Manor Walking Club

These notes relate to the use of phones for navigation and their use in an emergency.

Navigation

Many of our walk leaders use their phones to assist with navigation. The App 'OS Maps' is particularly good and costs less than £35 per year subscription (2024 prices). This gives Ordnance Survey maps for finding your location, following a pre-loaded route, recording your activity or printing off a hard copy map. A free App called 'OS Locate' gives you your location (grid reference), altitude and a compass. This could be used in conjunction with a traditional map.

We do ask, however, that leaders also take with them a map and compass in order to deal with any technology failures such as an exhausted battery.

When using OS Maps, leaders should download their planned route in advance of the walk. It will be stored in 'Saved' 'Off line maps'. This ensures that the route is immediately available on the walk even if the signal is inadequate to download data at the start.

Frequent use of the phone screen in cold weather will drain the battery quicker than usual and so phone users are advised to carry a small power pack on the day as well as a hard copy map.

Emergencies

It is often the case that accidents occur towards the end of a walk when walkers are tired and losing concentration. This may also be a time when phone batteries are low in power. That is another good reason for carrying a power pack. In the event of making an emergency call it may be necessary to stay connected for a considerable time, again using battery power.

In the event of an emergency requiring assistance, a phone call to 999 must be made (112 connects to the same service. A 111 call may be made for non-emergency advice). Health service ambulances will not deal with a casualty who is off road and so the service to request is Police and then Mountain Rescue. Have the details of the incident ready, possibly written down, to save time and battery power when calling.

You will need to give:

• Location (with a grid reference if possible)

• Name, gender and age of casualty

• Nature of injuries or emergency

• Number of people in the party

• Your mobile phone number and other alternative phone numbers in the group

Having given the location of the incident, do not move to another location.

It is possible that you are unable to obtain a phone signal in the hills. (It is good practice to note the locations of any inhabited premises on or near the walk in case help may be sought there) In the event of no phone signal:

1. Enquire with other members of the group to see if a different provider is giving a signal

2. Send another group member (or better two) to try to find a signal from a higher altitude or different location

3. Send an emergency text. Texts use intermittent signals and so might get through. All walkers should register their phones with the Emergency SMS facility which works with all providers.

To register your phone for emergency SMS in the UK:

• Text the word "register" to 999

• Read the reply message

• Reply with "yes"

• You should receive a confirmation message

• You can use the emergency SMS service in the UK on all mobile networks, but it cannot be used from abroad.

(The emergency SMS service is also designed for people with hearing loss and speech difficulty)

In an emergency

> Text 999

The service needs to know:

> Who?

Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue or Coastguard.

> What?

Briefly, what is the problem.

> Where?

Exactly where the incident is

What happens next?

The emergency service will either ask for more information or will tell you that help is on the way. Don’t assume that your message has been received until the emergency service sends a message back. It will usually take about two minutes before you get a reply. If you don’t get a reply within three minutes, try again or find other ways of getting help.

While waiting for the emergency service, basic first-aid treatment should be given. Think ‘Safety, then follow ABC and DEF below (if appropriate)’.

(Further guidance for leaders on what to do in the event of a medical emergency or accident is to be found in the Leader Guidance on the Safety Code page. Leaders should note that the club does not require or expect first aid skills. We just expect common sense and that leaders will do their best, drawing on assistance from the rest of the group.)

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ABC and DEF

Safety: are you and the casualty safe from further danger?

If not, try to make yourselves safe by moving. Is the casualty responsive?

A - Is the casualty’s airway open?

If necessary, open it by a simple jaw thrust or chin lift. An open airway is essential; if the casualty is unconscious or semi-conscious, the tongue can fall back blocking the airway and cause death from asphyxia. After trauma (physical injury after an accident), gently stabilise the neck in the straight-line (neutral) position with your hands. Try to avoid further movement the neck. Continually check that the airway remains open, adjusting the casualty’s position as required.

B - Is the casualty breathing?

Look, feel and listen for breathing. Basic Life Support (CPR) should be started, if you are trained, when the casualty is unconscious and shows no signs of breathing, and it can be continued until help arrives, and where there is a chance of recovery (lightning, drowning, heart attack). It is usually futile in casualties with internal injuries and is probably best to defer in cases of severe exposure/hypothermia until expert help is available. An unconscious but breathing casualty should be put in the ‘recovery position’ if possible. In cases involving trauma take care that the neck remains in a neutral position. Always check the airway is still open.

C - Is the circulation adequate?

Stop any bleeding from wounds by elevation and direct pressure with dressings or clothing. The pressure needs to be applied continuously for at least 10 minutes. Internal bleeding should be suspected if the casualty has sustained blows to the chest or abdomen or broken thigh bone (femur). Loss of blood leads to shock; the casualty will be look white, feel cold and be sweating. The pulse may be rapid and the casualty anxious. Lay the casualty down and possibly raise the legs. The condition often deteriorates and all steps should be taken to facilitate the rapid arrival of the Mountain Rescue Team and, if possible, a helicopter. A record of the pulse rate and conscious level is very helpful.

D - Is the casualty disabled due to damage to head or spine?

Record the casualty's consciousness level - Alert, responsive to voice, responsive to pain or unresponsive? Has the spine been damaged? If so, do not move the casualty unless essential for safety reasons. Maintain the head in the normal straight (neutral) position with your hands.

E – Prevent exposure

Prevent exposure (hypothermia) by sheltering the casualty from the wind and rain. Wrap them in as many layers of clothing as possible and encased in a 'poly bag' or other impermeable barrier. Do not forget to insulate the head and underneath the casualty. Even mild hypothermia worsens the outcome of many injuries. See Box 2 for more detail.

F – Check for fractures?

If fractures are suspected, immobilise the limb by the simplest method available. In the case of the arm, pad it and bandage it to the chest, and in the case of the leg, pad it and bandage it to the other leg.

Further points to consider in the UK

Large, organised groups should bear in mind that the Mountain Rescue Teams are a finite resource and it is wrong to assume their availability.

A helicopter may arrive before the Mountain Rescue Team. Extinguish all flames and secure all equipment. To attract the attention of the helicopter stand facing it with both arms up in the air making a Y shape. The downdraught can knock you over, so make sure you are in a safe position. Do not approach the helicopter until clearly signalled to do so by the pilot.

Prevention is better than First Aid! GPS systems, whilst being useful, are no substitute for carrying a map and compass, and knowing how to use them. The routine carrying of a suitable head-torch would save many needless call-outs. And finally, whilst mobile phones can be very useful in emergencies, any temptation to use them in the hills to call the emergency services in non-emergency circumstances should be resisted.