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What does Table Mountain Rescue offer? |
Table Mountain Rescue is capable of performing technical rescues involving complex rope and helicopter techniques. Its members include competent alpinists, climbers, hikers and off road vehicle drivers. We currently utilize a combination of personal gear and equipment owned by the provincial rescue services for practicing and during operations. Some members have more than 20 years experience as rescuers. Others are fit, strong and young. One of its members is a volunteer rescue manager for the province.
We intend to equip ourselves to the necessary standard to where we can use our own equipment for practices and include it in the operational capability of the province.
We can offer Community service to willing volunteers. We augment the Province's resources by identifying and training a source of manpower for wilderness rescues. While no rescue will be performed entirely by a Table Mountain Rescue team as WSAR blends teams for each rescue as a matter of principle, we save lives by finding the lost and bringing the injured to medical help.
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About Table Mountain Rescue |
Table Mountain Rescue is a volunteer mountain rescue organization that was created at the close of 2003. It is a rescue service modeled on the English mountain rescue organizations and does not have close affiliation to an outdoor or mountain club. We have as individuals banded together to assist others in need and have no other focus.
We are active participants in Wilderness Search and Rescue, the Provincial body that co-ordinates and manages the volunteer response to any mountain rescue callouts.
Wilderness Search and Rescue was created in response to the increasing number of calls for assistance from people injured or lost in the Western Cape Mountains. The responsible authority, the Directorate of Emergency Medical Services in the Western Cape Provincial Administration, established this co-coordinating body, Wilderness Search and Rescue, to expand and extend volunteer services within the province.
The creation of an umbrella body has in turn has resulted in many more organizations developing the capability to assist in the mountains and increasing the numbers and scope of the volunteers. Whereas 20 volunteers were dealing with 50 calls a year five years ago, now 80 volunteers perform some 250 rescues a year. Selected, suitably qualified and active enough groups can now participate in this community service within this umbrella organization.
About 60% of these callouts are for lost or benighted people, 15% are for injured people, 5% are recoveries and 20% are unnecessary operations.
We believe there is scope for a singularly focused organization in this grouping as opposed to the various mountaineering organizations that feed members into volunteer rescue.
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