Safety in the Outdoors

There is no shortage of beautiful tramps and walks in our part of the country, and it’s the perfect time of year to head out and try some of them, so we had a chat to Ron Ealam from Oxford LandSAR about the best ways to keep yourself safe and enjoy your experience.

There are lots of simple common sense steps you can take to ensure you get home safely.

The first thing is gear for your walk or tramp. Clothing is extremely important, and includes appropriate footwear, and warmer clothes in case the weather turns. Our weather can be extremely unpredictable, so this is vital. Along with clothing, it is important to take food and water, and a communication device such as apersonal locator beacon, GPS or cell phone.

Ron says that while cell phones don’t have reception everywhere, Police are able to ping cell phones to find a location.Before you leave home, check the weather forecast, and let someone know what walk you intend to do, and what time you estimate you will return.

Early notification is key in a search, so if you don’t return at the time you have said, and you haven’t made contact, then that person can make a call to put the search in motion. While you are on the track, fill out intention books, log books at cabins etc. to leave a paper trail record of where you are going.

Ron says it is very important to stick with your intentions and not change course part way through. He goes on to say “Stay in your comfort zone. Don’t go anywhere that you are not comfortable, or is not in your ability”.

If you go out with a group, do not split up, stay together at all times. While some people like to tramp solo, Ron says it is not advisable to do this in case of a medical emergency.

If you do get lost, have a medical event, or sustain an injury, stay put unless you are in danger. Keep calm and don’t panic, as this is often when dangerous decisions are made.

Try and make contact calling 111 should always be your first call. There is always a SAR Duty Officer available for when a search arises. Keep warm and try to get comfortable for the time you are waiting.

Recently Oxford LandSar had a successful search. Ron says the thing that helped on this search, was that the lost parties were able to take a photo of their location and send it through, and this helped pinpoint where the search should be carried out. Giving as much information as possible is helpful for people searching.

Oxford LandSAR has a team of 49 volunteers. They are also fortunate to have a dog team with Ron Ealam and his dog Skyla.

The team averages 12 callouts a year.

To get involved with LandSAR there is a process which includes an interview to ascertain availability and also suitability.

The next step is an overnight induction course to see what capabilities candidates have and their suitability for the team. Monthly training covers such things as First Aid, rope work, stretcher work, tracking skills, survival skills, river crossings,and helicoptertraining.

Ron says the Oxford group has a particularly strong group at the moment with a good range of medical and outdoor skills covered by members of the team.

If you would like to get involved you can contact James Davidson (Chairman) James.Davidson@oxfordlandsar.co.nz or Steve Pooley (Training Officer) steve.g.pooley@gmail.com for more information.