Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club - Newsletter Vol 2 No 4 - Winter 1964
CAVE RESCUE AND THE INDIVIDUAL
Cave rescue callouts have changed considerably during the past few
years and the general call-out system has been abolished in favour of
underground rescue teams who are dawn from different areas as required. In the
event of an emergency the local teams who reside in the potholing, areas make
an assessment of the manpower and effort required and call out an underground
team or teams as the case may be to assist them in the rescue. whilst they
begin the rescue underground. This is a summary of the present procedure, and
its assets are plain to see. It is fast and efficient. However this cold soon be turned to chaos by an inefficient team and a few lines that
follow are directed at our own members who are o the underground team.
If you are selected to join the area team you should accept the sense o’
responsibility that goes with it, For after all, helping to save a life even a
cavers life is a responsible job, and if you feel in any way that
your that your work might be more important or that there might be something
good on the 'telly' you are quite entitled to write to the area
organiser, myself and I will quietly strike your name off the list. I should
prefer to strike every name off the call-out list rather
than have a fictitious team who cause the CRO and
the Police a lot of work
in what is more important, prove absent when another team could have
been called in to do the same job. I have recently been informed that
the Kendal section of our team are no longer with us so it is important that we
keep our team as strong and reliable as possible. including Kendal I have 25 on
the list which means 25 rescue workers. Allow for the usual mix up, faulty call-out,
mechanical breakdown etc , etc., and this becomes 20. Some are out or
moved and not informed me their new address, now 18., out of which two
are ill, two happen to be on a very important job, three have
arranged to be picked up by someone else who as no petrol or puncture
etc., now10. Two are at work, two arc out of town, two hove
just returned from potholing and have no lights and three of the
remaining four are slightly drunk etc. Like the ten little nigger boys soon
there were none and someone, only a caver may die. However due to some
mysterious factors there always a certain few who always arrive and they are
always the same few. How is it that this same few always attend practice
rescues, - everyone knows that practice rescues are useless except
of course these same few. Every cave rescue brings with it new
problems and it just isn’t done to start experimenting on a real rescue, no
matter how inviting the problem. The equipment may be wrong, pity we
didn’t know before. Several hours may be then wasted getting the
right stuff, but we’ve never had a case like this before. The expert suddenly
realises that an unconscious man is heavy and it takes six men to lift him,
‘How can we do it’. All these problems have to overcame, but how? All by practice rescues. All
members should attend these - even the ‘experts’. Own at least two sets
of’ lighting equipment and ‘charged’. Own at least two sets of caving clothes
and keep one set dry. See that you have enough petrol in your vehicle for a
call-out. Attend at least four club meets a year. Inform me of changes to your address,
if you are on holiday or wish to be taken off the team. If you are
breathing I expect you to turn out. Words like these:- 'I won’t go' and 'there’s
bound to be plenty there' could well become the prologue to some ones epitaph.
J. Eyre - Area Organiser, Lancaster & Kendal.