2021 Incidents

Incidents and callouts for 2021

total hours and numbers of incidents by type
Incident Type No Incidents Total Man Hours
Call Out 22 1238
Stand By 6 149
Totals 28 1387

BSARU Incidents 2021

list of incidents and man hours per incident"
Incident Type Date Incident Man Hours
CALL OUT 27/12/2021

08:17 - The team was contacted by Scottish Borders Police to assist with the search for a missing pensioner from Ayton.
Police found her as the team was mobilising.

3 hours
CALL OUT 25/12/2021
In the early hours of Christmas morning the team were called out to assist in a the search for a missing person, alongside Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team and SARDA Southern Scotland . 
The missing person was later found safe and well.
41 hours
STANDBY 18/12/2021

Possibility of a continuation of the missing person search from 17th December.  No new information was received in order to formulate further search plans so it was decided not to continue unless new intel was available.

Sadly, the man's body was found on 19th, a couple of kms away from the areas we'd searched.

84 hours
CALL OUT 17/12/2021

12:38 BSARU was called out alongside TVMRT, SARDA Southern Scotland and SARAA to assist police with the search for a missing Galashiels man.

Nothing was found in our search of relevant areas on 17th so we were stood down with the possibility of being called back in if any new intel requires firther areas to be searched.

62 hours
CALL OUT 23/11/2021

16:16  Team called out to assist Borders Police with the search for a missing person near Melrose.

Person was found by one of our search groups after several hours of searching.  Police helicopter and Scottish Ambulance Service also involved.

114 hours
CALL OUT 14/11/2021

Missing Person

10:36 - The team was called out by Police Scotland to assist in the search for a missing person in the Ormiston area.  Along with the assistance of two SARDA Southern dog handlers and additional police resources, we searched all tracks and woodland areas within a 2km radius.  The missing man was found safe and well around 15:30, by one of our search teams.

106 hours
CALL OUT 11/11/2021
The team was called out by Police Scotland to assist Scottish Ambulance Service Special Operations Response Team with a challenging casualty evacuation.
Three friends had been camping overnight when one of them took a bad fall, injuring their back. The team assisted with pain relief as well as planning the evacuation through dense woodland towards the road and the waiting ambulance.
Great team work, and as always, we wish the casualty a speedy recovery!
30 hours
CALL OUT 28/10/2021
MAJOR INCIDENT declared in Hawick due to sustained heavy rain and the risk of flooding.
 
The team had been on standby overnight as river levels and flood risks heightened.  The construction of flood defences for the town is well underway but some sections had to be shored up temporarily and a breach in those couldn't be ruled out.
 
The huge multi agency response involved ourselves, Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team, Borders Water Rescue Team, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Borders Council, Hawick Flood Group, HM coastguard and of course the community resilience teams.
Around 1900 the flood risk on the Teviot thankfully began to reduce and the teams were stood down. At time of writing, water levels remain high, and weather warnings are still in place with lighter but continued rain forecast throughout the next 3 days.
 
130 hours
STANDBY 27/10/2021

With rising river levels and more persistent heavy rain forecast, we were put on standby to assist in Hawick as there was a risk to temporary flood defences along the banks of the Teviot.

6 hours
CALL OUT 10/10/2021

Nearby team members were called out to assist Tweed Valley MRT with a casualty who had slipped whilst running in the Pentland Hills and suffered a suspected dislocated kneecap. 

TVMRT then managed to get a Land Rover within 200m of the casualty site so BSARU members weren't needed for the stretcher carry. A nice hour or so out on the hill!

7 hours
CALL OUT 07/10/2021

16:30 The team was called out to assist Borders Police with the search for a missing person near Yetholm.  She was located, treated by ambulance crew then team members assisted with a stretcher carry to the waiting ambiulance.

58 hours
CALL OUT 03/10/2021

01:00 - the team was called out to assist police with the search for a missing person south west of Morebattlle.  Thankfully the man was located safe and well by one of our initial search teams.  

45 hours
STANDBY 28/09/2021

06:13 Request for assistance from TVMRT with a search for a missing person in the Clovenfords area.  Misper found by police as full callout was being initiated.

3 hours
STANDBY 26/08/2021

On standby to assist Northumberland Mountain Rescue with the search for a missing person near the border.  She was found safe and well by a member of  the public.

8 hours
STANDBY 22/08/2021

Request for assistance from NMRS with a search for overdue hikers on the Pennine Way.  With around 30km between their last known place and their destination at Byrness, it could have been a lengthy search.  Thankfully phone contact was established with the pair who were just running behind schedule.

8 hours
CALL OUT 23/07/2021

Injured walker in the Pentlands. We assisted TVMRT as there were two callouts in their area within 10 minutes of each other.

