Welcome to the website of Trossachs Search and Rescue

Our Bases
Based at MOD Forthside, Stirling courtesy of the 7 Scots, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, our team provides a range of specialist services that benefit communities across Scotland through our partnership agreements with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, The Scottish Ambulance Service, Central Scotland Fire & Rescue and the British Heart Foundation.

 

We also store equipment at Aberfoyle Fire Station.

 

 

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.

 

We also provide 24/7 USAR Dog cover for Central Scotland Fire & Rescue Service.

 

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.

 

 

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 on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service:

 

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

 

TSART FRU operates 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 36 people (24 men & 12 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'.

The Team Chairman is
Stuart Ballantyne, 11 Tryst Park,
The Inches, Larbert, Stirlingshire
FK5 4FN. Tel 07796 240 023


The Secretary is Gordon Gregory,
1 Holmpark, Bishopton PA7 5JQ.
Tel 07833 734 579.


Donations can be sent to the team's Treasurer: Joanne Reid MA LLB,
11 Tryst Park, The Inches, Larbert, Stirlingshire FK5 4FN.

If you have a query re call-outs / events coverage then contact Stuart Ballantyne .