NSW Cave Rescue Squad | Emergency rescue service

NSW Cave Rescue Squad

Phone: +61 428 158 777

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Community organisation
• Emergency rescue service

25.01.2022 Last weekend CRS carried out their annual multi-agency training exercise. This is our biggest event for the year. Thanks to Bathurst Police Rescue and Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust for attending. We hope you enjoy the pictures. The exercise was to get a patient from the bottom of the 90 foot pitch and over some challenging tyro-leans in Mammoth cave.

25.01.2022 Three members of the Squad attended a Sump Rescue Orientation Program which was run in Mount Gambier (South Australia) the past two days. This program, lead by Dr Richard Harris and the Cave Divers Association of Australia, involved two days of diving rescue theory, logistics, and in-water exercises. It was an eye-opening course for everyone involved, with the primary 'take home' lesson being that even small accidents become huge rescues, so be proactive in minimising risk on all trips.

24.01.2022 Here is the unedited version form last weekends training exercise. Although quite long, it really gives you an impression of just how long everything takes and the difficulties of a cave rescue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azx4bm-4IAo

24.01.2022 Today the Cave Rescue Squad assisted Police along with the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad, NSW Rural Fire Service, and SES. The groups searched various terrain in western Sydney and successfully located a 90 year old local man who had been missing for over 24hrs.

24.01.2022 Dear members CRS will be conducting some serious, but fun vertical training at Dogface, Katoomba on Sunday the 30th of June. It will involve an abseil and prussik up a very exposed cliff. The SRT exposure training will test our members and build on the skills practiced at Pierces Pass. Everyone is welcome to attend, not everyone has to go on rope. There a great sunny outlook at the top to enjoy the view with a cup of tea. Please let me know if you are able to attend.

23.01.2022 Two weeks to go to our annual multi-agency cave rescue exercise. This year is going to be the most challenging exercise ever. We will extract a patient from a hard to get to section of Mammoth cave. NB. Mammoth has over 10km of surveyed passage.

22.01.2022 Sorry for the delay getting this on-line. Hope you enjoy yet another training video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZZy3zQyRI

21.01.2022 Dear members Our Jenolan Caves Rescue Exercise date is set for October 6 & 7. This year is going to be bigger and better than ever. Save the date for our epic multi-agency extravaganza. We are going to tackle one of the deepest caves on the Australian mainland. Just how deep we’ll go? You’ll have to come to find out...

21.01.2022 CRS had the pleasure of working with the Quirindi and Murrurundi VRA Squads last weekend at Timor Caves. The team rescued a dog that fell into narrow vertical cave on Sunday. We used our new air pump with great success to rid the cave of high CO2, as well as overcome other challenges and torrential rain, resulting in reuniting the dog with its thankful owners. We would like to acknowledge the local SES team for their dedication and support in the trying conditions.

21.01.2022 Having trouble learning knots? Maybe this video will help. :-)

21.01.2022 S & R training of a different kind today for members of the NSW Cave Rescue Squad. Our mission was to locate the ‘Lost Pillar’ near Dalpura Head. We accessed it via a 120m abseil, then climbed 60m to the top, then a 10m tyrolean back across to the main wall, then prussiked our way back to the top. Thanks goes to our Captain for leading the trad climb up the Lost Pillar, and everyone else for going hard all day (9hrs) with heavy packs.

20.01.2022 The Cave Rescue Squad assisted Lithgow & District Volunteer Rescue Association with rescue of a dog, stuck in a crevasse, out near the end of Sunnyside ridge earlier today. The dog had been in the narrow fissure of rock since 5pm last evening. The dog was freed with the aid of a blanket and rope, which was used to haul him out just before lunchtime today.

20.01.2022 CRS were training at a big cliff today at Pierces Pass. There was plenty of exposure to keep everyone excited.

