Multiple Mid Wales Mountain rescue teams had to juggle three simultaneous callouts as they were dispatched to rescue an injured woman at lake Vyrnwy.
On Saturday, October 7, Aberdyfi Mountain Rescue attended an incident alongside South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team in which a woman had injured her ankle and needed to be flown to a hospital for further treatment, while balancing two other urgent rescue operations at the same time.
Shortly before 4pm, call handlers from the Aberdyfi team were made aware of a walker with an ankle injury at the head of Lake Vyrnwy.
Team vehicles and volunteers were dispatched to the location, which was a significant distance from their base.
However, the situation was made more complicated as earlier that day, just before 2pm, the team received a request from Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, calling for assistance in reaching an injured mountain-biker near Aberystwyth.
After receiving the call for the injured walker at Lake Vyrnwy, team vehicles and volunteers were dispatched to the location, and with some personnel already committed to the incident at Aberystwyth, a request for support was placed with South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team to bolster numbers.
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However, as the rescue teams were on route to Lake Vyrnwy, they received another call for a separate injured walker on Cader Idris, but fortunately the first incident of the day was closing down, freeing up both Aberdyfi volunteers, and those from Brecon, who were able to provide assistance.
Meanwhile, at Lake Vyrnwy, the injured woman was attended to by MR casualty carers before being flown by Coastguard Rescue936 to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor for further assessment and treatment, but not before the helicopter was able to divert to Cader Idris to provide a quick rescue.
Rescue team spokesperson Graham O’Hanlon said: "It is highly unusual for us to have three overlapping incidents, being situated in the farthest corners of our area of operation which only served to exacerbate the situation.
"Whilst it is never comfortable to feel like your resources are starting to be spread too thinly, it is testament to the organisation and training of Mountain Rescue Teams around the UK, that we can back-fill and seamlessly support each other when these situations do arise.
“It is impressive to see that a volunteer organisation has this degree of resilience."
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