Rescue Volunteer with ‘life limiting injuries’ rescuing Covidiots.

[RainingBatsAndFrogs]

Fingers crossed for this mountain rescue team member who was trying to rescue one of a couple of campers who broke lockdown in the fells.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-cumbria-55978537

I know a rescue like this can happen at any time, but these 2 men put themselves at risk in a way that meant volunteers would be increasing the usual hazards of turning out on the fells in the dark, in winter temperatures, by needing to work closely, share vehicles etc, at risk of COVID infection. And mix with these 2 clowns coming from different areas.

I hope their shame weighs more heavily than the pathetic £200 fine.

And the fact that they are volunteers doesn't make them 2nd rate to other emergency services. Not at all. They take their job very seriously and can ignore a cry for help as much as the police can. Or paramedics can.

They travelled too far certainly didn’t stay local, were camping in a tent together so certainly weren’t observing social distancing (unless their tent was the size of a marquee), they embarked on a potentially risky camping trip up a lake district fell in sub zero temperatures with even worse weather forecast then called out volunteers to help them out when they got into difficulties. Thus endangering a team of volunteers.

The point of staying local is it minimises the chances of any potential accidents, breakdowns, traffic jams and potentially putting other people in harms way. Hence, why I have been doing the same four boring walks from my front door since last March. To avoid putting myself or anyone else in danger.

But these two ‘clowns’ or whatever people might call them are obviously above following the guidance that most of the rest of us have been following since March as they are ‘special’. Or perhaps they were testing their tents or camping gear as Dominic Cummings put lives at risk when he travelled across the country supposedly looking for childcare, testing his eye sight or visiting his mum in the north for her birthday.

Also many of the MRT are volunteers any many work in medical or emergency services in their day jobs.

The fine they received might not put other idiots/selfish people off. No concern for any lock down rules or guidelines so totally ignorant. I doubt they care being selfish

I hope the rescue guy recovers soon although injuries looked serious.

They are incredibly skilled.

And fit! I have had teams racing past me, a doctor carrying his kit, sprinting from valley to summit.

And they deal with everything from crag fast sheep to recovering a body from the scree below the summit of Helvellyn while the victim’s wife and children look on .

If the term Covidiot is unacceptable, how about 'fucking selfish bastards who have potentially destroyed somebody's life through their arrogance' then?

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

I'm an experienced paddler as are other members of the household.

We haven't paddled during any lockdowns or restricted periods because of the tiny risk of needing a rescue service. None of us ever has needed a rescue and I hope we never will. I wish the campers well but I wouldn't have gone to the fells at this time. And, as desperate as I am to be on the water again, none of us will be on the water until we're out of the current restrictions.

Its funny. ALL the experienced paddlers without exception we know are avoiding water in restrictions and lockdowns.

People who have experience and training in these type of activities are taught to deliberately be risk adverse.

Anyone out there wild camping in winter or doing extreme sports is not experienced nor trained and absolutely should not be out.

Its all about the ability to recognise risk and understand how not to put yourself and others at risk.

@Redbrickwall

Please don’t use the term covidiot’. It makes you look an idiot

Is there a term you prefer personally?

Absolute bastards! That poor guy will never be the same. A guy I know volunteers for that actually group and it’s sickening to think it could have been avoided had they not been there.

I seen a post in FB before ‘saying yes but even if it wasn’t for covid, he’d still be up there and have needed help’ as if that makes ok 🤦‍♀️

They shouldn’t have been up there point blank during covid! What made the rescue worse was the PPE. Apparently the rescuer fell because there was a blanket covering something and he didn’t realise there was a drop.

You shouldn’t be going up there at all right abd apparently one was from Leicester 🤬

Selfish fuckers and they should be given more than a £200 fine!!!

@Miljea

Always a tricky one.

I am reminded of certain surf-rescue set-ups in Australia who used to -maybe still do?- regularly try to make going into the ocean other than between the flags illegal, like they alone own the right to venture out.

No one forces these volunteers out; they choose to do it.

I also how he has a speedy recovery.

But ^ OP, don't^ immediately discredit your point by use of the toe-curling term 'covidiot'.

It doesn't reflect well on any point you are trying to make.

Are you kidding? When people chose to take risks there are consequences. You right, no one owns the water or the mountain but if you chose to go up, un prepared, in the middle of winter during a pandemic- then if something goes wrong, tough. You’re on your own!

Yes the volunteers may chose to be such, but equally stupidly puts them in danger. If they all said, ‘this it’s not worth it’ and didnt bother, the genuine cases where someone slips, has a heart attack, is fully equipped and it’s the middle of summer etc... would also be left.

@NeverDropYourMoonCup

If the term Covidiot is unacceptable, how about 'fucking selfish bastards who have potentially destroyed somebody's life through their arrogance' then?

