2006 Incidents

Team stood by to assist Tweed Valley MRT with a missing person near Hawick. No action was required.

Team called out to a missing person near Hawick. (TVMRT were on their Christmas night out at the time). Missing person turned up safe and well as the team leaders were talking to police control. Team stood down.

Team called out to deal with two seperate missing persons at Haddington, East Lothian. One person had disappeared from near Garvald, another from the town itself, possibly into the hills to the north of Haddington. Because of the obvious resourcing issues, Tweed Valley MRT, Borders Underwater Search Team and seach dogs from both SARDA Scotland and SARDA Southern Scotland were also called to assist. In the end, one casualty was located as search teams were being deployed, with nothing found at the Garvald Incident. SARDA dogs will continue to be involved next day, but MR teams were stood down pending further information.

24/11/06: The second missing person is located (fatal) by Strathclyde Police Helicopter.

Team called out to deal with two seperate missing persons at Haddington, East Lothian. One person had disappeared from near Garvald, another from the town itself, possibly into the hills to the north of Haddington. Because of the obvious resourcing issues, Tweed Valley MRT, Borders Underwater Search Team and seach dogs from both SARDA Scotland and SARDA Southern Scotland were also called to assist. In the end, one casualty was located as search teams were being deployed, with nothing found at the Garvald Incident. SARDA dogs will continue to be involved next day, but MR teams were stood down pending further information.

24/11/06: The second missing person is located (fatal) by Strathclyde Police Helicopter.

Team placed on standby to assist TVMRT when a man went missing in the Galashiels Area. The man was eventually located safe and well, with no response required by Border SAR.

Police Paged unit in middle of our monthly meeting regarding a missing pensioner. However, the person was located safe and well only a minute after police had paged the team! No action required.

Six team members attending the joint exercise at Moffat MRT offer to help out Tweed Valley MRT with an incident in Peebles, and are stood by. Our assistance was not required in the end.

One day later, another immediate response required when six people are injured in an off-road driving accident in the Cheviot Hills, near to the Yett farm. One casualty had to be evacuated by Air Ambulance with suspected spinal injuries. The remaining five were evacuated by the team with less serious injuries.

Team paged for urgent response to injured mountain biker in Cheviot Hills near Cocklawfoot. Biker had broken ankle, and was also diabetic. Ambulance Paramedic assisted the team and the casualty was taken down by the team to a waiting ambulance.

Team requested to search for a missing person around Livingston in West Lothian as Tweed Valley, the local team, were engaged on a sponsored walk. Moffat MRT were also called to assist. The man was discovered safe and well following concerned calls from the public, after only two hours of searching.

Police paged team following discovery of outdoor clothing presumably abandoned. After discussion with team member police decided to continue monitoring situation. No further action proved necessary

Lothian and Borders Police request assistance to evacuate a casualty from a gorge following a quad bike accident. Sadly the casualty was pronounced dead at the scene. Team members abseiled into the gorge and the body of the man was placed in a McInnes Mark 6 stretcher and winched up a 50-foot cliff face to be handed over to Police. A busy day, considering the callout came only 3 hours after the one below!

Tweed Valley MRT requested assistance to search for a despondant male missing in the Broxburn area. Despite the callout coming at 1 o'clock in the morning, 12 members of the team and all three vehicles were rapidly deployed. The man was located safe and well at lunchtime, walking down a country road.

Team placed on standby when a 24 year old female is reported missing from Gullane, East Lothian. Police are concerned she may be suicidal. Thankfully, she was located safe by police and no action was required by the team, who were stood down.

An 11 year old girl was airlifted to hospital following a fall from a horse on the Flodden rideout. Team medics were quickly on scene and were concerned as the girl had fallen onto her head, and was complaining of severe pain in her neck and lumbar spine. She was immobilised in a vacuum matress and placed on a stretcher before being flown to Wansbeck Hospital by Rescue 131 from RAF Boulmer.

On the same rideout a man had also previously been assisted from the hill when he fell and broke his clavicle.

Another rideout accident - a member of the Kelso - Yetholm rideout fell from a horse in the first field outside Kelso. A dislocated shoulder was suspected and the rider was given pain relief before being handed over to the Ambulance Service.

A Horse rider suffered injuries to her back and pelvis when she fell on the Duns rideout. Team members treated the woman on the hillside before evacuating to a nearby road and handing over to the Ambulance Service.

Team responded to an emergency call when a woman collapsed on the Pennine Way. Friends of the Woman had managed to transport her to Auchope MR hut, and had dialled 999 for help. A 10 man team was - very - quickly assembled and made their way to the hut, where the woman was assessed by team medics before being transported to Kirk Yetholm and a waiting ambulance. The woman made a full recovery.

Team Placed on standby to assist Tweed Valley MRT following reports of a missing woman in the Wauchope forest area. Team stood down when Tweed Valley located the missing woman.

BorderSAR are called out when two children go missing near Selkirk. Both children turned up safe and well while team were en route.

A walker who had become hypothermic and disorientated in the Cheviots requested Mountain Rescue assistance around lunchtime. A team of rescuers was urgently dispached by police to locate the middle-aged man and evacuate him. The walker had eventually managed to reach the Auchope mountain refuge hut, where he used a space blanket left by previous walkers to try and keep warm. The weather had been atrocious, with gales, rain and hailstorms combining to leave an experienced walker soaked through and unable to continue. The team managed to get our land rover to within a kilometre of the hut and he was able to walk out to it after being re-warmed by the team. No further treatment was necessary.

Following an incident at a house in Jedburgh, police became concerned about a man who was missing from the property and requested assistance from Border SAR. It was also decided to mobilise Borders Underwater Search Team and neighbouring Tweed Valley MRT. The man was later sighted in a village between Jedburgh and Hawick, and was traced shortly afterwards, by which time the teams had been stood down and the search downgraded.

Border SAR, along with Tweed Valley MRT, SARDA, the Coastguard and police teams are requested to carry out a search of the Dunbar area for a missing 52 year old woman. Teams searched the beaches and rocks all day, which led to the discovery of her jacket as the tide went out. Sadly, the missing person's body was found next day.

While also in the Dunbar area, two medics from Border SAR assisted police in dealing with a woman who had collapsed in the High Street.

Team placed on standby at 0630 in the morning when a vulnerable teenager went missing near Dalkeith. An emergency response was then requested at 0700 after all leads the police had drew a blank, however as the team were assembling the girl was located and the team stood down.

Team placed on standby by the Scottish Ambulance Service who were assisting an injured mountain biker. Team stood down shortly after initial alert as they were not required.

Police alerted BorderSAR to a missing walker in the Duns area early in the morning. Team were stood down en route when the person turned up with an injured ankle near Blythe farm.

BorderSAR and Tweed Valley MRT respond to the Broxburn area of West Lothian where a 92 year-old man, Alexander Sinclair, is reported missing. A search of paths used by the gentleman, along with a search of the Union Canal, fail to trace him on Friday night. The search resumes on Saturday with all open ground, ditches, paths and hedgerows extensively searched by BSARU, TVMRT, Police Divers and Mounted Police. As light fades there is still no sign of 'Sandy'. Mountain Rescue Teams are stood down pending any further developments.

BBC news coverage - click here.

21/02/06 - The team is saddened to hear that the body of Sandy Sinclair is found by police divers in the Union Canal near his home.