In the news

At around 3:30 p.m. on Monday 17^th July, call-handlers from Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team received a report from the Welsh Ambulance Service of a man with a broken leg on Mynydd Dol-ffanog near Corris Uchaf.

The man, a Belgian national and in his late 40’s, was part of a plane-spotting group on the hill-side. A simple slip had led to a significant lower leg injury.

Team casualty carers were able to provide pain-relief and splint the leg on scene which led to an immediate improvement in the man’s condition, and the process of stretchering the man down off the hill began. However, the man’s condition started to deteriorate during the extraction, and the casualty party ran through all of their pain-relief options during the evacuation. As the rescuers reached the roadside, complications with the injury, now nearly 3 hours old, were also giving significant cause for concern.

Neither EMRTS nor Coastguard Rescue 936 were able to provided air-support, and WAST ambulances were all tied up in A&E queues and so the control desk was unable to give any timescale for a road ambulance. South Snowdonia Search & Rescue Team was able to provide back-up medical supplies so casualty carers were able to resume pain-relief during the wait.

At around 8:30 p.m. it was felt that it was not in the casualty’s interest to wait any longer, and alternative plans for transportation were being put into place as a WAST ambulance arrived to take over treatment and transportation to hospital.

Team volunteer Graham O’Hanlon attended the rescue. “I think most people are already aware of the extreme pressures faced by the ambulance service, but we have historically been very fortunate in getting help when required, The high pain levels being experienced by the casualty, and the deteriorating condition of his injury, both coupled with the uncertainty of assistance arriving made for a very stressful wait.”