Page 11 - Top Cover Issue 4

TOP COVER +557'

Civil Contingency Support services to the Emergency Planning departments of various
local authorities in Cambridgeshire. Our volunteers are fully-trained and always on
hand to offer assistance and support to those in need. T ey respond quickly, providing
vital help when major emergencies, road accidents, weather incidents and fires occur.
Whatever happens, from setting up an evacuation centre to attending a major accident,
Cambridgeshire Search & Rescue are ready to respond.

*19 #4' 9' (70&'&!
As a registered charity CamSAR relies entirely on donations from the public and local
businesses and receives no government funding. All donations and money raised go
directly to the running of the team.
When we join and complete our training programme and course to qualify us as search
technicians we are then issued our kit and equipment, Police hi viz tactical vests, polo
shirts, trousers, waterproof (to a degree) jacket, helmet and torch. We have to fund our
own high leg boots purely due to the cost (and the fact they cannot be recycled to other
members if you have to leave the service). We then spend the following months and even
years adding to and customising our own additions to our equipment like utility belts for
carrying first aid kits, water, rations (some of the searches can last days or even weeks) and
some even splash out on their own GPS units or the thriftier on a compass!
T e Kit and equipment doesn’t stop there, we have Vehicles to service, run and
maintain. Currently we have 2 Navaras and one poorly RA4 all kitted out and registered
as Ambulances.
We have Bank search equipment, throw lines, dry suits, life preservers, the Kayak team
has sit on top kayaks as well as inflatables, the Bike team has four dedicated search and
rescue bikes to maintain. We also have an Incident Command Unit (ICU-ex mobile Police
station) that search operations are directed from. T is is kitted out with Radios (each team