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Saw this in the paper today
Could not believe it
Had to grit my teeth!
The rescuers should have fined him
Can you imagine what would have happened to this guy in France, Italy or any other country
The rescuers in the UK are all volunteers and should be given more respect than this
The Meteo paper has a longer report than this if anyone cares to read it View attachment 68671View attachment 68672
One of the reports said the initial call was ""BECAUSE HIS LEGS HURT HAVING WALKED SO FAR "".The rescue team had a 16K round trip through rain,wind and snow and he slept as they fought their way back down the mountain.So sad.Saw this in the paper today
Could not believe it
Had to grit my teeth!
The rescuers should have fined him
Can you imagine what would have happened to this guy in France, Italy or any other country
The rescuers in the UK are all volunteers and should be given more respect than this
The Meteo paper has a longer report than this if anyone cares to read it View attachment 68671View attachment 68672
I agreeI can understand the frustration of the rescue teams and I agree that the individual concerned appears to have been grossly irresponsible and self-centred. But it is a widely held principle in the UK that individuals are not charged for rescue services even when they have behaved quite moronically. In no small part because those who provide rescue services - and in the UK they are mainly volunteers both in mountain rescue and in the lifeboat service - do not wish to discourage those in genuine distress from calling for help because they are afraid of being billed for large sums.
12 to 3! It is a wonder that there were no injuries at the end.
Saw this in the paper today
Could not believe it
Had to grit my teeth!
The rescuers should have fined him
Can you imagine what would have happened to this guy in France, Italy or any other country
The rescuers in the UK are all volunteers and should be given more respect than this
The Meteo paper has a longer report than this if anyone cares to read it View attachment 68671View attachment 68672
Oops. I remembered the 12 from the hours....or even 16 to 3 for that matter....
He had the wherewithal to call them out so why not call 999 back when he had reached safety
What a strange situation! Barking madThe only frustrations I recall (and this is nearly ten years ago so may have been resolved) were being turned down on a lottery funding application because our client base was not sufficiently ’diverse’ and not being exempt from paying VAT on purchases as the other emergency services (and I think the RNLI) are.
Ah. If only "idiot" was an ethnic identitybecause our client base was not sufficiently ’diverse’
Oops. I remembered the 12 from the hours.
Trust you Rick to find something like this ....did make me laugh!!Oops. I remembered the 12 from the hours.
Anyway, if there really was justice:
We have walked people off the Moor on several occasions when we've encountered them in the middle of nowhere with no map, no compass, no waterproofs to deal with the mist that has suddenly appeared in the manner of Dartmoor, and no clue. I still laugh at the occasion I was letterboxing on my own on one of Dartmoor's lovely misty moisty days. 3 times I encountered the same group, each time looking at their map with complete puzzlement at which point I would show them where they were, show them how to take a bearing to get to where they wanted to be, and waved them off. An hour or so later I would meet them again, in a different wrong place. In the end I suggested gently that they might like to go home and learn how to read a map before coming back.Ah. If only "idiot" was an ethnic identity
I served time on Dartmoor and in Snowdonia. Most call-outs were to the sandal-wearers; the "I don't need a raincoat" brigade, and the map-less and clue-less. Some other calls were really tragic, and some provided the magic - reuniting loved ones despite bad luck in shite weather.
I was in a mountain rescue team for ten years.
Haha, that made my afternoon (the film, not the stupidity of the Walker!)Oops. I remembered the 12 from the hours.
Anyway, if there really was justice:
My Dad used to take me up there from very young. The barefoot stage was when the family moved to New Zealand for several years and kids there often walk barefoot or just in flipflops for pretty much any activity. You end up with very wide but strong feet and skin like leather. Then we came back when I was about 15 and I've been walking there ever since.I’ve never used GPS; a map and compass feel more reliable, somehow. Anyway, I had so much fun learning the skills to use them, when I was a child, along with all the ‘extras’ ... the clues to be gleaned from really looking at the land, trees, etc around you.
Dartmoor is beautiful, but the mist can appear in minutes and then it becomes a very different place for the unprepared.
You’re blessed to have spent so long on the Moor to feel at home on it!
Yeah, the whole point of having a mobile phone is the sheer number of maps you can have on it. Then you can print them out. Which is even better.I like old fashioned maps.
My Dad used to take me up there from very young. The barefoot stage was when the family moved to New Zealand for several years and kids there often walk barefoot or just in flipflops for pretty much any activity. You end up with very wide but strong feet and skin like leather. Then we came back when I was about 15 and I've been walking there ever since.
