Northern Ireland Executive
06 Jun 2022, 16:30 GMT+10
Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, Edwin Poots MLA has visited Castlewellan Forest Park where he saw at first-hand some of the new rescue equipment funded under the Rural Community Rescue Scheme.
The Minister was able to experience a drive in the Mourne Mountain Rescue team's amphibious all-terrain rescue vehicle, funded under the scheme and was introduced to some of the highly trained search and rescue dogs operated by the Search And Rescue Dog Association (SARDA).
Having been driven into the lake in one of the new amphibious vehicles Minister Poots said: "It was great to be able to see first-hand this new rescue equipment which will assist Mourne Mountain Rescue in accessing difficult to reach terrain. More importantly it will give tourists and visitors confidence to enjoy our rural countryside, mountains and waterways. The equipment is also going to help save many lives going forward."
DAERA has recently funded Mourne Mountain Rescue Pound 207,000 grant aid towards new equipment including two 4x4 vehicles specially kitted out and an Argo Cat cross country amphibious rescue vehicle.
The Minster continued; "I was also privileged to meet some of SARDA's excellent canine team. SARDA's objective is to assist in the search and rescue of missing persons on the hills and like Mourne Mountain Rescue is a voluntary emergency search and rescue service. Everyone should feel safe now enjoying our countryside."
SARDA showed the Minister one of their two new 4 x 4 dog carrying vehicles funded by DAERA, after receiving a grant of just under Pound 94,000. Both organisations also benefitted from new PPE and other key equipment such as mobile defibrillators.
Get a daily dose of Northern Ireland News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Northern Ireland News.
More InformationCHICAGO, Illinois: McDonald's is closing its experimental beverage spinoff, CosMc's, less than two years after launching the standalone...
BEIJING, China: China's Lenovo reported a steep 64 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, falling significantly short of analyst expectations...
NEW YORK, New York - Strong economic data jump-started U.S. stocks and the dollar Tuesday, a welcome reprieve after weeks of pressure...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: This week, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dropped its lawsuit against PepsiCo, which had accused...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: New single-family home sales in the U.S. rose sharply in April to their highest level in over three years as builders...
VEVEY, Switzerland: Nestle is realigning its focus on its core food and beverage operations after expanding into areas like health...
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico: In a first-of-its-kind judicial election in Mexico, more than 5,000 candidates are vying for over 840 federal...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
BOSTON, Massachusetts: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken away Harvard University's right to enroll international...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...