The Nine Edges
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mountain Rescue funded by the tax-payer?
No, Mountain Rescue in England and Wales is paid for entirely by public donations.
Do you have any helicopters?
No, Mountain Rescue does not operate any helicopters. We do work closely with all sorts of aircraft though - our area is served by 6 different air ambulances and we also work with both RAF search and rescue Sea King helicopters and police helicopters. All our team members (and search dogs!) are trained to be winched in and out of RAF helicopters.
Who are the team members?
Edale Mountain Rescue Team is made up or people from all walks of life who give up their spare time to assist people who need help in the outdoors. All team members are volunteers and we currently have 51 people on the call out list and around a dozen in training.
What does it take to be a team member?
The short answer is - a lot of time and effort! Typically a new volunteer will need around 18 months training to become a full team member and be eligible to go on call outs. All new members need to be competent hill walkers, able to navigate and take care of themselves on the hill. Training covers a wide range of subjects including navigation, advanced first aid, radio communication, search skills, technical rescue, water safety and driving. The initial training period ends with a weekend assessment including recsue scenarios, night navigation and an overnight bivouac somewhere in the Peak District.
How often do you train?
We have formal training sessions every two weeks and a number of longer weekend exercises during the year. As well as training, team members also give up their time to maintain equipment, fundraise and give talks to local organisations.
How often do you get called out?
It varies from month to month and year to year but on average Edale Mountain Rescue Team get called to around 100 incidents a year. We tend to be busiest during the summer months but have jobs throughout the year. Our busiest year to date was 2005 with 113 jobs. Our busiest month was June 2005 when we responded to 20 callouts. Our busiest single day was August bank holiday 2004 when were called out to 5 separate incidents across the Peak District. Have a look at our statistics page for more information.
Who do you get called out to?
Our 'customers' are engaged in all sorts of activities. Walkers and climbers form the largest group but we are also called out to rescue mountain bikers, paragliders, horseriders, off road motorcyclists and fell runners. In addition, we are regularly asked to assist the police with searches for missing people, often vulnerable adults such as dementia sufferers, potential suicides and lost children. We also help the ambulance service with patients who are hard to reach or recover wherever they are. Sadly, we are also asked to help to recover bodies several times a year. More information on our statistics page.
Mountain Rescue? In the Peak District?
Our hills are certainly not as large or dramatic as those in the more mountainous regions of the UK but the high ground of the Peak District can be a challenging environment, particularly in bad weather when navigation can be a real problem. The Peak District National Park is one of the busiest in the world and we have probably the highest concentration of outcrop climbing anywhere in the world on our patch. These factors combine to make Edale one of the busiest teams in the country in terms of number of callouts.