11 hours
CALL OUT 23/07/2021

Injured mountain biker in woods near to Clovenfords.  We assisted TVMRT as there were two callouts in their area within 10 minutes of each other.

34 hours
CALL OUT 02/07/2021

A very short time between callout and stand down messages as a missing person was found by police soon after we'd been alerted.

1 hours
CALL OUT 19/06/2021

We were called to assist Scottish Ambulance Service with a casualty who'd collapsed whilst hill walking near Morebattle.

Sadly the woman passed away at the scene. Sincere condolences to family and friends. 

31 hours
CALL OUT 27/05/2021
A walker on the Pennine Way had slipped and injured their ankle on steep ground below Auchope Cairn.
The team assembled and a hasty party was taken by landrover up the hill to near Auchope Refuge Hut from the Bowmont valley.
Team members then set off on foot to attend to the casualty while the vehicle went back to collect more team members and equipment.  NNPMRT also had a couple of team members in attendance via the College valley.
The casualty was stretchered to the waiting Landrover at Auchope Refuge Hut, and taken to Borders General Hospital.
51 hours
CALL OUT 25/04/2021

The team was called out shortly after returning home from a day's training exercise to assist Police Scotland in the search for a missing person in the Grantshouse area.  

After a couple of hours searching the local area, thankfully the missing person was located safe and well.

Resources: Police helicopter, POLSA, police dog handler, local officers, 24 team members.

83 hours
CALL OUT 22/03/2021
The team was called out as part of a multi agency response for a casualty evacuation in the Lammermuir hills.
The Scottish Ambulance helicopter had initially been unable to land due to heather burning in the area so we were requested to assist with a possible stretcher carry.  Our colleagues at Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were all on scene and the helicopter had landed a short distance away on our arrival.  The casualty was air lifted to hospital.
 
Sadly, we learned the following day that he had died of his injuries.
 
Our sincere condolences to families and friends.
64 hours
CALL OUT 20/03/2021

20:04 The team was called to search for a missing hiker near Halterburn in The Cheviots.  Initial information suggested he may have travelled in the direction of Hethpool so searches were concentrated in this direction.

Meanwhile, Northumberland National Park MRT and College Valley Estate staff and local shepherds were searching the English side of the border.

Phone connection was established and from a description, searchers headed south towards Black Hag.  The missing man was located safe and well by the College Valley Estate manager and assisted down to NNPMRT's vehicle.

45 hours
CALL OUT 07/02/2021

A continuation of the previous night's search.  See incident of 6th Feb for information.

27 hours
CALL OUT 06/02/2021
A callout outwith our area as Tweed Valley MRT was fully committed to another incident in the Pentland Hills.
 
We were tasked with the search for a missing person in the Innerleithen area.
BSARU searched overnight alongside HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R199 and Police Scotland officers in challenging, sometimes thigh deep drifting snow but unfortunately no trace of the missing person was found.
 
Due to a social media appeal by police, new search areas were identified following a confirmed sighting of the missing person in the late afternoon - this crucial information meant we had to redeploy team members to the other side of the valley - challenging to do whilst keeping in mind covid-19 protocols.  Despite the move to a new area, nothing was found overnight.
 
The following morning, TVMRT and members of BSARU who hadn't bee able to attend the previous night took over the search.
 
Shortly before 09:30 we heard the excellent news that the missing person had been located, cold but well, having spent the night in the open. MRT were sent to meet the missing person to provide immediate first aid until the Ambulance service arrived.
Thanks also to Search & Rescue Aerial Association - Scotland and SARDA Southern Scotland who had drone and dog resources on route to assist had the search needed to have been continued.
 
174 hours
CALL OUT 01/02/2021

BSARU was called out to an injured walker on North Berwick Law today. The man had slipped and taken a bad fall. Unable to move due to his injuries, the alarm was raised. BSARU, along with East Lothian Police and members of Scottish Ambulance Service, Special Operations Response Team, combined resources to conduct his rescue and get him safely off to hospital.

Another great example of the different teams working together.  14 BSARU Team members responded.

Wishing the casualty a speedy recovery!

57 hours
CALL OUT 27/01/2021

We were called to assist the Scottish Ambulance Service to extract a casualty from a slippy track at Pressmennan Lake in East Lothian.

Police had located the injured woman 2km from the carpark.  She had slipped and broken her ankle.  

A hasty party took in warm kit and whilst others cleared fallen branches from the track with the help of a local with a chainsaw, so the SORT vehicle could gain access. 

The casualty was then transported back to the ambulance in the carpark.

Many thanks to the folks at Woodend for their local knowledge and tree clearing skills!

15 Team members responded.

64 hours
STANDBY 21/01/2021

MISSING PERSON - Team on standby for a search at first light.

Borders Police and Tweed Valley MRT in attendance.

Sadly, a body was found during a hasty search of the last known place.

Condolences to family and friends.

40 hours

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