the hill to see if they had seen anything. It had seemed more likely that the given description fitted the spotter's path much better than the w3w location did, and indeed the casualty was quickly located a short distance up that route, and more than a kilometre away from the w3w location. The 59 year-old woman has sustained a lower leg injury in a simple slip. She was carried by stretcher down off the hill and transported by a friend to Bronglais hospital for further assessment and treatment |
|