Have you ever thought about joining a Mountain Rescue team?
Mountain Rescue Teams provide a search and rescue service in mountainous, remote and hard to reach areas of the UK.
Civilian Mountain Rescue Teams are entirely voluntary – reliant on donations and fundraising, they can be called out day or night, in all conditions, 365 days a year.
Being part of a Mountain Rescue team is an excellent thing to do – it’s incredibly rewarding and it feels great to be part of the Mountain Rescue community.
Mountain Rescue team members live in, or very close, to a team’s designated working area.
If you live in an area with mountains, moorland or wild and remote places you’ll probably have a Mountain Rescue team close to you.
If you don’t live in a mountainous area you might consider joining a lowland search and rescue team.
Why Join a Mountain Rescue Team?
Being part of a Mountain Rescue team is an incredibly rewarding experience.
The work you do as a part of a Mountain Rescue team will save lives and make people safer in the mountains.
Mountain Rescue teams are brilliant communities, you’ll be working with good people to do something meaningful.
Mountain Rescue teams get lots of training – you’ll build skills and confidence in the great outdoors.
You’ll be part of a wider community of rescue agencies that work together – Police, Coastguard, Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance.
How to Find and Join a Mountain Rescue Team
- Google and social media are great tools to find your closest team, spend time doing some research – get a feel for how busy the team is.
- Search social media feeds for posts about recruiting new team members – your local team may be actively recruiting.
- Contact the team through email and social media messaging – say who you are and tell them that you’d like to be a team member. Include a little information about the relevant skills and experience you already have.
- Wait. Teams are managed and administered by volunteers, it might take a while for them to respond to you.
- If you don’t hear anything after a few weeks, give the team a gentle nudge, remind them you’d like to join.
- The team will reply – they will probably ask you to attend an initial, informal, meeting – or they may give you date for the next planned round of recruitment.
Joining a Mountain Rescue Team – The Process
Once you followed the steps above you’ll probably be invited to an informal meeting with a few team members, that meeting will be really friendly, you might chat about your motivation for joining, fitness and relevant skills and experience.
If you like the people you meet, and they like you, you’ll normally join the team as an ‘aspirant member’.
Aspirant team members attend training but do not attend ‘call outs’, being an aspirant is a chance to get to know the team – and for them to get to know you.
After a few months as an aspirant team member – if you like the team, and they like you, you will be invited to be become a ‘trainee team member’.
Trainee team members attend training and call outs, you’ll be issued some essential equipment and given access to a teams call out and team management systems.
While you’re a trainee most teams will expect you to attend a minimum number of training sessions and call outs – it can be quite a commitment.
After a significant period of time as a trainee, usually at least 12 months, and lots of training – you may be invited to become a full team member.
As a full team member your Mountain Rescue journey really gets started – more experience, more training, more time getting to know your team.
What Experience and Skills Do I Need to Join a Mountain Rescue Team?
Mountain Rescue is physically and mentally demanding, you’ll need to be able to move around in the mountains, carrying a heavy pack, in all weathers.
You’ll need to be able to keep your cool, follow instruction and work as part of a team in situations that can be stressful.
You’ll need to have enough empathy, self awareness and resilience to look after your own mental health – and help look after your team.
Mountain Rescue teams sometimes deal with traumatic injury and death.
You should already be confident navigating in the kind of terrain teams operate in – mountains, moorland and remote areas.
The ability to work closely with others in challenging conditions is critical.
Experience of climbing, rope work and winter hill skills are a big plus.
What Commitment Do I Need to Make to Join a Mountain Rescue Team?
Joining a Mountain Rescue team is a big responsibility. You’ll need to:
Be Available for Callouts 24/7: Mountain Rescue teams are on call, day or night, 365 days a year – you’ll need to be available to attend a minimum number of call outs each year.
Attend Regular Training: Most teams train weekly, with additional weekends and specialist courses for more advanced or in depth courses.
Help Fundraise: Mountain Rescue is voluntary, teams rely on fundraising. Expect to attend events and help raise awareness whenever you can.
Balance Family and Work: Your family and employer will need to support your involvement in Mountain Rescue, callouts will disrupt daily life.
Is Mountain Rescue Voluntary in the UK?
Yes – Mountain Rescue in the UK is entirely voluntary.
This voluntary emergency service works because of the commitment, skill and experience of its members.
Volunteers not only save lives, they also reduce the pressure on other emergency services.
Thousands of voluntary hours go into each and every Mountain Rescue team each year – please support them in any way you can.
https://www.justgiving.com/aberglaslyn-mrt
FAQs About How to Join a Mountain Rescue Team
Q: Do I need to have rescue experience before joining?
A: No, but you should already have solid navigation and outdoor skills. The team will provide specialised rescue training after you join.
Q: How long does it take to become a full member?
A: Training typically lasts around 12 – 18 months and includes modules on rope rescue, casualty care, and navigation.
Q: Can I join if I work full-time?
A: Yes – lots of volunteers balance Mountain Rescue with full-time jobs, just be upfront about your availability and don’t stretch yourself to thin.
Q: What kind of situations will I be called out to?
A: Common incidents include searches for missing persons, injury from trips and falls, hypothermic casualties.
Joining a Mountain Rescue team isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most rewarding ways to give back to your community and challenge yourself. If you love the great outdoors and helping others you should consider joining your local team.
https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/
https://explorewildwales.co.uk/mountain-walking/
https://www.instagram.com/wildwales_/
