VOLUNTEERS from the Ashburton team of Dartmoor Search and Rescue had their second busiest year in 2024.
New figures show the rescue team responded to 42 callouts in 2024, up by 40 per cent on the previous year.
And this year again got off to a busy start on New Year’s Day when they were called to help a man with a suspected broke. leg.
Over the last 12 months, the crew has worked with all the emergency services as well as HM Coastguard, Devon Air Ambulance and other search and rescue teams from across Devon and Cornwall.
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The first call out came on the evening of New Year’s Day 2024 to help a group of teenagers whose campsite had become flooded near the Avon Dam on southern Dartmoor.
Due to the heavy rain, they were unable to return safely and called for help.
Last year, almost two thirds of the call outs were within Dartmoor National Park.
This is an increase on previous years which is thought to be down to more people exploring the area.
About one third of the team’s activities were in support of Devon and Cornwall Police searching for vulnerable individuals.
A spokesman said: ‘Sadly, on some of these callouts the individuals were found deceased. Our thoughts are with their friends and families.’
Among the more unusual events were last February when the Ashburton volunteers were involved with the two day evacuation of residents from the Keyham area of Plymouth due to an unexploded Second World War bomb.
August saw the crew’s busiest month with eight incidents.
These included a climber who had fallen from Chudleigh Rocks and had to be transferred to the air ambulance; three searches for vulnerable individuals and supporting the ambulance service with one person who had fallen from a tree in Park and, on the same day, an evacuation of a casualty with a dislocated shoulder at Haytor Quarry.
A group of 18-year-olds were rescued after they became lost when the weather changed suddenly from sunny, warm and dry to cold, wet and cloudy.
Ten Tors in May was also busy for the Ashburton volunteers who supported the Army-run event.
This year one of the biggest challenges was the unusually high temperatures which resulted in the rescue team being involved in a dozen incidents involving participants on the Saturday.
On the Sunday afternoon the team was also first on scene to support a member of the public providing first aid to a cyclist found with serious head injuries on the roadside near our control vehicle.
The spokesman said: ‘We continue to rely on our incredible volunteers to drop everything, at any time of the day or night, in all weathers to search for lost, injured or vulnerable individuals.
‘This would not be possible were it not for the on-going support they receive from their understanding family, friends, and employers.
‘Furthermore, the team relies entirely on funds donated by the public to cover the £50,000 plus annual running costs.’
Dartmoor Search and Rescue Ashburton is an independent charity, staffed by 51 volunteers and funded entirely by donations.