20.01.2022 The NSW Cave Rescue Squad will be back training again this weekend at Wombeyan Caves. The training will focus on navigation, communication, teamwork, as well as a simulated rescue from within a hard to access cave.

20.01.2022 Call out - members please advise if you can help out tomorrow. Check your email for details. https://www.facebook.com/BushwalkersWild//1375672169151198

20.01.2022 Thank you everyone for your hard work and fantastic commitment. This year’s Jenolan Caves rescue exercise was another outstanding success. We conducted a S & R of Wiburds. Four teams were given a large section of cave to search. Decoys and a few surprises kept everyone on their toes. The teams then came together and extracted the patient quickly and efficiently. Looking forward to next year’s multi agency extravaganza!

20.01.2022 More photos from last weekend. The squad had 3 objectives for training... get to the sump in Argyle in record time - tick, test out our new water pumping equipment - tick, and practice hauling a stretcher with out rider using twin rope rescue techniques - tick. We are looking forward to our multi-agency exercise at Jenolan in October.

19.01.2022 https://vimeo.com/219553466?ref=fb-share&1

19.01.2022 Dear members Our 1st training event for the year will take place in the spectacular Kanangra Boyd national park on the 20/21 January. The weekend will start with an exciting abseil down Margaret falls, then we’ll continue down Christie’s ck to the Kowmung. Check your emails for further details. Here are a few photos from last years training in KBNP to whet the appetite.

18.01.2022 Dear members We'll be running 2 weekends (5&6 May and 19&20 May), along the lines of the vertical rescue courses that we ran a few years ago. This will allow those newer members who missed the course to catch up on it, as well as provide a refresher for more experienced members.... The weekend of 5&6 will be at Hawksbury Heights Lookout and the 19&20 at Bungonia.

18.01.2022 Here are a few photos from our recent training exercise in Tasmania. The caves down there are big, cold and wet. We look forward to going back again next year.

18.01.2022 It's a little over a month (31 Oct) until our Jenolan Caves Rescue Exercise. This year is going to stretch resources to the limits, as a challenging extrication has been planned by the organisers. We will have approx 40 rescue operators from CRS, NSW Police Rescue, NSW Ambulance, BWRS, WICEN and JCRT.

18.01.2022 The CRS will assist the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad this weekend with the search of bush land in the Lower Portland area.

16.01.2022 The team were visiting Kanangra Main in the new year for some rigging practice on big waterfalls. What a great day out.

16.01.2022 Last fortnight, members of the squad attended a weekend of training off the cliffs in Hawksbury Heights. This was a good mix of training for new recruits, and upskilling/refreshers for existing members. This weekend, CRS will be heading to Bungonia Caves for some in-cave rescue exercises over two days, putting their vertical rope skills to the test.

16.01.2022 I'm thinking of getting some Sloppy Joes and T-shirts printed again for this year's Jenolan Caves Rescue Exercise. Let me know if you're interested...

16.01.2022 This month the Cave Rescue Squad conducted an in-cave training exercise in Bullio Cave at Wombeyan. This was a particularly challenging exercise involving extracting an 'injured' caver from the very base of this cold and vertical cave, using Nikola 'through-rock' radios for communication. The casualty weighed around 100kg (totaling around 120kg when including caving gear and stretcher weight) but the team rose to the challenge and completed the task in around 12 hours with no injuries. Thank you to Captain Al Warild and exercise leader Chris Curtis for organising. Photo credits Alan Pryke (https://suss.caves.org.au/photogallery/bullio.html)

16.01.2022 Yesterday I spent time with Cave Rescue abseiling down a new route on Narrow Neck at Katoomba called Lyre Birds Ledges. 3 pitches down a 150m cliff face. After lunch we headed over to Boars Head to practice some SRT on Shandy.

16.01.2022 CRS will be training at Bungonia on the 16th and 17th of June. We will test our CO2 detector, as well as our members working in the CO2. It's the perfect time of year for CO2... Did I mention that there might be some CO2?

