Mountain users in the UK range from super-fit athletes to children and older people. Search & Rescue (SAR) personnel are regularly called upon to rescue and treat casualties with pre-existing medical conditions who have become unwell in mountain locations unaccessible by road. In the event of an emergency arising in a remote mountain setting, help is likely to be much slower arriving, compared to an urban environment. For example, in Snowdonia (North Wales), the minimum time for help to arrive is typically in the area of 45 minutes (RAF SAR helicopter from...

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Ambulances can't get up mountains, and air ambulances can't land on steep ground. However, UK ambulance assets are sometimes tasked to inaccessible locations that require a Search & Rescue (SAR) response, e.g. Mountain Rescue Teams (MRT) or hoist-equipped helicopter. We wished to ascertain: (1) The proportion of mountain users aware of correct procedure to call for help in event of a medical emergency in a location inaccessible by road (999>Police>request MRT), and (2) the proportion of UK ambulance services with formal...

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