Mendip Cave Rescue were informed at 16:42 on Friday 10th September 2021 of an ongoing incident in Cheddar Gorge, when our colleagues from Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue requested some assistance via SARCALL in moving a female casualty who had slipped on a steep footpath and sustained a lower leg injury across some tricky ground and down to the roadside. 8 MCR members attended the incident and administered pain relief and assisted with the movement of the casualty as she was carefully moved across the difficult steep terrain to the waiting ambulance. The incident was closed at 19:12 with the casualty safely with the South Western Ambulance Service team.
Mendip Cave Rescue received a SARCALL message from Avon and Somerset Police at 01:31 on 19th November 2020 on behalf of their colleagues from Wiltshire Police (who don't currently use SARCALL) for an incident at Box Stone Mines, concerning a group of 4 people reported lost in the mine. The 4 explorers had entered the mine the previous day and found their way through to the "Bat Grill" entrance, which is currently bolted shut preventing their exit, where they managed to get a mobile phone signal to call for assistance, and used the What 3 Words application on their phone to report their location. Five experienced local cavers who know the mine well were able to attend the scene and quickly located the group from the surface and provided them with "space blankets" to keep them warm. Three of them then entered via another nearby entrance and made their way to the group to escort them to the surface. The incident was closed at 04:06 with everyone safely back on the surface.
Mendip Cave Rescue were called by Avon and Somerset Police via SARCALL at 20:50 on 5th November 2020, concerning an overdue party visiting Single Way mine at Bathampton. Whilst MCR wardens were preparing to respond, further information came through that the missing party had been located by their cars by officers from Avon and Somerset Police, and the incident was closed at 21:03.
Mendip Cave Rescue were called by Avon and Somerset Police via SARCALL at 10:50 on 9th September 2020 for an incident in Wookey Hole Caves in Wookey Hole. A male visitor in his 80s was complaining of breathing difficulties during the show cave tour. South Western Ambulance Service were also called, and after an assessment by the SWAS paramedic the casualty was able to walk out of the showcave to a waiting ambulance. One MCR warden attended along with ambulance service, and the incident was closed at 11:33 with the casualty safely escorted to the ambulance.
Mendip Cave Rescue were called by Avon and Somerset Police to an incident at St Cuthbert’s Swallet, Priddy at 18:31 on Sunday 1st March 2020, following a group of 5 cavers being reported overdue from their trip. On inspection it became clear that the constricted cave entrance had become impassable due to high water conditions. With Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue teams diverting water, using portable pumping equipment, the water level was lowered sufficiently to allow cave rescue team members to enter the cave and make contact with the overdue party, who were located beyond the wet entrance passages, cold, but otherwise safe and well. With the water level considered still too high for a safe exit further pumping was carried out before it was deemed safe to assist the cavers through the constricted entrance passage to the surface. Once out of the cave, the cavers, who were all now very cold and wet, were quickly assessed by the waiting South Western Ambulance Service personnel before leaving. The incident was completed by 21:44 and involved 17 cave rescue team members together with the attendance of a large contingent of Police, Fire and Ambulance personnel.
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