Another Overstated Mendip Cave Rescue

[Roger W]

But could they get their hips through?

 

[martinr]

But could they get their hips through?

Yes!

 

[ZombieCake]

A very large gentleman got stuck in " Superman Squeeze "

Hmmm... so it wasn't Clark Kent's alter ego then and therefore there's no point in applying for a licence to mine a newly found Kryptonite vein?
Lex Luther.

 

[cap n chris]

 

[And]

I hope the experience hasn't put the young chap off caving. If it was his choice to do the squeeze, then he certainly has a caver's mentality to push himself physically and mentally to explore.

I'm surprised at the criticism on him/the leader coming from other "cavers". Mishaps and misjudgments are very rare, but occasionally they happen - similar things have happened to experienced cavers in the past.

 

[Maj]

Should people going on that sort of course be made to go through a hoop or ring of the appropriate size to check that they are not too large to get through the tight bits before being allowed down the cave?

What size would you make it? There are parts of Goatchurch I don't fit through. Or do you have a hoop sized for each obstacle? Oh yes and same shape as each of the slightly more restricted parts of the cave, since caver shape will make a difference too. Perhaps join all the hoops together in the correct relationship to one an other.....hold on a minute, we're building a replica artificial cave..........................    Hmmmm!

Maj.

 

[Maj]

Perhaps such caving " adventures " should be contained within the realm of such professionally run enterprises like " Wild Wookey " and " Wet Wellies " where we have excellent instructors both of which I know well.

Are you suggesting that the activity centre is not professionally run and the instructors there aren't excellent?

Just asking.

Maj.

 

[andrewmcleod]

Should people going on that sort of course be made to go through a hoop or ring of the appropriate size to check that they are not too large to get through the tight bits before being allowed down the cave?

What size would you make it? There are parts of Goatchurch I don't fit through. Or do you have a hoop sized for each obstacle?

Obviously it should be the short very tight tube that bypasses the first part of Hellish Tight (and is quite a bit smaller). Then only me, a very small fraction of boys and a still small but larger fraction of girls would be able to fit (plus a load of children I guess but you can't have everything). If you can't fit through that then you can only go in the big entrance to the bottom of the old showcave steps otherwise you might accidentally or foolishly get stuck in a tight bit...

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Perhaps such caving " adventures " should be contained within the realm of such professionally run enterprises like " Wild Wookey " and " Wet Wellies " where we have excellent instructors both of which I know well.

Are you suggesting that the activity centre is not professionally run and the instructors there aren't excellent?

Just asking.

Maj.

Of course not. I am saying only what I know and nothing about what I dont know. Call it hypothetical if you like .

 

[aricooperdavis]

Should people going on that sort of course be made to go through a hoop or ring of the appropriate size to check that they are not too large to get through the tight bits before being allowed down the cave?

What size would you make it? There are parts of Goatchurch I don't fit through. Or do you have a hoop sized for each obstacle?

Obviously it should be the short very tight tube that bypasses the first part of Hellish Tight (and is quite a bit smaller). Then only me, a very small fraction of boys and a still small but larger fraction of girls would be able to fit (plus a load of children I guess but you can't have everything). If you can't fit through that then you can only go in the big entrance to the bottom of the old showcave steps otherwise you might accidentally or foolishly get stuck in a tight bit...

You could save yourself the hassle by just making people promise not to get stuck! :idea:

 

[cap n chris]

Perhaps related, perhaps not, but is this an overstated Mendip path rescue?

http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/woman-rescued-cheddar-gorge-after-985965

Four fire crews, one from adjacent county, to assist with an injured person on a path. How many personnel is that, actually?

 

[Badlad]

I really don't understand what is going on here.  Services have been cut back to a dangerous levels in many quarters, so why such an over the top response here.

 

[pwhole]

Are they all on triple time for 'holiday work' perhaps? It does sound as though the resources v challenge equation is not exactly balancing here...

 

[Kenilworth]

I really don't understand what is going on here.  Services have been cut back to a dangerous levels in many quarters, so why such an over the top response here.

Probably a simple overabundance of altruism.

 

[Antwan]

A couple of observations.

It's not unusual for 8 people to be needed carrying a stretcher on rough ground and usually in MR there would be a spotter and or a controller as well as members to rotate on and off the stretcher, as well as hand over hand passing down steep sections. so if they only turned out a small 4 up unit from each station that's three to cover the stretcher, then one for backup.

That would be a logical way to ensure each station still had a viable crew ready for any critical local response.

It may be that (as with stations I have been to in Derbyshire and south Yorkshire) that a group of stations share specialists, i.e. one station has the animal rescue experts, another the off road experience another the rope rescue unit etc. So each station could have represented a skill set that may have been required.

Not really an over reaction in my eyes. 

 

[cap n chris]

Thanks for the insight, Antwan.

So if 4 crews for a single casualty is not an over-reaction I presume that in the event of, say, a 911-type event in the UK every single emergency service resource from the entire nation would need to attend.

 

[badger]

It is not very clear from the report what actually happened it almost seems that the casualty was assisted down rather than any stretchers.

Maybe we need someone from the emergency service's to answer the question, is the problem from the 999 receiver not understanding the nature of the incident and which service is required, so we end up with a high number of tenders being sent.
is it once they have a call they have to attend even knowing that it is an over response.
What is there legal obligation.
or as Antwan says that within an area of stations each have a speciality.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

The casualty was not a casualty. He just got stuck. Cavers got him out with plug and feathers. There was no need for anyone else to attend.

 

[badger]

old ruminator, I have read the latest bit to this thread as the 4 tenders being sent to assist a casualty from  cheddar gorge and not a cave. I believe chris  point was it seemed a proportionately high number for what could have been a low risk injury.

 

[RichardB1983]

The fire service list the incident as "Assist Other Agency" - so presumably they were called out by the ambulance service or police - rather than a member of the public?

4 fire engines does seem OTT, but given that professional emergency services personnel are getting paid regardless of whether they attend a rescue or not - the marginal cost of an additional fire engine attending is probably not that high