Mountain Rescue in Scotland is the responsibility of the Police. In The Highlands of Scotland the police do not have the manpower to carry out mountain rescues and hence the responsibility of mountain rescue is devolved to civilian mountain rescue teams. The police in The Scottish Highlands regard civilian mountain rescue teams as their greatest asset when persons are lost or injured in the mountains.

The Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT) has 43 team members. These team members are unpaid volunteers who give up their time and skills going to the aid of any one in trouble on the hills. The team members are mountaineers themselves and therefore understand fully the attractions of the wild and beautiful environment, which the mountains can provide.

Arguments for a paid service are discounted by the CMRT as they firmly believe that a paid service would not provide any better service and would be less cost effective than the current arrangements. All decisions made by the CMRT are taken in the best interests of the casualty without the thought of recompense or of the cost of the operation. As long as the public continues to financially support mountain rescue teams then we believe the status quo should remain.

 CMRT cover primarily the following areas. The Drumochter Hills, The Ben Alder Massif, Ardverikie Wall on Binnein Shuas, Craig Dhubh at Newtonmore, the Monadhliath Mountains over to Loch Ness, the Northern Cairngorms including the climbing areas of the Loch Avon basin such as the Shelter Stone Crag, Hells Lum, Stag Rocks, the moors up towards the Moray Coast and north as far as Inverness.

Although called a mountain rescue team we have been involved in recent years in looking for crashed aircraft, attempted suicides, lost children, missing adults from residential homes \ rehabilitation centres, and regularly rescuing persons from cars trapped in snow drifts on the main A9 trunk road between Inverness and Perth.

As a unit capable of surviving in extreme weather and being completely self-sufficient with radio communications, vehicles and rescue equipment we will go into any inhospitable terrain when the police ask for assistance. I think one of the secrets of the success of the camaraderie, dedication and professionalism of the CMRT is that as we volunteer our services - we can always say NO - Hence we always say YES.

Willie Anderson-Team Leader