Waterford mountain rescue incidents along with those to the Galtee Mountains account for the majority of those dealt with by South Eastern Mountain Rescue. In addition to the team members spread across the whole of the south east there are a significant number of members based across the county and city of Waterford. This ensures that SEMRA are well placed to respond to incidents in The Comeragh Mountains, The Knockmealdowns and further afield.
The larger volumes of call outs tend to be to Coumshingaun and Mahon Falls but the team has had several calls for assistance right throughout The Comeragh mountains and The Knockmealdowns over the years. One of the team’s vehicles, a land rover defender is based in Dungarvan and is ideally placed to support members responding to callouts to the nearby Comeragh mountains. All calls for assistance to Waterford mountain rescue incidents are responded to by all available members of the 50 person strong team.
The number of calls for assistance to the Comeragh Mountains and The Knockmealdowns has steadily increased over the years in tandem with the growth of hill walking throughout the country. The highest concentration of Waterford mountain rescue callouts are to Coumshingaun and the Nire Valley with a relatively even spread of incidents across the remaining part of the Comeraghs. The most frequent call for assistance is for lower leg injuries with occasional requests to carry out searches for missing walkers.
The team members living and working in Waterford come from a wide range of backgrounds. The members bring a wide range of skills and expertise to the team. The Waterford based members include one of the SEMRA team doctors, a dentist and a number members with significant mountaineering and other skills. High profile incidents over the years include a light aircraft crash in the Knockmealdowns and a call out for multiple casualties on one day at Coumshingaun in 2017.
