Lake District mountain rescue teams are experiencing a busy start to the summer.
Now the schools have broken up for the holidays, the warm but mixed weather is leading to an increase in visitors.
It’s an increase that mountain rescue teams anticipated – as July and August are typically the busiest months of the year for incidents.
But teams have recorded 17 more call outs compared to this time last year, meaning teams have attended 418 incidents this year compared to 401 incidents last year.
On the weekend of Saturday July 13 and Sunday July 14 alone teams were called out over 14 times.
Of the 418 ‘999’ callouts recorded so far in 2024…
- 38 per cent of these are injuries with the top three injuries being ankle, lower leg and head
- 10 per cent of these are medical emergencies, with the top three being dizziness, heart attack and hypothermia
- 21 per cent of these were lost or missing or overdue people and are avoidable
The total number of mountain rescue team hours deployed to date this year is now over 22,000 hours.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue team is considered one of the busiest teams in the Lake District and has already responded to 92 call outs and logged over 5,800 team member hours.
Scafell Pike accounts for around 60 per cent of Wasdale Mountain Rescue’s call outs due to its popularity with walkers – most of these are also recorded as lost and avoidable incidents.
Teams are working to try and reduce avoidable rescues – which are incidents that can be avoided by good preparation and planning – as they can seriously impact team resources for other serious incidents.
Mountain Rescue teams are asking people to #BeAdventureSmart when planning adventurous activities this summer and remember the following points:
- Am I confident I have the knowledge and skills for the day?
- Do I know what the weather will be like?
- Do I have the right gear?
Last year proved mountain rescue’s busiest year on record – with a total of 714 call outs recorded by the end of December.
Teams are expecting 2024 to be a challenging year for funding capital expenditure as most teams are in the process of upgrading rescue bases and equipment to accommodate the increase in callouts.
Over the next two years an additional £3 million will need to be raised through fundraising.
Want to know the ways mountain rescue teams recommend staying alive in the fells? Read more here.
