New Base Update
We shortly hope to have joiners lining the stud walls in the main meeting room and fitting work surfaces in the office and kitchen.
Activities
So far this year there have been few callouts. The Ednam Young Farmers’ Tractor Run raised £1,200 for the team. Team members covered the Yetholm Festival, Stob Staines ride out and received a donation from Norham Running Club at the Staines. Kelso based Charity Begins at Home funded wading poles at a cost of £900. We recently had a stand at the Aberlady Gala Day. Fund raising and donations by such groups enable the BSARU by helping with the annual operation costs of between £25,000 - £30,000. Apart from running costs, maintenance, and insurance, there is the ongoing replacement of retired or damaged equipment.
An example of such an item of equipment is the vacuum mattress which provides immobilisation and support to a casualty in cases of suspected spinal or pelvic injuries and fractures. Filled with beads and once wrapped to the shape of the casualty the air is removed and it forms a stiff protective shell. The mat used over rocky ground may sustain a puncture which usually cannot be fixed satisfactorily. We are grateful to Scottish Mountain Rescue who recently provided a replacement mat for us, saving us around £1000 as well as 3 new medical bags.
Clarification - Last month’s article said that the Rutherford Boathouse was on the Teviot, and it is of course on the Tweed. The Borders Underwater Search Team, (BUWST) formed in 1997, changed its name to the Borders Water Rescue Team (BWRT) in 2013.
