Avon & Somerset Search & Rescue

08 ASC FIM.  The CRO was alerted to exceptionally heavy rain and thunder storms that were happening in the Cheddar area of the Mendips. This had resulted in reports of very heavy surface water ‘run off’ in certain areas. Although no specific incidents of flooding were reported, the Water Rescue Team (including SRT technicians) were put on a high level of preparedness to respond at 14:40.

07 ASC FIM. The Force Incident Manager alerted the CRO (at 11:40) to a vulnerable person, who was threatening to self harm on a tall building in Taunton. The incident was resolved before it became necessary to mobilise the technical rescue team.

06 ASC Log No 1271(06/05/12). The FIM contacted the CRO at 11:32 to report a 79 year old female was missing in the Crewkerne area of Somerset. The female was very vulnerable and had been missing over night. The CRO was put in touch by phone with the local police sergeant and PolSA. A search plan was devised and local police committed local resource to the search plan. The A&S SAR search team was put on standby. The casualty was located at 13:05, and the team was stood down.

05 ASC Log No 527-D. An A&SSAR member was flagged down by a trainee nurse and assisted at the scene of a single vech road traffic incident at Filton S.Glos. A male rider had fallen from his motorcycle at speed and sustained multiple injuries, he was lapsing in and out of consciousness. The males airway was at times becoming compromised. Basic life support was given and his airway maintained together with spinal stabilisation to help prevent further injury until GWAS attended. Assistance was also given to the GWAS crews with extraction and loading of the casualty whilst attending officers from ASC maintained traffic control and safety at the accident scene on this busy main road and the incident investigation works.

04 ASC Log 351. Ambulance inc No 0263. Cleeve Road, Goblin Combe. A member of the SAR team chanced upon a female who was out walking her dog, at 08.57 hrs, who had fallen and sustained lower leg injuries. The ambulance and police control rooms were informed, and members of the SAR team carried the patient a short distance to the road where an ambulance was waiting. The SAR team were on a recruitment weekend at Goblin Combe Centre, a very short distance away from the incident. The team was stood down at 09:50 hrs.

03 ASC Log No.602. The Technical rescue team were training in Cheddar Gorge and noticed a paramedic go past at high speed. The police followed – saying there had been a motorcycle accident at ‘Bowery Corner’ near Harptree Lodge at the top of the Gorge. A small number of team members deployed to assist if required. No assistance was required at the scene, so the team stood down.

02 ASC Log No. 896 Due to the widespread extreme weather, including ice, snow and freezing rain, the police control placed an ‘open log’ with the team, enabling a series of responses to be made in support of the police service. This included emergency response and 4×4 logistical support. The main areas of response were, Wells, Chilcompton, Radstock, Peasdown St John, Radford and Bath. A response vehicle was available in Cheddar. As the weather improved during the night, the team was stood down at midnight.

01 ASG Log No. 775 At 16:45 the CRO was contacted by the police control room, requesting an immediate response to the Wells area of ‘F’ division. A family was reported to be trapped in a car, and due to the extreme cold and snowy weather the police were unable to access the location. A response was made in the team 4×4 ambulance, and the family of four was successfully recovered to a place of safety.

23 ASC Log No 0011 The police control called the CRO at 02:10, alerting the team to a very high risk, female who was know to be in Goblin Combe. The team was called and an RV set up at Goblin Combe. The initial search plan was successful and the female was located by police dogs near Brockley Combe. The incident was stood down at 03:35.

22 ASC Log No. 540 The CRO was contacted by police informing of a 78 year old male who was missing from home in the Keynsham area. The man had been missing since 13:00 and the team was called at 19:26. As soon as the team was called the man was located – safely, well out of the area by a member of the public. The team was stood down at 19:30.

21 ASC Log No. 527 The CRO was contacted by police informing that a very young male with learning difficulties was reported missing in the woods at Goblin Combe. The team was called out at 14:32. The male was located soon afterwards and the team was stood down.

20 A&SSAR Chief Rescue Officer’s were contacted by Avon & Somerset Police FIM and GWAS. Various Search and Rescue resources put on immediate operational readiness (6 ambulance’s inc. 3# 4X4, 1 tech rescue vehicle, 1 search vehicle, 1 water rescue vehicle and associated teams) to fill shortfall in resources though Friday evening and overnight due to other emergency services attending major incident. No deployments were required or made.

19 ASC Log No. 1024. The CRO was contacted by AS Police in regards to a missing person in the Highbridge area, the team was put on standby at 08:42 (Log No. 1185). Discussions carried on during the morning with the team being called out at 12:15. A multi agency missing person search was carried out in the Huntspill River area with Burnham Hovercraft Rescue, the coastguard, a police dog unit and the police helicopter. The team was stood down at 17:48.

18 ASC Log No. 574. The CRO was alerted by SARCALL to a young male cragfast on the cliffs in Burrington Combe at 13:29 hrs. The CRO responded to the car park in Burrington Combe where he was met by several bystanders, and two professional outdoor instructors. A young lad was observed to be cragfast at the height of appox 15m. Ropes were set up and using the available personnel a ‘single man’ rescue was carried out. The lad was examined by paramedics and returned to his parents – fit and well.

Other response units included the assistance of AFRS, AFRS line rescue unit, HART and GWAS paramedics. The incident was stood down at 14:21 hrs.

17 ASC log 523. The CRO was called by cave rescue at 11:04 who were forwarding a call passed to them in error. The report was of a female stuck somewhere on the cliffs in Cheddar Gorge. The A&S SAR team were running a training exercise that turned out to be 200m away from the incident. The female was unhurt and the team escorted her to safety. The team was stand down came at 14:42. No other assets were deployed to assist A&S SAR.

16 ASC Log No 523. The CRO was called by police control at 16: 40 notifying the team of a female missing person on or near, to Brean Down. The team was called at 16:46 for a search of the Brean Down area. The female was located, by the Coast Guard on the beach at Weston Super Mare. The team was stood down at 17:18

15 ASC Log No. 1325. The Chief Rescue Officer was contacted by Avon & Somerset Police notifying them of a vulnerable missing person in the Weston Super Mare area. The team was called out at 13:14. Search teams worked through Worlebury Woods and the adjacent quarries. The missing person was located at another location and the team stood down at 21:45.

14 ASC Log No. 635. The CRO was called by police control using SARCALL for the first time at 17:13 hrs. The search team was placed on standby – with immediate readiness to react. The police were seeking assistance with locating a vulnerable male, in the Radstock to Frome area of North Somerset. The male was known to be in his car, and therefore very mobile making it very difficult to formulate a search plan, but the A&S SAR team helped and assisted in the formulation of an action plan. The male was located by police in his car in Frome at 19:45. The patient was conveyed to RUH in Bath. The incident was stood down at 22:30

13 ASC Log No. 410 (ambulance incident no 298). A member of A&S SAR was traveling through Congresbury, and witnessed a car collide with a young female pedestrian who was crossing the road at about 09:10 hrs.. The team member gave emergency care, called an ambulance and organised the landing of an air ambulance. The patient was treated by paramedics and flown direct to Frenchay Hospital. The incident closed at 10:40.

12 ASC Log No. 887. A member of A&S SAR entered Fairy Cave Quarry (Somerset) at about 12:10. He was met by a distressed woman, indicating there had been a climbing accident. A male was observed to have fallen whilst climbing, and sustained injury. An ambulance was called from SWAST, and this was later backed up by the Somerset and Dorset air ambulance. The casualty was taken to hospital. The incident was closed at about 13:30.