Little Dun Fell, left, and Great Dun Fell lie on the Pennine Way route. Photo: Bob Smith/grough
Rescuers from the Penrith team were involved in a multinational operation to bring a hypothermic walker to safety from the high fells of the northern Pennines.
An SOS message was passed to Cumbria police from Houston, Texas when the 22-year-old French woman got into difficulties on Tuesday.
The walker was struggling in high winds and had become hypothermic, so activated the alarm on her personal locator beacon.
The signal from the device, which uses orbiting satellites to relay messages, was picked up in the USA and Cumbria Constabulary was alerted. Penrith Mountain Rescue Team was called out about 12.55pm and sent two of its vehicles to Great Dun Fell.
A team spokesperson said: “The casualty was found on Little Dun Fell. A passing walker had managed to reassure her, warm her up and was escorting her towards safety.
“The team checked her over, provided her with a hot drink and transported her to her accommodation in Dufton.”
The three-hour rescue involved 10 Penrith MRT volunteers.
Ian512
17 April 2017By "SOS message", I assume you didn't mean by Morse Code.
robert m
17 April 2017Hi,
Thanks for posting this, grough.
Personal locator beacons (PLBs) are great for alerting rescuers, if mobile phones don't work:
https://www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/essential-skills/mountain-rescue/calling-for-help
This is a nice example of how effective they can be. It's good that the solo hiker was carrying one & that she was able to use it under difficult circumstances (*). Well done both to Penrith MRT & the passing walker who was able to offer her assistance - I'm glad that she was OK, in the end!
Thanks for reading,
robert 767
(*) Good info on hypothermia:
https://www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/essential-skills/weather-conditions/hypothermia
It seems to be a problem throughout the UK & throughout the year:
https://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/search/hypothermia
https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/information-centre/incident-statistics
http://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/member-page/mrcos-documents/statistics/
Useful advice for solo walkers (& lots more great info) is included in the download:
https://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2017/04/13/publisher-cicerone-backs-lakeland-rescuers-safety-leaflets-campaign
Jim Fraser
18 April 2017So was this SPOT? Did it go through UK-MCC? It needs to.
Ian512
19 April 2017Some points made about PLBs on grough a while back:
Gerald Davison 29 December 2011
Just a few things as my Personal opinion from an MR team member (not representing my team).
1. As with mobile phones on the hill, anything that potentially speeds up rescue is a good thing.
2. The downside will be people carrying these and using them to get help inappropriately ("I'm a bit tired and hungry" or "I'm late" types of call).
3. Unlike mobile phones this is "one way" so SAR resources can't assess urgency, so will end up treating everything as risk to life.
4. If you carry one of these, please try your mobile first to dial 999 and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue - much better to speak to someone if at all possible. You may get advised to set off the PLB as well to help with location if it is at all uncertain.
5. REGISTER THE PLB! Even though OFCOM recommend it, the registration details held include your name and contact details and that of several emergency contacts who may be able to provide information about your plans, party size, etc. Registration forms and methods are included with every PLB sold.
OldManOfTheHills
21 April 2017More useful for UK mobile holders in most of the UK is registering your mobile with the 999 services, a service originally provided for the deaf but now available for walkers and readily usable in times of poor signal, poor battery and noisy environment. Thus a text can often be sent giving a permanent record of the issue of concern, and open two way communication with rescue services. The SARlock system can also locate you via mobile signal.
None the less in the Cairngorms range in winter where I might be 15 miles from any help and as many from a good mobile signal, I take my "sailing" PLB.
Though it may seem that the French woman had more help available than she feared I suspect the MRT would rather be called out to aid a casualty who had already found help, than be faced with the prospect of retrieving a corpse later
Ian512
21 April 2017Is your sailing unit an EPIRB registered to a vessel or a personally registered PLB?
Just trying to imagine the conversation at Maritime Rescue when they discover the distressed vessel is on the Monadh Mor near Cairn Toul in the Cairngorms.