Better a couple of days late than not at all, here is an instant summary of 2021. A full and illustrated account of CRO’s year will appear in Rescue 2022, to be published in March. We shall also be running a new safety campaign in the Spring, so ‘Watch this space!’.
With 89 incidents (4 fatal) and 11 ‘alerts’ (Call received, but resolved without outdoor action.), 2021 was a reasonably ‘normal’ year for the Cave Rescue Organisation. (Compare it with 87 main team incidents in 2020 and 102 in 2019.)
56 Incidents involved 80 walkers:
37 ‘lost’ or benighted in 13 incidents (includes 1 person also with ankle injury)
21 had ankle, lower leg, or knee injuries (only)
4 had head/facial injuries (only)
3 had both head/facial injuries and lower leg injuries
5 ‘medical’ incidents or conditions
4 heat-related
1 reported missing (FATAL)
1 ‘trampled’ by cattle
1 had hip injury
1 ‘fatigued’ (‘no food all day’)
1 separated from family
Caving was very safe (until November):
1 report of 3 cavers overdue (mis-communication; they were out and safe)
1 show-cave visitor had lower leg injury
1 caver various injuries in South Wales – whole caving community helped in rescue
Climbing maybe less so:
2 climbers stranded, rock climbing up Gaping Gill main shaft
2 falls with lower leg injuries
1 fall (FATAL) climbing
1 falling rock hit climber descending side of climb
‘Local incidents’ – supporting Police and Ambulance services:
2 recoveries of deceased people from a remote site for NYP (FATAL)
2 assistance at road traffic incidents until arrival of statutory agencies
1 ‘rescue’ where ‘patient’ ran away (Hic!)
1 search for vulnerable person
Other incidents:
2 runners injured in 3 Peaks Race ( 1 ankle, 1 serious gash in leg)
2 cyclists crashed off-road (various injuries)
1 paraglider crash-landed
1 dry-stone waller ‘trapped by legs’ at work-site
1 child stranded while rock scrambling
1 person sledged into a wall
1 trail-riding motorcyclist injured
Animals:
5 sheep or lambs stranded on crags or quarries
5 sheep or lambs stranded underground
1 dog stranded by river (See the owner’s video on our Facebook post.)
ALERTS:
County-wide flooding alert MRTs not needed.)
Police misper (Resolved)
Overdue walkers (Turned up)
Beacon activated by accident (Via London Ambulance Service!)
Lamb stuck in mud (Farmer went)
Sheep on ledge over Gaping Gill main shaft (Re-joined its flock?)
Driver trapped in car ‘wedged on tree overhanging quarry’ (He wasn’t.)
Dog ‘panicking’ on Gordale lower waterfall (Other walkers helped)
Rucksac found near Attermire (Recovered by unharmed owner)
Cavers overdue at Sell Gill Holes (Turned up during call)
Responded before discovering it was ‘the wrong Whernside’ – not ‘ours’.