Welcome to the website of Trossachs Search and Rescue

Our Bases
We have bases at Aberfoyle Fire Station courtesy of Central Scotland Fire & Rescue and at MOD Forthside, Stirling courtesy of the 7 Scots, The Royal Regiment of Scotland as well as a lock-up garage at Aberfoyle Motors.

 

Our team provides a range of specialist services that benefit communities across Scotland through our partnership agreements with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Central Scotland Fire & Rescue, The Scottish Ambulance Service and the British Heart Foundation. We also work in partnership with Strathclyde and Central Scotland Emergency Co-ordination Groups.

 

Urban Search and Rescue

TSART works in partnership with:

- Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service providing 24/7 Urban SAR dog cover for the 2.3 million people of Strathclyde; and

 

- Central Scotland Fire & Rescue Service providing 24/7 USAR Dog cover.

 

We also provide back up 24/7 USAR Dog cover to respond to incidents in Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service n support of Caithness and Sutherland Search Team, as part of our membership of the National Urban SAR Dog group (Scotland).

 

The team also provides an experienced, highly trained and equipped search and rescue team that has worked at the Stockline factory collapse in Glasgow, assisted in the search for a murder victim in Hull and has assisted HM Coastguard in the search for a missing fisherman at Portlethen, Aberdeenshire, not forgetting a protracted missing person search on South Uist as well as collapsed structure searches in Polmont and at Ayr Harbour

 

National Urban Search and Rescue Dog Group
We are part of the National Urban Search and Rescue Dog Group so the emergency services can be assured that the service provided is of an extremely high standard.

First Responder Units

We operate two First Responder Units in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service:

 

TSART FRU operates in the village of Aberfoyle and its surrounding area.

 

SAR 200 FRU operates in the Strathclyde area. Both FRUs can attend incidents Scotland wide - responding to incidents wherever the transponders show we are the closest resources - and as we travel countryside delivering our services, attending training with other services/ attending events, we could literally be dispatched to calls anywhere.

 

FRUs receive training in attending a range of life threatening incidents - where there is unconsciousness, suspected heart attack or breathing difficulties.

Charitable Status and Aims

Trossachs Search and Rescue is a recognised Scottish Charity No. SC028266
which:

- provides 24/7 USAR dog cover for Strathclyde and Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Services

- provides First Responder Units on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service
- provides a voluntary search and rescue service for people lost or injured
- provides a rescue service for injured animals
- promotes safety in the outdoors
- provides emergency life support training to groups within the local communities through our TSART Heartstart Scheme.

 

Formed in 1998, our team comprises 33 people (23 men & 10 women) and 5 search dogs.

Our volunteers are drawn from all walks of life - from the Police, Fire and Ambulance services, nurses, country park warden, joiner, painter, dog walker, farmers, IT project manager, students, kennel staff, hot food takeaway worker and twocommercial pilots -and most of these have former military/ emergency services experience.

We are delighted to be heavily supported by WAGG Foods who supply all the qualified dogs with WAGG Time each month. WAGG also support the personnel by way of providing fleece jackets and polo shirts. (www.waggfoods.co.uk)

We are also supported in different ways - be it the provision of a vehicle, finance or training by two of Scotland's Fire and Rescue Services - Strathclyde & Central Scotland  

The Scottish Ambulance Service supports us by way of First-Aid training provision to FPOS and HS at Work levels, GPS tracking for our vehicles, communications and first aid equipment.

SAR Skills and experience

Our skills extend to being able to search in a variety of areas - open countryside, forest, hillsides, riverbanks, hospital grounds, parkland, buildings, disused/ derelict buildings and so on...

In May 2004, 14 members and 4 search dogs responded to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service's request for assistance at a factory collapse in Maryhill, Glasgow. Personnel and dogs worked on site from 2pm on the first day, till 3pm the next day.

The team also provided personnel and 4 search dogs on three occasions to assist Humberside Police in searches of open countryside and dense woodland for murder victim - Joanne Nelson.

Our rescue skills extend to providing first-aid to both humans and animals and we have been called upon to utilise these valuable skills on numerous occasions. From rescuing a crow trapped in netting high on a building in Falkirk High Street (along with the High Access Rescue Team) to rescuing an 8 yr old boy who had fallen within a 60 feet tower, sustaining head and leg injuries - our medical and rope rescue personnel have provided an excellent service.

                                                                                                               

CONTACT DETAILS
Team e-mail : trossachs.sar@btinternet.com
or post an enquiry by highlighting the button to the left marked 'ENQUIRY'.

Letters and donations should be sent to Trossachs Search and Rescue Team

c/o The Fire Station, Main Street, Aberfoyle

FK8 3UQ.

 

Team phone: 07796 240 023

The Chairman is Stuart Ballantyne.

The Secretary is Craig Seggie BSc.

The Treasurer is Joanne Reid MA LLB

 

The  Child Protection/ Data Protection Officer is Gayle Patrick BSc

 

The Heartstart Co-ordinator is Jeff Smith

 

The Equipment Officer is Iain Ballantyne

 

The Training Officer is Gordon Gregory

 

The Fundraisers are Chris and Derek Louttit

 

Area Reps are:

Aberfoyle - Elaine Bruce

Glasgow - Crawford Brown

Stirling - Stuart Gunn

Falkirk - Jim Wilson

http://www.justgiving.com/tsart/Donate