Pioneer leads Cave Rescue Organisation efforts
A Honda Pioneer Side-by-Side all-terrain UTV has earned its place on the vehicle fleet of one of the UK’s leading cave and mountain rescue teams.
The North Yorkshire-based Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO) was the UK’s first organisation of its type, formed by volunteers in 1935 to provide assistance to anyone in trouble in any of the estimated 2,500 caves of the Yorkshire Dales. From the 1960s, fell and mountain rescue was added to the team’s remit at the same time as similar mountain rescue organisations were set up elsewhere in the UK.
The CRO is based at Clapham, near the base of Ingleborough which at 723m high is one of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks. Funded by public donations and legacies the group responds to incidents in the Yorkshire Dales, North Lancashire and south-east Cumbria and continues to be staffed by volunteers, many of who are trained medics and who also have regular full- or part-time jobs.
Last year 102 incidents were attended of which 84 were mountain rescues mainly involving injured knees and ankles, and 6 were cave rescues. As well as responding to emergency calls when people are trapped or injured, the team also assists searches for missing people, and is often involved with farm livestock and pet rescues too.
Load capacity
With callouts involving a wide range of potential scenarios, the amount of kit that has to be available at a moment’s notice is vast, so the group operates three Land Rover Defender 130 4x4 vehicles. Two of the Defenders carry teams of two or three people plus equipment, and the other is for personnel transport to and from incident sites and also carries casualties.
Most incidents occur in areas of challenging terrain and hazards can include steep slopes, large rocks hidden in long grass, cave openings and wet, boggy ground. The Land Rovers transport teams and equipment as far as is safe, then the crew continues on foot, carrying all the equipment needed with them.
“Since Defender production ceased a few years ago, we have been looking at potential replacements,” explained CRO Duty Controller, Rae Lonsdale. “Some groups use 4x4 commercial vans but although these have the necessary capacity they couldn’t travel as far from the road as our Defenders. So, if we used them, our team would have to walk further carrying all their equipment, and it would take much longer for us to reach casualties.”
Potential solution
ATVs and side-by-side UTVs are popular with farmers in the area, and their ability to travel across the most challenging terrain transporting feed and bedding makes them an essential tool for shepherds looking after sheep on high ground. The CRO members believed that adding one to the current vehicle fleet could improve the group’s efficiency, as well as helping achieve a workable solution for the future if the Defenders are replaced by commercial vans. “Even with a trailer, a UTV couldn’t carry as much as a Defender, but its ability to travel quickly across almost any terrain means it could transport team members and equipment from the point where other vehicles can’t travel any further, to the location where they are needed,” explained Rae.
The rescue team enjoys a good relationship with farmers and landowners and relies on their goodwill permitting access to fields and farm tracks and allowing vehicles to travel closer to where help is needed. During one afternoon in 2019, the rescue team was called to two cave rescues and a surface casualty with a broken ankle, and farmers local to both cave incidents offered the use of their ATVs and UTVs to assist with transporting equipment. “Having them available made such a difference as, instead of our team members making several trips back and forth between the Land Rovers and the cave opening, the UTVs carried much more in less time. It also meant that our rescue team members were less tired on arrival at the site. Although we were already considering a UTV as a potential solution, their involvement in these incidents helped convince us of their advantages, so we began looking at options.”
Several makes and model of UTV were borrowed and tested, and members of the team consulted with farmers who already operated some of the brands. “The selection process included trials on farms, and it involved petrol- and diesel-engine models,” explained CRO team member Paul Moore, who is a professional climbing instructor. “The diesel-powered versions lacked power, and we were keen to avoid models with belt drive as they would need more maintenance and lack the performance of direct-drive transmissions for towing trailers and operating on slopes.”
Performance and practicality
Out of all the machines tested, Honda’s Pioneer SXS700-M4 was selected as most suitable for its performance and practicality. As well as carrying the driver and a front-seat passenger it has two additional rear seats which can be folded away when not needed, creating additional space for transporting large items on the rear load bed. A 675cc liquid-cooled petrol engine provides plenty of power and a rugged three-speed torque converter transmission changes gears automatically while maintaining direct drive for maximum efficiency and effective down-hill engine braking.
