Help Please! BSARU Desperately Need a New Base!

The Challenge

The unit’s team of 26 volunteers currently works out of Kelso police station and the garage at the town’s racecourse that houses its three rescue vehicles.

• The land that the current garage facility stands on is rented, current lease expires in 4 years and has a 2 month notice clause. We cannot develop the current garage on this basis.
• Garage does not provide enough space for equipment to be stored in one location.  The new Sprinter barely fits! 

  

• Team's trailer stored at a separate location - Kelso Police Station - involving more time taken to respond to a callout
• Garage is unheated, uninsulated and unsuitable for storing equipment such as torches, GPS, clothing, defibrillators, medical gases
• No training or meeting accommodation
• No toilet facilities. 
• No proper address to receive deliveries of equipment and supplies.

Project Hurdles

The team have been actively searching for a suitable location and/or premises to build or convert to a base for the last 4 years, and have been carefully managing funds raised to build up a reserve to start off the project. 

• No major towns or population concentrations in the team's area of operation - Eastern Borders and East Lothian.
• Few ambulance/fire/police buildings in this area being released for re-use, which other teams have been able to take advantage of.
• We have a small target local area/population for supporters/fundraising, raising awareness and potential team members
• The Order of St John, who have helped many Mountain Rescue teams to acquire bases, no longer help fund capital projects. 
• Government Funding to Scottish Mountain Rescue does not cover operating costs, therefore team already spend significant time fundraising to make up this shortfall - First aiding at rideouts/offroad events in return for donations, social fundraising events, sponsored walks/challenges, individual team members undergoing sponsored events/challenges.

The Ambition

Plans have been drawn up for a proper garage to accomodate all 3 vehicles plus trailer, equipment storage and drying, toilets, kitchen area and training/meeting room.

Site identified at Kelso’s Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate, close to the Vermilion Dental Practice. The 1,900 sq yd site being eyed up as a potential new rescue base is currently vacant. This would give us:

• A permanent base will vastly improve how we operate and the services we can deliver to our community
• Permanent, visible physical presence, with a proper address for invoicing/deliveries
• Decent, heated, insulated storage to store, organise and maintain our valuable equipment.
• Meeting/assembly place and radio control room storing maps/radios etc with facilities to organise and deploy the team efficiently
• Emergency accommodation for team members during prolonged callouts e.g. resilience work, prolonged searches - reducing individual team member travel time and driving risk in poor weather.
• Meeting room for monthly team meetings, sub group meetings, presentations and demonstrations to community groups
• Room can double as training accommodation for team and community training such as CPR/first aid/youth group
• Ability to involve supporters/ex team members in supporting the team by helping to maintain the base, hosting fund raising and awareness raising activities.