16.01.2022 So I finally made a rope cleaner after more than 20 years playing with ropes. OMG this is so much easier! It doesn't wear my arms out, super fast and hardly uses any water. It's adjustable for different rope diameters or a more thorough scrub. Total cost was about $20 not including the bike stand, pulleys and carabiners. What do you think, share your own inventions please. :-) Thanks. Chris Curtis

15.01.2022 Our sister squad the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad hard at work again... https://www.facebook.com/BushwalkersWild//1275897349128681

15.01.2022 Last weekend the Cave Rescue Squad had an outing to Whungee Wheengee, perhaps the most cave-like canyon in the blue mountains, featuring two duck-unders and some dark sections with glowworms. Gotta keep those training hours up! You also get to enjoy the beautiful and comparatively open Wollangambe, too :)

14.01.2022 CRS will be training at one of the most spectacular locations this weekend. Here are a few photos from when we were part of a major bush search a few years ago.

13.01.2022 4 weeks to go til we kick off our Annual Multi-Agency Cave Rescue Exercise! We expect to get down and dirty with specialist operators from Blue Mountains Police Rescue, Chifley LAC - NSW Police Force, NSW Ambulance, Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad and the expert staff at Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust. We have in store another challenging location to extract a live casualty. Here are a few pics from last year's event to whet the appetite...

13.01.2022 Action shots from Navsheild yesterday. Our teams were pushing hard through the thick scrub to find the well thought out checkpoints, long clothing was a must. Bush Search and Rescue NSW have once again put on a world class event.

13.01.2022 Thank you Climbing Anchors for your continued support and xmas gift. Merry Christmas and a safe and adventurous New Year.

13.01.2022 The NSW Cave Rescue Squad has 6 members heading off to Tasmania on the 28th Nov, returning on the 7th Dec. CRS is facilitating cave rescue training for some of Tasmania's finest cavers, over 2 weekends. The CRS members also plan to tackle some of Australia's deepest caves whilst in the apple isle

12.01.2022 Some video from Saturdays training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV6NgZ5Eixc

12.01.2022 Report and photos detailing the two CRS teams in this years Navshield by Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad. This was the 28th annual Navshield with 130 teams participating!

12.01.2022 ... and some pictures from today.

12.01.2022 Today we hit the cliffs for some pickoff practice and a tyrolean traverse. Lots of fun was had by all.

12.01.2022 Ever wondered how Bush Search and Rescue NSW fits into it's parent organisation, the VRA - Volunteer Rescue Association? This video will fill you in with thanks... to our volunteers who appear in the Land Search and Rescue segments (with a note that we usually wear bright yellow, not white overalls!) See more

12.01.2022 The CRS have been called to help Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad with the search of bushland today and on the weekend if necessary. We wish all the rescue teams well, for a safe and successful outcome. http://www.abc.net.au//missing-blue-mountains-woma/7235216

09.01.2022 "I made them a promise I'd come back". Hero cave diver John Volanthen from Bristol speaks exclusively to the BBC about his role in the Thai cave rescue...

09.01.2022 Today members from the squad ventured into sunlight to represent NSW CRS at the Katoomba Emergency Services Expo. Other participants included Wicen and BWRC who kindly shared their gazebo and tables, plus SOT Ambos who loaned us Aiden the dummy for some demos. Thanks to everyone who popped by and said hello, especially the kids who put on a helmet and had a go using the descending and ascending gear along the flat!

09.01.2022 We were out searching with our sister squad the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad today, along with Blue Mountains Police Rescue, SES, RFS and NSW Ambulance. The bushland was rugged, and we all have our share of scratches. The search continues tomorrow... Best of luck everyone!