An order was placed with local Honda main dealer JG Paxton & Sons, which had supplied the demonstration machine. “We try to support local businesses,” commented Rae. “Paxton’s team was very helpful throughout our selection process and allowed us to keep their Pioneer demonstrator for extended periods so that we could be certain it would fulfil the role we intended. When speaking with local farmers, all the reports regarding the dealer were positive, so it was the obvious choice.”
The Pioneer arrived in late 2019, with an optional cab, cab heater and front winch, and specialist operator training was arranged for its drivers. Within a few weeks of it joining the fleet, it attended its first incident. “When calls for help are received, any volunteers available travel to our Clapham base. The first vehicle to leave is a Defender with just a few team members plus all the equipment,” explained Rae. “As more of the team arrive, the second Defender leaves with the additional crew and the Pioneer is also dispatched if needed, with its driver and at least one passenger who acts as a spotter to watch for hazards, and sometimes a carer to look after a casualty. The Defenders travel as far as they are able, then the Pioneer meets it, and carries equipment the rest of the way to the incident, repeating the journey as many times as required.”
Surprised by capabilities
As the team has become more familiar with the Pioneer, its capabilities have surprised the users. Large flotation tyres provide plenty of grip and distribute the vehicle’s weight over a large area which means the tyres barely leave a mark, even on soft ground. Boggy terrain is often the main reason that the Defenders’ can’t get closer to incident sites - as their wheels would cause unsightly ruts and the vehicles could become stuck. “We operate in a National Park and try to minimise damage to the environment while training and attending incidents,” stressed Rae. “Using the Pioneer, we can travel over the same sensitive ground many times and there is hardly a trace of us having been there. And because the Pioneer is so light, if it does get stuck then it’s usually easy to recover without needing an additional vehicle. At many incidents, the Pioneer has travelled to within 20 metres of a cave entrance or a surface casualty, which makes a big difference as getting trained people and equipment to the location is often time critical.”
Paul said that the Pioneer’s compact size allows it to travel though narrow gaps and gateways where other vehicles would be too wide. It has also proved exceptionally agile for reaching casualties on higher ground. “Our team members know the Yorkshire Three Peaks area well and are familiar with the best routes to almost any location, using roads, green lanes, farm tracks and suitable fields. Even on very challenging terrain the Pioneer feels sure-footed and stable, and we have been surprised by how close to the mountain summits we can get it.”
Casualty response
The team often works with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, responding to calls for help if people are badly injured on the mountainous terrain. The Pioneer’s role has included transporting medical personnel and equipment to casualties when the helicopter has been prevented from landing nearby because of fog or other factors. Using the Pioneer has allowed medical treatment to start sooner, and when additional equipment or personnel have been needed, then the Pioneer has travelled back down to fetch them. It has also been used to evacuate casualties to the Defenders or waiting ambulances. “We don’t often use the Pioneer’s heater, as there is usually plenty of heat given off by the engine which keeps the cab warm,” explained Paul. “However, when we have someone who is cold having been immobile with a broken ankle or knee, then sitting them in the Pioneer with the heater on helps improve their comfort.”
Massively useful tool
Operating the Pioneer as part of the fleet was intended to be a 12-month trial, at the end of which it would be sold if it hadn’t provided the expected benefits. “We managed before with just the Defenders, and if we had to do so again then we would survive,” said Andy Reeves, whose full-time occupation is a head teacher. “But it would be hard now not to have it. It only attends incidents when we think it will offer advantages, but when it has been used it’s made a real difference. When casualties are up on the fells, we can typically get help to them 15–20 minutes sooner.”
Rae agrees that the Pioneer’s first year has proved a success. “We attend a wide variety of incidents on a wide variety of terrain and having the Pioneer on our fleet gives us increased flexibility in the way we respond. It’s a massively useful tool and we would definitely buy it again,” he confirmed.
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