The
Mountain Club of South Africa was founded in 1891 and at
present consists of 13 sections throughout Southern Africa.
Membership holds many privileges and is certainly sought
after by persons who have a love of adventure and appreciation
of the natural environment. We are sure that you will find
the Mountain Club interesting with much excitement to be
found in its activities. Ask lots of questions. Join in
our activities as they suit you, organise your equipment
so that you are comfortable without carrying too heavily,
set aside enough time for walking or climbing and suddenly
you have access to a new life style.
The
Mountain Club of South Africa – Eastern Province Section,
undertakes to provide an effective and efficient search and rescue
service on a voluntary and free of charge basis to those in need of
assistance in the mountains irrespective of race, gender or cultural
background.
Procedure
to follow in the event of an emergency:
Phone
10111, state MOUNTAIN RESCUE EMERGENCY.
(Alternatively:
+27 082 990 7626 or the Rescue
Convenor)
Provide
your contact number (in case the connection is broken or we need to
contact you for additional information).
Number
of people injured / missing?
Assessment
of the medical condition of the injured?
Area
or locality where the incident took place?
Description
of the immediate terrain – is there a level spot nearby with no
vegetation?
Weather
conditions at the moment?
How
many uninjured people in the group?
Equipment
and competency of the rest of the group?
Additional
information:
Summary
Mountain
search & rescue is a volunteer based service consisting of
members from the Mountain Club who strive to render assistance to
those in trouble in the mountains or wilderness, as efficiently and
effectively as possible.
Apart
from regularly participating in hikes, rock climbs, kloofing and
caving meets, volunteers attend training on an ongoing basis in order
to stay current on technical rope rescue techniques, mountain
awareness, search management, spotting techniques and other related
topics. In addition, the team works closely with other organizations
(i.e. SAAF, SAPS Airwing, Metro Rescue, Metro Dog Unit, PEARS,
Scouts, 4 x 4 club’s, etc.) throughout the year in order to enhance
and strengthen co-operation between interest groups.
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Core Competencies
The following can be regarded as our
field of expertise:
-
Mountain
and Wilderness Search Management
-
Cliff
technical rope rescue
-
-
Helicopter
assisted mountain rescue
-
Air
search for missing aircraft
-
Kloofing
technical rescue
-
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Area of Operation
The technical team operates from the
Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole (Port Elizabeth) and covers the whole of
the Eastern Cape from Stormsriver in the south, up to Gariep Dam on
the border of the Free State, the lower reaches of Lesotho and the
Wild Coast.
Other areas we offer assistance:
-
Disasters
(in close co-operation with Metro Disaster Management, Fire
Department, NSRI, etc.);
-
Endurance
sporting events (MTB and Adventure races).
We also offer assistance during air
searches for missing aircraft anywhere in the country.
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Standards
for volunteers
Competency
for rescuers
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Training
The Mountain Search & Rescue team
holds regular training exercises in order to keep current. Training
takes place every Thursday evening from 18h00 to 20h00 as well as one
weekend per month.
Please
contact the Rescue
Convenor
for details should you wish to get involved.
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Other
Appendix A: Basic Hiking Equipment
Appendix B: Basic Technical Equipment
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