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History of Cave Rescue On Mendip
Alan Gray, the Secretary of Mendip Cave Registry and Archive, has been collating reports of all caving rescue and incidents located in the Mendip Cave Rescue region, from early reports of an incident in Pen Park Hole in 1669 through to the current day. All these reports, plus newspaper articles and extracts from log books, have been compiled into a book giving a thorough history of the cave rescue incidents that have taken place over the last 350 years, along with some information about how cave rescue equipment has evolved over the years. All of Alan's hard work has resulted in a 750+ page PDF book, that is available as a free download from the MCRA website.
Incident 3rd December 2022
At 10:30 on Saturday 3rd December 2022, an experienced male caver slipped in Goatchurch Cavern, dislocating his shoulder. Mendip Cave Rescue members were already at Goatchurch Cavern, setting up for a training session. The training session was quickly cancelled, and the casualty was assessed, given pain relief and assisted to the surface and down to the car park where he was handed over to colleagues from South Western Ambulance Service. The incident was closed at 11:34 with the casualty safely on the surface and was attended by 25 MCR team members in total.
Swan Mine training session, 5th March 2022
Mendip Cave Rescue held a rescue practice for the Stone Mine members in Swan Mine on Saturday 5th March 2022. This was a practice aimed more at the stone mines area, concentrating on the command & control and communication aspects of a search of a stone mine for a missing person. Two underground search teams entered the mine and were tasked with searching different areas of the mine, and reporting any casualties found to an underground control point. Communications between this underground control point and the surface were established, using both Cave Link for text messages and Heyphones for voice, along with the "micro Heyphone" kindly loaned to us by Ian Cooper from Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation. All simulated casualties were found and information about these casualties was successfully communicated back to the surface control point.