On Saturday the rescue team held a 6-hour search and rescue exercise based at Postbridge in central Dartmoor. Also taking part were representatives from our sister teams Dartmoor Search and Rescue Tavistock, Dartmoor Search and Rescue Plymouth and North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team. We also had two Mountain Rescue search dogs. Two Police Search Advisors and an Army representative from 10 Tors also attended to better understand what we do.

It was typical Dartmoor weather – fog, rain and wind on the higher tops all of which made for challenging conditions on the ground. Over 40 people were involved in the exercise making one of our largest in recent years. Rapid Relief Team (UK) provided hot drinks, hot food and shelter which were greatly appreciated by our search teams returning cold and wet from the hill.

A spokesperson for the team said ‘This exercise allowed us to test every aspect of what we do from the deployment of large number of search teams, radio communications, searching for long periods in bad weather, providing first aid in remote locations and stretcher carries across difficult and often flooded terrain. It also gave us the opportunity to work with our fantastic colleagues from the other Dartmoor teams’.