apology in order

Spurning help from rescuers

Published:

IT IS THE nature of the men and women volunteers of Scotland’s mountain rescue teams that they rarely criticise those who get caught up in accidents on the hills.

They know the allure of the Scottish mountains and sympathise with walkers’ desire to get out and about on the mountains, even if there are risks attached.

In the case of a 65-year-old man who called his wife for help when he hurt an ankle, only to tell the mountain rescue team to go away when they tracked him down, the teams should have taken a picture so they would know never to rescue him again.

The comments from the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team about the incident are remarkably restrained.

The police were more forthright in their criticism, but could shed little light on the man’s reasons for refusing any help.

Perhaps he was embarrassed. Perhaps he did not realise the people who were offering him help were volunteers.

Perhaps he did not realise that public money was being wasted on the use of a helicopter.

Perhaps he is just arrogant.

Whatever his problem, he should send an apology to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team.