UKC

I've recently applied to join my local mountain rescue team and have been asked to attend an assessment day in January. Other than the obvious things such as navigation and fitness etc, does anybody have any advice on what they'll be looking out for or skills that might be worth brushing up on beforehand to improve my chances?

Tom

In reply to tomtom89:

Listen and be open to the team's methods - although many of your skills are transferable you will have new systems to learn. Trying to reinvent the wheel isn't going to help anyone.

In reply to tomtom89:

Sent you an email.

In reply to tomtom89:
I know nothing about MR so no comment on that but assuming you have the mountain experience required - it's a team so some assertiveness, do you get on with people, do they want to spend unpaid time with you, can they trust you to work as part of a team, clear communication.

In reply to tomtom89:

Can't speak for every team but generally, they are looking for people who are capable of looking after themselves (and preferably others) on the hill in any weather at any time of day. They are also looking for people who are capable of working in a hastily formed team, can communicate, follow instructions but also think independently. Thay may also warn you about the time commitments and warn you that it is often cold wet searching and very little heroes and helicopters.

Your correct that navigation, fitness, and teamwork are the best things to brush up on. They won't expect any specific knowledge of MR equipment and practices, you will be trained in that once accepted. Best of luck and enjoy it.

In reply to tomtom89:

Good advice from others (and Welsh Kate knows her stuff).

Other things I used to look for/asked about when I sat in on interviews/hill days during my spell in MR:

- Availability. It doesn't matter if you're a mountain god if you're never available for the callouts themselves, plus a hefty amount of training and fundraising event commitment too
- Support of family and employer. If they aren't happy with you sodding off onto the moors at weird hours then your time in MR might be short-lived
- Motivation. Don't be the guy who (when asked why he wanted to join) replied with "I want to be able to shout at those people who make stupid mistakes on the mountains"*
- Good fitness and being able to be comfortable in a mountain environment. You don't have to be Kilian Jornet but a full day in poor conditions with a 10-12kg pack shouldn't be too much of a stretch.
- Good nav skills. If you can give a six-figure grid for your location at any time, day or night then you're already at roughly the right level
- Be aware that it's a volunteer team performing a serious role. Sometimes it's a petty world of infighting and fiefdoms, at other times it's lifesaving in wild and remote places working as a cog in a well-oiled machine. The rest of the time it's somewhere between a climbing club (with extra morphine and stretchers) and the Rotary Club. MR is weird and wonderful and you won't see all aspects of the above until you have been there for a few years.

Each team is different, with a different culture, structure and even an approach to how recruitment and training periods work. Keep your ears and eyes open, ask questions, be honest about your abilities/motivations and interact with the other team members and prospective recruits.

*Not joking.

In reply to tomtom89:
All good advice above, to which I'd add a good amount of local knowledge is very useful, as is your own transport and living in close proximity to your teams operational area. A much underestimated element is the toll it takes on family and employment. A sympathetic boss is very desirable, a sympathetic partner is essential - ensure you have fully discussed the implications with your partner, you will be dropping things and changing plans at no notice, exciting for you, tough and frustrating for the ones left behind.

Be ready to have a car fill of kit at all times, never enough batteries, and understand that call-outs obey the 'Law of least convenience', a stoical nature and bad sense of humour will go a long way. Be ready for spending hours doing very little, 'hurry up and wait'. If you want glory, give up now, there isn't any.

Good luck with it, it's an amazing thing to be a part of.

In reply to tomtom89:

Having a real appreciation of the time commitment required.

Honestly I think the biggest thing is being a nice person. Anyone can be taught first aid, nav, leadership etc but if you've had decades of practice being unfriendly, they cant untrain that :P

At the risk of sounding like some American self help book ... just be yourself. Dont worry about impressing people.

(although it might vary wildly for different teams, just my 2p)

In reply to tomtom89:

Agree with lots of above, I'm in MR and do some recruiting - my additions

1. Why are you applying? - if you're an outdoors instructor (eg), if its to get a badge on your website it'll be quite obvious and that's not what we're looking for
2. What can you offer - we don't want everyone to be an International Winter Mountain leader with 8000m peaks under their belt.
3. Do some homework on the team - types of job, area etc
4. Repeat of availability and family comments as they're critical.
5. On assessment day, muck in - eg if they want someone to hold a head on a casualty c spine injury then step forward.
6. Be yourself, be friendly and don't be cocky and a smartarse (sounds obvious, but yes they exist...)

Good luck, its great, but also drives you to insanity....

In reply to JamButty:

Normally when we're taking people on we don't want "heros". As said already a lot of it is missing person searches and training. You'll also have the joy of cleaning equipment. We tend to look for people with good stable backgrounds, local knowledge, a willingness to try new things and common sense. We can teach all the technical stuff if the person is willing to learn. Nothing exciting happens for the first while and expect to be at base during incidents until you earn your way.

In reply to tomtom89:

Thanks for all the replies - much appreciated.