Lyneham Personnel assist in Mountain Rescue
Royal Air Force Lyneham
www.raf.mod.uk/raflyneham
21st November 2006
"The professionalism and quick thinking improved the ladies’ chances of survival"
At the end of a long day’s walking and leadership lessons in the Brecon Beacons on 16 November 2006, 10 RAF personnel came across a lady who was clearly distressed and disorientated and needed immediate help. This was the beginning of a joint rescue between the RAF and the local Brecon Mountain Rescue Team.

The 10 RAF personnel were taking part in a leadership course led by Squadron Leader Steve Warner, Force Development Squadron and Corporal Phil Kelly, Physical Education Flight, both from RAF Lyneham.

The group were being put through their paces when they came across the lady, known as Ms Black. Something was clearly not right and Ms Black collapsed as the group passed her.

Corporal Kelly, an experienced Mountain Leader, quickly assessed the situation and realised that Ms Black needed immediate help. The night was drawing in quickly and the air was getting colder, perfect conditions for individuals to become trapped in the mountains.

Cpl Kelly sent half the group back to the van whilst the other half remained with Ms Black to keep her calm and provide warmth whilst trying to extract information from her to establish how she got into the state she was in.

Unbeknown to the group, Ms Black had already phoned her husband to inform him that she had taken an overdose and he had called the emergency services. A police helicopter was circling above and the group tried to get it’s attention by making an SOS signal with their torches and setting up an illuminated landing strip.

The helicopter landed further up the hill of Corn Du and Corporal Kelly could just make out two individuals making their way down the path. He went to meet them using his mobile to make an SOS call in order that they could pinpoint their position.

Once the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team arrived on the scene they took over the RAF personnel. Cpl Jennie Blunden and SAC Angela McEwan had built up a good rapport with Ms Black over the last 30 minutes, keeping her calm and preventing her from moving, so they stayed with her whilst the rest of the group moved away in order that the Mountain Rescue Team could make their assessments.

Over the next 40 minutes, further reinforcements from Mountain Rescue arrived and the Sea King rescue helicopter was on its way. The Brecon Mountain Rescue Team is made up entirely of volunteers, who train and respond to call outs in their own personal time. It costs over £19,000 a year to run the team, which the members raise entirely themselves.

Mark Jones, Deputy Team Leader, Brecon Mountain Rescue Team said, "There is no doubt that the RAF Leadership Team’s action prevented the loss of human life. The incident was time critical due to the drugs involved and the cold conditions of the day.

The professionalism and quick thinking improved the ladies’ chances of survival and the compassion demonstrated by the two female members of the group was second to none. They certainly made our job of our rescue team considerably easier and I compliment them on that."

Corporal Phil Kelly stressed that everyone in the group played their part in the rescue and should be extremely proud of the way they conducted themselves.

The Station Commander of RAF Lyneham, Group Captain Paul Atherton said, "I am extremely proud of the exceptional efforts of the Lyneham led team. They came across difficult circumstances, but the training they have received throughout their careers, and indeed the reason they were there undertaking junior leadership training, is so that our personnel can respond to incidents like these under pressure and react in a calm collected manner ensuring the best results for all those involved. I am delighted that the ladies life was saved and I wish her well.”

Ms Black was picked up by Rescue 169 from RAF Chivenor and was flown to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, the closest hospital, where a crash team were put on standby. Although her condition was serious, she remained stable.