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Long service rescue award
Monday June 16th 2008. Posted: 09:00
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Peter Bell, left, presents Alex with his long service award
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The South West’s Alex Lyons has received an award from Mountain Rescue England & Wales
in recognition of 25 years' service with the Dartmoor Rescue Group (DRG) and the Search And Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). The award was presented by Peter Bell, president of Mountain Rescue England & Wales, at a dinner dance in Plymouth to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the group. Alex, an Openreach frames and jumpering engineer based at Callington exchange, Cornwall - and his border collie Max - are on call 24 hours a day. “On average, we get about 25 calls a year to go and search for people missing on Dartmoor,” said Alex. There are exceptions. Like the time he was called to Lockerbie in December 1988 when Pan Am flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb and wreckage was scattered over an area of more than 800 square miles. On that occasion, dogs and their handlers from the mountain rescue service were brought in from all over the UK to help search for victims. But the vast majority of his calls - instigated by the police - are to the bleak landscape of Dartmoor, when people get lost and are threatened by the notoriously treacherous weather conditions. “I recall finding one woman on the moors who was close to death - I actually thought she was dead at first - then I found a weak pulse," said Alex. "My navigator and I carried her down the hill and got her to an ambulance, and she was rushed to hospital. I was later told that she would have died within the hour if we hadn’t found her.” As with all volunteers, Alex is trained in a number of skills including first aid, navigation, search techniques and radio operation. He and his wife Nicki are also experienced dog handlers and trainers. Despite the life and death nature of his valuable work, Alex retains a sense of humour. His current dog Max, one of four he has trained over the years, is now a trusted and loyal partner. Max came to Alex as a seven-month-old pup, with an interesting past. “He was with a family which allowed him to join them on the sofa to watch television," said Alex. "When they tried to move him, he would bite them. "He had to go when he took a liking to their bed and wouldn’t move, and I gather some members of the family ended up sleeping on the sofa because Max had control of the bed.” When Max bit Alex for the first time, the Scottish engineer soon let him know who was boss. “Dogs are pack animals and they have to know their place," he said. "After he bit me, I grabbed his muzzle and pinned him down for almost 15 minutes - now we’re the best of pals.” Like all search and rescue dogs, Max is trained to follow human scent. Once he has picked up the scent, Max will run to the source and then race back and forward, barking until Alex follows him. “His only reward is a soft toy which I keep in my pocket - Max is besotted with it,” said Alex. DRG and SARDA are voluntary organisations - for more information, visit the DRG website or the SARDA website.
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Last updated:
08:55
