Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue to help with 'major incident' in North Yorkshire
It's on hand to help the Fire Service due to an increase in call-outs due to the hot weather
Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team say they are on standby to help with the 'major incident' declared in North Yorkshire.
It is on hand to provide logistical support to the Fire Service due to an increase in call-outs due to the hot weather.
Ian Hugill is an Incident Controller at the Mountain Rescue Team in Scarborough.
He said: "Things like driving firemen to and from the fire ground itself, delivering bottled water or refreshments, our local knowledge of the area, the Moors and forests and also we can provide access to locked gates, padlocks and combinations that we have access to so the Fire and Rescue service can get to the scene more quickly.
"We haven't had to deal with situations to this extent but it's part of our training. We exercise in all conditions and carry equipment to deal with such situations and climate, be that in the middle of winter, or a hot summer day like yesterday. The only difference that we do is that in the summer we carry more water in our vehicles to address the challenges of dehydration.
"The fire and rescue service are at full stretch at the moment so anything we can do to prevent a fire is going to help them. In regards to the conditions, exercise early in the morning or in the evening and if you do go out, exercise where there's plenty of shade, keep out of direct sunlight, keep yourself hydrated and dress appropriately.
"The NHS, hospitals and ambulances are very, very stretched so just bear that in mind when you do go out on hills that if you have an accident, we'll come out to you, recover you to the roadside but you may have a long wait for an ambulance to arrive, so you could be sat at the side of the road for a couple of hours and then you may spend a considerable time in the ambulance waiting to get into A&E."