Shaun Roberts
Scotland’s mountain rescue umbrella organisation has appointed an experienced outdoor instructor with a brief to improve communications and service during a period of expected increase in demand from walkers and climbers.
Shaun Roberts has taken up the post of project manager for a year with the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland.
He will provide support for voluntary teams that operate north of the border in mountain and cave rescue, during a period when the Scottish Government is expected to announce a single police service for the nation.
The committee also expects to see a rise in the number of people taking to the hills and a subsequent increase in the need for rescue.
Mr Roberts, who holds winter mountaineering, paddlesport and snowsport qualifications, will be seconded for a year from his instructor post at Glenmore Lodge, the national outdoor training centre, in an appointment funded by the Scottish Government, the Order of St John, sportScotland and Glenmore Lodge.
Jonathan Hart, chair of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland, said: “The 27 Scottish mountain rescue teams provide an essential voluntary search and rescue service 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year across the mountains and moorlands of Scotland.
“It is vital that as we move into a period of change with regard police and fire reform in Scotland that we can create, with our key partners and stakeholders, a resilient and robust Scottish mountain rescue organisation that can progress change in a positive and constructive manner.
“With increasing numbers of visitors expected to visit Scotland over the next three to five years we can expect the number of people going into Scotland’s’ wild places to increase.
“By creating a full time Scottish mountain rescue project manager post, for the first time we have an opportunity to improve our communication with all our team leaders , team members and partner organisations so that collectively we can improve the service we provide the Scottish public and all the visitors to the Scottish mountains and wild places.”
Mr Hart added: “This will enable us to ensure that Scottish mountain rescue will continue to represent the best traditions of community service and to continue to deliver a world-class, front-line, voluntary search and rescue service, free at the point of delivery, in the face of increasing demand.”
Shaun Roberts has instructed and guided in the Scottish mountains for 20 years and is head of rescue at Glenmore Lodge. His mountaineering experience extends to the Alps, Himalayas, Arctic and Alaska. He says his passion is the Scottish winter.
Mr Roberts added: “My first experience of mountain rescue was being winched down to a casualty in the Cairngorms. 20 years later I am delighted to be deployed in the post of project manager.
“I am looking forward to working with all the volunteers within mountain and cave rescue and in helping the organisation prepare itself for the many future challenges it faces.”
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “The Scottish mountain and cave rescue teams affiliated to the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland represent the finest traditions of community service in Scotland.
“Last year Scottish mountain rescue team volunteers were deployed over 530 times in response to members of the public in need of assistance, frequently in difficult winter mountainous terrain, poor weather conditions and often at night.
“I sincerely thank everyone associated with our Scottish mountain and cave rescue teams for assisting the police in meeting their land-based search and rescue role, by providing an outstanding emergency service to the communities in our mountains, hills and rural areas.
“We all owe a huge debt to these dedicated and brave volunteers who save many lives every year.”
Richard Waller, chief executive of St John Scotland, which has provided almost £3m of support to teams through funding 27 vehicles and 10 bases for them in recent years, said: “St John Scotland are delighted to contribute funding for this new post which we are confident will be a valuable help to rescue teams in Scotland, whose service we greatly admire.”
Glenmore Lodge principal Bob Kinnaird said he believed seconding one of the centre’s most experienced instructors to the Scottish mountain rescue, was an excellent use of resources and would ultimately benefit the wider mountaineering community, as well as all the additional visitors to Scotland’s wild places.
