My time in mountain rescue has turned into something that has the potential to make a big difference to lost and injured walkers and mountaineers
In an emergency call 999 and ask for Police then Mountain Rescue
Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) represents 26 Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) made up of highly trained volunteers who are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to emergencies and carry out a specialist search and rescue service in the mountains and remote communities in Scotland to keep people safe and help people if and when they get into difficulty. Together we are here to save lives in the outdoors.
SMR and our 26 MRTs are all charities. In addition to representing these member MRTs, SMR also serves three Police Scotland MRTs and one RAF MRT. We are proud to have more than 850 dedicated volunteer team members who are always prepared and willing to drop everything they are doing to assist total strangers.
The remote nature of the Scottish mountains, the terrain and the prevailing weather mean that many search and rescue operations in Scotland simply cannot be carried out without large numbers of volunteers able to go out on foot and who can be mobilised quickly. It often is simply not possible to search for people by helicopter in Scotland, because low clouds often prevent the helicopters from flying.
These volunteers are the foundation of the mountain rescue community. Each MRT and team member saves lives in the Scottish outdoors.
MRTs’ purpose is Volunteering to Save Lives, Any Hour, Any Day, Any Weather. SMR exists to ensure that the individual teams have the best possible environment to be able to safely and efficiently conduct rescues.
We support our member MRTs to provide a world class search and rescue service by influencing government and decision makers, through the sharing of good practice, and providing resources, training and funding.
Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) is a charity registered in Scotland. Founded in 1965 as Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS). SMR is a representative and coordinating body for member Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) in Scotland.
SMR has an Executive of nine volunteers who are appointed by MRTs. Our Executive brings a wide range of knowledge and experience to the organisation. In addition, we have three members of staff, who support the work of the Executive and of the organisation.
As ever-increasing numbers of people enjoy Scotland’s mountains and wild places, we are seeing increasing numbers of call-outs. In order to be ready for these call–outs and to ensure that we provide the best possible rescue service, we need your support to continue to grow.
My time in mountain rescue has turned into something that has the potential to make a big difference to lost and injured walkers and mountaineers
Mountain Rescue always brings me back to that first lesson: we have to work as a team