2017 Incidents

The team was called out at 15:49 to assist a 69 year old with a lower leg injury.  The man, an experienced and well-equipped hiker, had been walking the Pennine Way in stages over a number of months and having done Byrness to Chew Green yesterday (Thursday,) he continued from there today, hoping to make it to Auchope Hut tonight.  As he was hiking, a calf injury developed and slowed him down considerably.  He calculated that at the speed he was walking, he wouldn't make it to the hut until 02:00 so called us in to assist.

Thanks again to the Flintoft family, this time Rob's dad Ray, who assisted with another speedy rescue by taking a team member up the hill in a six wheel buggy in very wet ground conditions and returning with our team member and the casualty to Cocklawfoot Farm.

He was then checked over by an ambulance crew and dropped at the Border Hotel.

Another 13 team members were in attendance and would have been needed if the buggy hadn't made it far enough and we'd had to do a stretcher evacuation.

NNPMRT were also on standby.

The team received a request for assistance to an injured walker on the Pennine Way just prior to 10.00am. Her location was confirmed and two team vehicles were despatched to Sourhope Farm where we were met by the police and local farmer Rob Flintoff. Two team members were carried in the farm RTV along with a stretcher and medical equipment to the casualty location at Auchope Hut.

The casualty, who was well equipped, had suffered a sprained ankle the previous day after slipping whist descending from Auchope Cairn on the final leg of her Pennine Way walk from Edale, just 12km from the end of the 431km route. She managed to get to the refuge hut and decided to spend the night there with the hope that she would have recovered enough to make her own way off the hill in the morning.

Unfortunately she was still unable to walk in the morning and with the weather deteriorating rightly decided to call for assistance. After establishing that no medical treatment was required she was transported down the hill in the farmers RTV and transferred to a team vehicle for onward transportation to Berwick to catch a train home. We hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Our thanks to Rob Flintoft for his assistance which meant that the casualty was off the hill by 11.30am.

The team was called to assist with the search for a high risk missing man in Eyemouth but he was found safe by a police dog handler as our team leader was issuing the call-out message to the rest of the team.

The team was called out to assist East Lothian police with the search for a high risk missing person in the Dunbar area.

Coastguard and RNLI teams had searched the coastline before we were asked to continue the search inland.

The missing woman was located safe and well in Dunbar, just as team members arrived for a briefing at the police station.

Flashing light seen on the side of Grubbit Law which could have been a person in distress. BSARU contacted the local farmer who checked it out with the police to find it was a false alarm. 1.5 Man Hours.

Called to assist Northumberland National Park MRT and North of Tyne MRT with the rescue of an injured walker from Auchope hut on the Pennine Way.  NMRS accessed casualty from the College Valley so we were stood down en route. 12 team members were involved.

BSARU was called out to assist police in the search for a missing woman in the Tyninghame Links area.

Police helicopter and dog handler were also in attendance.

The missing woman was found safe on the beach by police as team members arrived on scene. 13 Team members were involved.

The team were put on Stand By to assist NMRS with an injured walker at the Lamb Hill Hut, on the Pennine Way. The casualty was evacuated by farm buggy and our 10 team members were stood down. 

CALLOUT - The team was called out at 17:05 to a farmer who had rolled his quad bike on Hard Rig above the Heatherhope Valley in the Cheviots.
The accident had occurred around lunchtime but the casualty was alone and unable to summon help so was discovered some time later.
Two team Landrovers got to within 100m of the casualty where a local paramedic was already on scene. The casualty was immobilised and transported to a waiting road ambulance at Mainside. 11 Team members attended.

A 50 year old female sustained a lower leg injury when walking along the bank of the Teviot near Ancrum.  We assisted ambulance personnel to carry the casualty to their waiting ambulance.  Our MacInnes Mk7 stretcher made the task far easier. 8 Team members were involved.

BSARU was called to assist Northumberland teams with a medical incident at Lamb Hill hut on the Pennine Way.

The casualty was stabilised and transported to the roadside in a local farm 4x4. 12 team members were stood down en route.

During the Redeswire Rideout, part of Jethart Callants Festival, a male rider fell from and was kicked by his horse.  He was treated on scene  by team members and handed over to Scottish Ambulance Service who transported him to BGH.

Summer Spine Race. Just after 2am, BSARU was called out to assist the lead runner who had activated the SOS on his tracker. The runner in the non-stop full length Pennine Way race had reached Windy Gyle when driving rain, gale force winds and 1m visibility had forced him to take action. 
As he was running backwards and forwards to keep warm, this led the Spine safety team to think he was going back to Lamb hill hut, so they headed in the wrong direction.
Following further information from his tracker, BSARU was called to intercept him as he descended to Cocklawfoot.
While we were on route, he made it down to the safety of Cocklawfoot farm house where he was given tea and biscuits before team members transported him to Yetholm and to the Spine team at 0330 hrs.
6 team members were deployed to Cocklawfoot.

An hour after our helicopter training finished, the team was called out to rescue two female walkers, suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration on the Pennine Way near Windy Gyle. The ladies, aged 56 and 59, were part of a group of 10 charity walkers from the Newcastle area. Following a navigational error they had walked in a large circle for 3 hours. They were found and walked off to team vehicles, then transported to Cocklawfoot. 18 team members were involved.

A female participant in the Mighty Deerstalker cross-country collapsed around a mile into the event. We were alerted by marshals and despite the fast actions of our team medical officer, 3 other team members and the use of one of our defibrilators, she sadly died.  

Thanks to the marshals and bystanders who also assisted.

Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.

CALL-OUT. We worked with Tweed Valley MRT in the search for a missing Dalkeith man. Along with the HM Coastguard Rescue helicopter from Prestwick, team members carried out an extensive search of Dalkeith Country Park. Nothing was found during our search and with no further information, we were stood down.  

Sadly, police teams later found a body, outwith our search area.

The team was initially called out to two hikers lost in "The Cheviots." 
As team members were making their way to pick up vehicles, NNPMRT and MOTMRT were put on stand-by and the lost walkers location was pin-pointed using SARLOC to be on the Pennine Way between Kings Seat and Windy Gyle.
Team members were deployed from Cocklawfoot with assistance again from the local farmer, who used his ATV to get us up the track quickly.
The two were found uninjured but cold, given Blizzard jackets and walked back down to the waiting ATV.

Members of Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team, Border Search and Rescue Unit, North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team were called to assist a group of 10 walkers in the Cheviot Hills who began to suffer symptoms of Hypothermia during a day's walk. An HMCG Rescue Helicopter was also involved but couldn't reach the casualty site due to the weather. Teams faced waist deep snow at times, and a very cold biting wind. Two helpful farmers drove equipment up to the Border Ridge in buggies. All Teams were stood down at around midnight once all casualties had been evacuated off the hill. 

The team was on standby to assist East Lothian police with the search for a dog walker, lost in woods near Tynninghame. He had become disorientated when darkness fell but his shouts were heard by police on scene and he was found safe and well. 3 local team members were deployed.