Dartmoor Search and Rescue came to the aid of a climber who had fallen at Hound Tor on Wednesday evening (October 8).

The Ashburton team received a call from South Western Ambulance Service at around 5pm asking volunteers to help with the climber who had sustained head and chest injuries.

While paramedics conducted a medical assessment stabilisation of the climber, the Dartmoor Search and Rescue volunteers focused on planning how to best extract the man from where he had fallen.

‘After what was a tricky extraction involving over a dozen of our volunteers, the individual was stretchered the 300 metres back to the car park for transfer to a land ambulance,’ a spokesperson from Dartmoor Search and Rescue said.

‘We wish the climber a strong recovery,’ the spokesperson added. ‘We also want to thank his climbing partner and two other climbers who initially came to his aid and raised the alarm.’

The team of 25 volunteers involved in the incident were stood down at 6.30pm.

The highly trained Dartmoor Search and Rescue volunteers are on call 24 hours a day seven days a week. The charity, which relies on donations to operate, responds to a wide range of incidents including missing person enquiries, steep ground rescue, swiftwater rescues and flooding.

This was the team’s 25th call out this year. Last year, the Ashburton Dartmoor Search and Rescue volunteers responded to 42 call outs.

Dartmoor Search and Rescue activities are not just confined to Dartmoor National Park and the south west. The team also responds to major incidents across England and Wales.

Without the volunteer search and rescue team, the emergency services would struggle to resource the search and rescue of missing or injured people.

The team is currently fundraising to replace its ageing Land Rover.