Road Safety Blog

Search and rescue exercise held on Table Mountain.

jonckie

Taking Search and Rescue to the next level

• Experts from Search and Rescue unite in training
• Multi-Disciplinary teams practice complex techniques
• Integrated rescue operations planned
• Training motto “Search Until Safe” honoured

Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR), Cape Town Metro EMS and 60-plus volunteers from WSAR member organisations took part in the biggest search and rescue exercise held on Table Mountain.

The aim was to conduct searches as close to reality as possible, to ensure the teams are trained, ready and capable of keeping the residents and visitors to Cape Town safe, should they or their loved ones get lost or go missing.

The scenario included two lost people on the lower parts of Table Mountain on a regular walking route. The searches involved the teams from:

• K9 Search and Rescue (K9SARA)
• Delta Search & Rescue
• Off Road Rescue Unit (ORRU)
• Mountain Club of SA – Search And Rescue
• SAPS SAR
• Trail SAR
• SARZA
• Metro EMS Western Cape
• HAMNET

All teams worked seamlessly together, providing complex communications from the JOC (Joint Operations Center) to all of the field operatives, Off-Road Capability to trail running legs that never seem to get tired and the K9 noses that can sniff anyone out anywhere.

Both lost persons were found. For the purpose of the training one had complex medical conditions that our Advanced Life Support technicians took care of. The other was just disorientated from having lost her glasses whilst walking and couldn’t make it home.

In conjunction with the search scenario, technical teams ran complicated cliff scenarios on the lower buttresses overlooking the city. The scenarios focused on wilderness rigging and technical rope systems.

We thank the public for always taking care to be safe on the mountain and the dedicated Search and Rescue Teams who offer their time, energy and money to stay trained, ready and willing to respond all year round.

We would like to thank the Metro Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway and SANParks – Table Mountain National Park for their support.

A special thank you on behalf of the K9 teams to the volunteers who gave up their time to hide from our amazing hounds.

The team members would like to extend a special thank you to Mark Truss, his team and the Green Point & Oranje-Kloof City Improvement Districts for hosting them for their debrief.

The team were treated to pizzas from Bacini’s and Pizza Shed, bottles of water from Mountain Falls and Look Afrika kindly supplied all team members with sunscreen and after sun lotion.

David Nel, a spokesperson for WSAR, said: “Exercises such as these are essential – to keep our teams in sync, and sharp with our particular specialist disciplines.

“When we are called out, we need to mobilise our teams, at a moment’s notice. Perfecting our search and rescue practice in ‘peace-time’ is so valuable.

“Our exercises are realistic and with full, real-time commitment.

“You could say that our motto is: ‘Search Until Safe’ – both in training, and in our live operations.”

• Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.

Photos provided by Mariann Wilson, Robin van Bruggen and the Mountain Club of South Africa.
K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa Mountain Club of South Africa SARZA

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