OVERDUE PARTIES - WHAT TO DO

If someone doesn’t return at the expected time, first assess the situation. Consider if the party had food and shelter for the conditions. In most cases, even day walkers who are properly equipped can survive a night out. In an emergency, the police should be contacted to begin a search and rescue.

If you are unsure if a situation is an emergency, you can try the following:

  1. Check the information about the walk – where did they go, when are they due back, how well were they equipped, how has the weather changed? A day walk overdue by 12 hours may be a concern, but not so a 6-day walk.
  2. Ring the leader of the walk – they may have returned or got a message home
  3. Check your mobile phone – the group may have been able to SMS or ring.
  4. Ring a committee member – they may know more about the group, leader, type of activity or conditions such as weather and terrain.
  5. Contact BWRS - their website is http://www.bwrs.org.au/ They are required to contact the police but will often liaise with the police on a rescue and
    may be able to call on local information to speed up a rescue operation.
    Some club members are also BWRS members.

    BWRS contact information:


    1. Phone 132 222

    2. Ask for pager number 6277 321

    3. Leave a brief message including a return phone number

    4. One of the BWRS people will phone back

TIPS FOR WALKERS/PARTICIPANTS

The best way to handle an emergency situation is to have planned ahead.

Know where you are going, when you are expected back, what conditions you will expect and notify someone. If you are new to an activity (such as canyoning, off track walking, longer walks) ask the leader for advice and follow that advice. Your leader has to consider the whole group and an inexperienced participant at times may put other people at risk. If you have a medical condition, that may cause an emergency if situations change, let the leader know. Ideally, leave the club contact information (which is on the program) with a family member.

Think about the risks inherent in an activity and work out how to avoid, manage, or minimize the risk. Risk management requires basic common sense and experience, and is the responsibility of all members of a party.

A useful checklist for leaders is published on the BWRS (Bush Wilderness Rescue Squad) website, at www.bwrs.org.au/?q=faq-do-dont
The procedure you follow in an emergency will depend on the situation, and there can be no set of perfect guidelines. As a club, we have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of a large group with extensive experience. It is often said that it is easy to be knowledgeable about an event after it has happened; but hindsight is also a great teacher – reviewing incidents or ‘near misses’ is a useful in learning more about managing emergency situations.

ACCIDENT OR OTHER FIRST AID

Do a first aid course - advisable for all bushwalkers. The club periodically runs Senior First Aid, BWRS run Remote Area First Aid. See their site ( www.bwrs.org.au/?q=remote-area-first-aid ) for information and costs. Current guidelines for resuscitation are on www.resus.org.au/

Apply basic first aid principles:

  1. Assess the situation (for danger – is anyone else at risk?)
  2. Identify the illness or injury as quickly as possible (is help needed?)
  3. Organise help (PLB, mobile phone, SPOT, signal or send for help if necessary; check the group’s first aid kits for supplies)
  4. Manage the casualty
A more detailed list is available on the club postcard. Ask at a meeting and carry a copy in your pack.

ENVIRONMENT (LOST, BAD WEATHER, FIRE, ETC)

Part of walk planning should be to check weather reports and to make sure that the group has suitable equipment (clothes, shelter, food, water). Even with the best planning, the unexpected may happen, such as flood, fire, snow, excessive heat or unexpected difficult terrain. Walk planning should also consider alternate routes – sometimes called ‘escape routes’. These are routes which can be taken should it be necessary to abandon the planned walk. The basic first aid principles are a good start: 1. Assess the situation (is it dangerous to proceed, do you have food and water, enough shelter, do you know where you are, etc) 2. Identify the alternatives (can you stay another day, change the route, return, use an escape route or shorter route home) 3. Organise help if needed (PLB, mobile phone, SPOT, some kind of signal) 4. Continue to assess the situation and be prepared to re-asses if conditions change.

Other Emergencies

No set of guidelines can cover all emergencies. As a leader or a participant, you should stop and think, and consider the alternatives.

It is important that someone knows where you have gone, and when to expect you back. For this reason, a route plan (appropriate to the event) should be left with a person who can act if you don’t return on time. Club policy requires that you have left information with the Training Officer about who your responsible person is.

In the event of an overdue party, someone has to raise the alarm. The club committee has basic details of all listed
activities (short notice and program activities), but cannot be responsible for search and rescue.

In the event of an overdue party, the police should be contacted. The more information your responsible person has, the more capable they are of making a decision about calling for help.