With the lockdown restrictions easing slowly, the team were able to get together again for a much hankered after the training session. Predictably the gorgeous weather that we had been experiencing was replaced by fog, wind and rain…so a typical Tuesday evening was back!
Due to the current situation, training has to be conducted slightly differently, this ensures the safety of all members and their families.
The premise of the evening was to replicate our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) during a call out. A SARCALL message was sent to the team earlier on in the evening, advising where and when to meet.
On arrival at the RV point, everyone remained in their vehicles and waited to be added to a team. All hill parties have to wear full waterproof gear and each member was given a pack containing sanitiser, several pairs of gloves and a face mask.
The Team Leaders were advised to take the teams off in different directions and to act out finding a casualty and to practice the SOP. Each team then walked about 200m from the car park ensuring that social distancing guidelines were followed. This gave the team a chance to practice “Donning and Doffing” in a more realistic setting and an opportunity to ask any questions. This was followed by a thorough debrief and a chance to catch up with each other.
It was an extremely useful exercise and made everyone realise that things will be different for the near future but as a team, we can adapt and overcome.
