by Chris Henshall » Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:43 pm
Hey Wee Davie, thanks for posting.
As one old git to another, you’ve certainly identified an issue and, if you read the online annual incident reports of, for example, any of the rescue teams in the Lakes, you’ll find a liberal scattering of examples in which a shout was clearly pretty needless. As long ago as the turn of the millennium, I remember being appalled by the mother of one of my daughter’s friends down in Kent who, because she knew that I did a bit of hillwalking, really enjoyed telling me all about her recent attempt on “the Three Peaks Challenge” before mentioning casually at the end that she hadn’t quite completed it because she "got really tired on Snowdon and had to take the helicopter down in the dark.”! She seemed to think that it was all part of the service…
I’m pretty sure, though, that charging people – even people like her – isn’t the right way forward. For me, there are three possible scenarios in the event of an incident on the hill.
1. The ideal is that, as you suggest, everybody should be self-contained and get themselves out of trouble if at all possible. While I’d do it if the alternative was genuine risk to life and limb, I’d certainly be mortified if I ever had to call out a mountain rescue team either for myself or for someone in my party and I’d bust a gut to get off the hill without having to pull anyone – paid or unpaid – out of their beds.
2. In the event of an incident with genuine risk to life and limb, access to a free mountain rescue service is the ideal. Yes, there is the issue which you identify that the inexperienced or under-educated might initiate a shout too readily but, by and large, the consequences are better than number three, below. Moreover, some of the negative consequences of a free service which is, arguably, a little bit too easy to access, can be countered if those rescued can be (strongly) encouraged either to make a donation or to organise some fundraising for the team. It’s also worth noting that, even if they don’t especially enjoy wandering around a wet hillside at 3.00.am. looking for missing walkers who have already got themselves home, many of those volunteering really enjoy belonging to a team and participating in training exercises.
3. The third scenario – people paying for rescue – opens up a can of worms.
First, the need for payment can disincentivise people from calling out rescue services when they need them; there are many tales of climbers not wishing to be rescued in the Alps because they were uninsured and couldn’t afford a helicopter ride.
Second, rescue becomes a transaction in which paying for a service gives rights to the rescued; how long would it be before someone sued a rescue service for causing them injury when strapping them into a stretcher?
Third, it could easily open the door to compulsory insurance – the thin end of a wedge that might lead to medicals, permits, training courses and who knows what hell?
So, overall, I reckon that we’re currently close to having the best of all worlds – although it would probably be beneficial if those going into the hills were (somehow) to get enough experience to be self-contained and not resort to their mobile phones as soon as the clag rolls in.