In this situation that would do nicely. Selfish twats.

@RainingBatsAndFrogs

I walk on fells, I sometimes camp in winter, accidents happen.

But to camp in winter in difficult terrain when you have a pre-existing condition and when you are breaking the law to put others at risk is totally irresponsible.

The Mountain Rescue Teams are amazing. I put money in their collection tins for every day’s fell walking I do when I visit the lakes.

Maybe there should be insurance policies or those rescued should have to pay.

Is this tough terrain with a snow forecast? I don't care how fit the person is, they need insurance, just like driving a car.

[quote Fieldofyellowflowers]@Miljea

If these two men hadn't broken lockdown rules by travelling up to the Lake Distrkct from Leicester and Liverpool, if they had not thought that it was a good idea to go wild camping in the middle of winter when there was snow forecast then mountain rescue would not have needed to be called. The poor man who fell would not have been there in bad conditions.

I live near the lake district. Mountain rescue has had a massive increase in calls from unprepared idiots trying to climb mountains. Some of them weren't even in trouble. They were just tired and fancied a lift back down. That is not what mountain rescue is for. Some people didn't even know what mountain they were on.[/quote]
Excellent post!

@BooksAndWine

This guy had two previous heart episodes. This wasn't out of the blue. I live by this mountain. We have had a pretty lovely month weather wise. There were nights where actually I would have said they were caught out. That night wasn't one of them. It was freezing and very, very windy. It wasn't a nice clear winter evening. All of that was predicted in the weather forecast. They were not caught out. Yes they were unprepared and shouldn't have been up there. There are no justification for thinking that was a reasonable place to come from Lincolnshire and Liverpool. The Mountain Rescue have done so much work trying to explain to the public exactly what a covid secure rescue looks like and how so, so much more difficult that is at the moment. This man was a volunteer who got out of his bed on a freezing, windy February night because he loves the fells and wants everyone to enjoy them. But that doesn't mean at the moment and it doesn't mean without taking proper precautions.

The Lake District takes no pleasure in telling visitors not to come. South Lakeland has the highest proportion of people on furlough in the country. The industry, livelihoods, communities are all suffering. Many won't recover. But we are still asking people not to come because the infrastructure isn't there to keep everyone safe.

The mountain rescue volunteer has life changing injuries. It was reported on local radio today that he may never walk again.

All to save a pair of clowns that think they’re above the law. Poor family of the rescuer.

@LunaHeather

While I wish that we could make idiots who do stupid stuff like this pay for their rescue, it may discourage people who end up in tricky situations through no fault of their own calling for help.

I live in the Lake District and in normal times I spend all my free time on the fells. I haven't ventured anywhere above 500 metres since before March last year and certainly no where during lockdown proper, because of the pleas from mountain rescue.

So I'm seriously pissed off that these people travelled all that distance to do something on my doorstep that I'd love to do, but recognise it's not appropriate to do so.

The £200 fine is a joke.

@Redbrickwall

Please don’t use the term covidiot’. It makes you look an idiot

This

@Covidiot

What would you call them then? I think it’s an entirely appropriate name in this instance (and many, many others)

Idiot would suffice given it’s a actual word and not made up to try and sounds clever.

I reckon this thread would say almost exact same things it is saying even if we were in non-pandemic times.

I hope that the campers & rescuer(s) all recover well and soon.

Totally agree with you op. And yes, they’re covidiots as their idiotic behaviour specifically about something covid related, breaking covid rules. Great term to use here in this instance

I thought the £200 fine far too measley in this instance. Maybe their names should be realised too - that would surely stop other covidiots from doing similar. Public shaming is needed.

It’s been reported locally here (Norfolk) that a couple from London fancied a walk by the sea, and when their car was spotted late in the afternoon (feared abandoned) it sparked a full scale rescue operation. Lifeboat, helicopter, the full works. They were issued with a fixed penalty fine, nowhere near the cost of the rescue operation. Utterly selfish behaviour.

Miljea- *am reminded of certain surf-rescue set-ups in Australia who used to -maybe still do?- regularly try to make going into the ocean other than between the flagsillegal, like they alone own the right to venture out.

No oneforcesthese volunteers out; they choose to do it.*

Yep, such selfish volunteers, imagine being so awful to try and keep people in the safe water.
.

@Ginfordinner

What kind of lunatic goes camping in the fells in winter? They should pay for their rescue.

Agree, but this point was also made when we had the storms last February and idiots were going out and having to be rescued by the RNLI.

Personally I would charge these twonks, but the charities concerned don't agree.

The volunteers are heroes who respond out of a sense of honour and duty, these are amoung the finest and highest qualities that human beings can have.
Please don't anyone denigrate them by saying 'no one forces them to do it'