Hello from the team!
With the support of the local community, we can sustain and develop our life-saving capability in support of the emergency services for 24/7 365 days of the year.
There are considerable costs associated with providing this key role; we rely almost entirely on fundraising efforts and events run by the team members and on public donations.
Items such as vehicles, stretchers and team clothing are purchased with the funds we raise.
To increase our capability, we are in need of a new life saving piece of kit - a portable heated blanket, called an ‘active external warming device’.
This equipment helps swiftly heat up any casualty of any age, who has been lost, or injured. This heating capability, which is much more effective than the best blankets available, will help treat, and certainly prevent hypothermia, a constant deadly threat to any casualty of any age suffering exposure or shock.
What we do
We are professionally trained to support the emergency services in search and rescue. We support the Police with search and rescue. We support the Fire and rescue service with our swift water rescue team and high-level rope access team. We support the Ambulance service with assisting locate and carry casualties in off-road areas of the countryside and moor.
We have numerous call-outs during the year, not only on the moor, abut also in semi-urban areas around towns and villages, and low-level countryside. As well as lost walkers, we also search for people suffering from mental illness, depression, dementia or learning difficulties.
We were in fact the first 'dementia friendly' Mountain Rescue Team in the country!
As well as saving lives, we educate people about the moor and encourage people to visit these amazing wild places just on our doorstep. To achieve this we organise talks, demonstrations and training courses which inform and educate the public of all ages in the techniques of hill survival and safety.
How can you help us?
We are in need of £2,500 to purchase a technical, portable heated blanket called an active external warming device - which will save lives.
At some point during virtually all of our rescues the casualty experiences, or is at risk of hypothermia which is a seriously dangerous condition that often kills vulnerable people in the sorts of circumstances that we find them.
This heating device will greatly enhance our capability to ensure the safety and comfort of the casualty and will become an essential part of our life saving kit.
We will be pioneering in making this highly effective equipment part of our core-kit, hopefully inspiring other rescue teams to adopt the technology.
The statistics
Between 2010 and 2014 the team have responded to 78 incidents. In all cases (100%), the casualties were assessed as having suffered hypothermia or the incident exposed them to the risk of depeloping hypothermia.
All we need is for you to donate to this page however big or small- we are very grateful for any size donation.
Your rewards
There are plenty of rewards up for grabs- so you can donate and receive a special thank you from us.
- A £20 food voucher for the Cross Keys Inn at the beautfiful Cawsands - SOLD
- A Moor to Sea without the Car walking guide produced with the help of Plymouth University students
- Experience being a casulty on one of our training evenings
- A delicious homemade cake delivered straight to your door - SOLD
- A days experience with the team - SOLD
- We're offering Bronze, Silver and Gold packages!- see more in the rewards column.
One reward you don't want to miss...
Moor to Sea without the Car walking guide
Moor to Sea without the Car is a unique walking guide created in partnership with Plymouth University.
Each walk, written by DSRTP members, is beautifully illustrated with original paintings, photographs, poetry and maps, masterfully created by Plymouth University students and staff.
A little word from a happy owner of the book:
“I’m a really keen runner and as part of my training I’ve been running the different routes from the Moor to Sea book, some of which I’ve done with friends and others I’ve explored on my own. This has been a really fun experience and I’ve loved finding these amazing places without needing to have access to a car. There are so many beautiful spots on Plymouth's doorstep and I’m always keen to discover new places, so this book certainly helped to highlight some gems!”
- Sarah Bowman, Project Graduate Intern, Plymouth University
Meet the talented Plymouth University students who helped make this book happen:
"The students' high standard of work is creating the ultimate walking guide for fellow students and staff, giving us a unique way to raise funds and continue our rescue work" - Ken Ringwood, DSRTP team member
Our little helpers, the rescue dogs
The team benefit from the invaluable assistance of fully qualified search dogs Sunny (right) and young Toohey (left). Through their super sensitive sense of smell, and years of dedicated training with their handlers, they can detect a casualty or in need from great distances.
Where we live!
We're not far - our new rescue Centre is at 4 Devonshire Meadows, Broadley Park near Roborough. As well as being a fantastic space and resource for our own training, as well as our community outreach programmes, we also can keep all our vehicles and equipment safe in here.
Being so close to both Plymouth and the moor means we can get out on rescues quickly.
Thank you
Thank you very much from all of us for choosing to read our crowdfunder page, and we do hope you can help us get the kit we need to continue to save lives.
The Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Plymouth