Land Rover supports 500th South Eastern Mountain Rescue operation

Land Rover has supported the 500th operation carried out by the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association (SEMRA) as lockdown measures are eased in the UK and Ireland.

A specially prepared Land Rover Discovery was involved in the rescue on the mountains of south east Ireland, one used by the service all year long.

The vehicle, along with a sister model has been involved in 100 rescues in the last three years and typically operates round the clock all year across the Galtee, Knockmealdown, Comeragh and Blackstairs mountains.

"There is no other service available to go up the mountains, but we have the skills, the training and the vehicles to do it," said Terry Brophy, team leader, SEMRA. "The great thing about the Discovery is that we can fit a stretcher in the back with the medic seated alongside.

"Land Rovers are synonymous with mountain rescue in the UK and Ireland and there’s a reason for that – they are by far the best vehicles available."

SEMRA's Discovery has been modified for rescue uses with a comprehensive list of emergency and first aid kit, powerful emergency lighting, a roof box, additional interior lighting and rear stowage nets, but it is otherwise a 'standard' model.

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"The weather can change in a heartbeat. What starts as a lovely day can turn into a whiteout in no time and that’s when people get into trouble," said SEMRA volunteer Liz Brown. "But when people see Land Rover with Mountain Rescue, they know they are two things they can count on."

Land Rover has long history working with the rescue services, and last year it renewed its long-standing global humanitarian partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – a relationship that dates back to 1954. The first specially adapted Land Rover to enter service as a part of the partnership was in the Middle East.

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