Mountain Rescues on an Upwards Trend
The Grupo de Rescate de Montaña (GRM), the specialized team in the Mallorca Fire Department, has tripled the number of rescues with an average of 100 per year to over 300. This year, 233 interventions have already been made and, if the trend continues, 2024 will also be a record year.
Spring and autumn are the busiest seasons for the GRM as more people head to the mountains on hikes. However, this year, the busiest month has been in August, with 40 interventions.
The majority of actions carried out by the GRM are rescues, which account for 87.4% of their services. The rest of the interventions involve searching for people, actions related to animals or technical services. The municipalities where the Mountain Rescue Group is most active are Escorca, Sóller, Pollença, Artà and Calvià.
Most of the citizens who needed the help of the specialized team of the Fire Department of Mallorca were hiking (59.3%), but people who went to the beaches (13.6%) were also attended, others were canyoning, cycling or climbing.
Island director of Emergencies, Joan Fornàs, emphasizes that “the Mountain Rescue Group is a benchmark in mountain rescues. It is one of the best prepared specialized groups in the country, and one of the most active with respect to the number of incidents they attend to”. The team is made up of 40 personnel, divided between the Sóller Department ─ where there are eight leading firefighters and sixteen firefighters─ and the Inca Department ─ with sixteen firefighters. Due to the difficulty and the high degree of technicality of the work, the Mountain Rescue Group does not stop training and participating in drills, and does eight training maneuvers a year.
To avoid incidents in the mountains, the GRM recommends acting with conscience when you go hiking. Knowing the place where you are going, check that it is suitable for each person’s physical capacity . Furthermore, equipping yourself with good equipment and knowing the weather conditions is essential to avoid problems. Also, it is recommended to inform someone where you are going.
During the summer months, think of dehydration, heat stroke or physical exhaustion and avoid the central hours of the day, you have to pay close attention to hydration and you have to wear sun and heat protection. If it is really hot, consider whether it is worth going out at all.