I like old fashioned maps. I have the Ordnance Survey app on my phone and it's brilliant for making things easy, but I also always have a proper map and compass. I like navigating at sea by the old methods too, there is something very pleasing about acquiring and practising the skill of using a sextant.
I agree they should be fined.Saw this in the paper today
Could not believe it
Had to grit my teeth!
The rescuers should have fined him
Can you imagine what would have happened to this guy in France, Italy or any other country
The rescuers in the UK are all volunteers and should be given more respect than this
The Meteo paper has a longer report than this if anyone cares to read it View attachment 68671View attachment 68672
I agree they should be fined.
I live in a very rural state in the US and we have calls for rescue all the time--folks who are lost in mountains, have fallen off cliffs, etc, but this is the first time I've heard of calling because of sore legs. Appalling!
I disagree. It's a very common feeling amongst people who do activities where there is some risk that you help where you can without expecting payment. There is a huge pool of skill and knowledge amongst the people who walk or dive or cave or swim, and you could not provide that in a paid for service. It wouldn't occur to me nor to most of my friends not to help if they could. For some people training to be a member of a rescue group becomes a hobby in itself.I agree they should be fined.
I live in a very rural state in the US and we have calls for rescue all the time--folks who are lost in mountains, have fallen off cliffs, etc, but this is the first time I've heard of calling because of sore legs. Appalling!
I do so agree Rick,Fines aren't payment to the rescuers. The threat of fines may make some people a bit more cautious. Fine money could be spent on educational signs or maybe put into an insurance fund for injured rescuers or for the families of dead rescuers.
No.Fines aren't payment to the rescuers. The threat of fines may make some people a bit more cautious. Fine money could be spent on educational signs or maybe put into an insurance fund for injured rescuers or for the families of dead rescuers.
Where are you going to put the signs? Every 50 metres along the side of every road in wild country? Ditto around every piece of water or riverbank?Fines aren't payment to the rescuers. The threat of fines may make some people a bit more cautious. Fine money could be spent on educational signs or maybe put into an insurance fund for injured rescuers or for the families of dead rescuers.
No.
No.
No.
Trailheads. You don't need them at every one just where there is an increased danger.Where are you going to put the signs?
That sounds appalling to me. Our whole world is becoming increasingly recorded and regimented and I will not register with my government or anyone else just because I want to go for a walk.I like what our state of New Hampshire does. They have an optional HikeSafe card that exempts you from fines except for blatant recklessness.
Buy Your Voluntary Hike Safe Card | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
NH Fish and Game Department, guardian of the state's fish, wildlife, and marine resources.www.wildlife.state.nh.us
We don't have trails in the way that you imagine them. We have open country where people walk anywhere. i can stop my car alongside the road on Dartmoor or any other wild area, get out, and walk up the hill. No trail, no signs, no nothing. That's what most of the UK is like and it's why your suggestion of signs simply does not work.Trailheads. You don't need them at every one just where there is an increased danger.
I'm not going to argue the point further. If your rescuers are happy with the situation then fine. Put it up to a vote and give me a vote and you know what I'd do.
Trailheads. You don't need them at every one just where there is an increased danger.
I'm not going to argue the point further. If your rescuers are happy with the situation then fine. Put it up to a vote and give me a vote and you know what I'd do.
I think that Rick was just informing us of the New Hampshire system so I don't think your use of the word"daft" is helpfulThis is an interesting point. The MRT members might argue that once you start putting up signs you have moved into the area where people are looked after, instead of needing to be able to cope with adversity. Then they start saying there was no sign hence there was no danger so they needn't have been prepared.
I suggest we leave well alone.
Back in the day before mobile phones I used to spent a week in the CIC hut on Ben Nevis every winter, ice climbing. I can't think for one moment a sign at the beginning of the track would have made the slightest difference to my chances of survival. Not would some daft insurance policy. A decent, motivated, well-trained volunteer mountain rescue team? That's a different matter.
this short film was an honourable mention for the 2020 Academy Awards Short Film Animated category. Unfortunately it was not actually nominated, but deserves to be ...Haha, that made my afternoon (the film, not the stupidity of the Walker!)
Given the OP it might be worth quoting the last few short paragraphs of the BBC article for those who cannot view it:Now here is a happy ending: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51473800
Apologies to those denied access to our renowned BBC.
Now here is a happy ending: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51473800
Apologies to those denied access to our renowned BBC.
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