09.01.2022 Last weekend available members of the NSW Cave Rescue Squad descended on Bungonia Caves for a weekend of practice. Here you can see Captain Al Warild struggling to compose himself as he directs the crew to use inferior equipment and techniques. This was an exercise in familiarizing members in standard procedures used by other organisations for future collaborations. The comparison made members realise how good the CRS training, equipment, and procedures are as they struggled with far less efficiency than they were used to. Photo credit Tom Begic. #CaveRescue #CRS #VerticalRescue

07.01.2022 Here are some more photos from our Jenolan Caves Rescue Exercise 2015. This is our annual multi-agency training exercise as well as our biggest event for the year. Thanks to Blue Mountains Police Rescue, Bathurst Police Rescue and Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust.

07.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBqmY6yDqwc&feature=youtu.be

07.01.2022 El fin de semana del 3-4 y 5 de Junio de 2016, tuvo lugar una práctica conjunta de espeleosocorro y espeleobuceo. Para este ejercicio se eligió el Sumidero del... Embalsador, en Sta. María del Val (Cuenca), donde se practicó una posible fractura de pierna de un espeleobuceador en uno de los sifones, siendo necesaria su evacuación en camilla hasta la salida. Aunque la noche del viernes al sábado fue bastante lluviosa, no hubo ningún problema para desarrollar el plan previsto. A continuación os dejamos un resumen de fotos. No se pudo hacer ninguna del Punto Caliente ni del desarrollo tras los sifones porque le entró agua a la unica cámara que llevaban... una pena. See more

07.01.2022 We are out in the scrub again today with the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad searching near Katoomba. The weather is holding out so far...

06.01.2022 SRT training for CRS members at Pierces Pass on 18/19 March. If you're an experienced caver seeking to advance your vertical skills, apply to join our squad. Message for details...

05.01.2022 Dear members Training at Pierces Pass will be conducted on Saturday (27 April). We will be honing our SRT skills on a cliff that provides enough exposure to make it exciting. Expect to abseil and prussik approx 100m, more if you’re really keen. Let me know if you can make it.

04.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/michael.fraser.509/posts/10154634092079154

04.01.2022 Our friends in Tasmania just completed a rescue. Well done guys! http://www.abc.net.au//injured-woman-rescued-from-/8708162

04.01.2022 The NSW Cave Rescue Squad is delighted to hear that all x13 missing cavers have been located safe in the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Thailand. The group of 12 young boys and their soccer coach were trapped beyond sudden flood waters for 10 days before a team of Thai Navy Seal and British cave diving experts reached them. Australia supported the search efforts by sending a team of x6 members of the Australian Federal Police Special Response Group, each with some diving... experience sufficient to support the local efforts. The rescue efforts are ongoing to try and safely extract the group from the cave, a difficult exercise that may take weeks. The NSW Cave Rescue Squad prepared a team of available caving and cave diving rescue experts who were ready to travel to Thailand if additional support was required, but happily the group was located before our assistance was requested.

03.01.2022 Hi everyone, check out the video from last weekend training exercise at Jenolan Caves. This time we had a little extra surprise thrown in, but you will have to watch the video to see what it was.

03.01.2022 CRS will be at Jenolan Caves on the weekend 21/22 October for our major exercise for the year. We are going to tackle a S & R of a different and more remote cave this year.

02.01.2022 The secret is secret no more. Navsheild 2017 is only 1.5hrs from the Sydney CBD. CRS are fielding 2 teams this year to hone our skills and support our sister squad.

02.01.2022 CRS assisted the South Coast VRA and Police Rescue with a search of coastal bush land today. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their valuable time.

01.01.2022 Here is a video from Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad member Caro Ryan showing all the highlights of the recent Emergency Services Expo in the NSW Blue Mountains.

01.01.2022 The NSW Cave Rescue Squad will be training at Pierces Pass again on Saturday the 6th of February. The plan is for some SRT practice with big exposure. Some of us might also try to beat the record set last year... 100m prussic via 10 rebelays in 12 mins. The plan for the Sunday is a familiarisation trip through a My Wilson canyon... with an added surprise thrown in. The CRS has some great and varied training exercises planned for this year.