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Rescued walker praises under-threat helicopter
South Yorkshire police Helicopter in Action
A WALKER rescued by South Yorkshire’s police helicopter after he was stranded in the Peak District has told how he thought he and his girlfriend were going to die before they were found.
Mark Lardon, from Dronfield, set fire to his map to get the attention of the chopper scrambled to search for him and his partner after they got stuck on an icy waterfall on Kinder Scout, Derbyshire, and raised the alarm.
The couple had been walking on Kinder Scout, in training for a charity hike up Snowdon, when they got into difficulty this month.
They spotted the helicopter, but feared it would not spot them, so set fire to their map to get the attention of airborne crew.
Mark, aged 26, said: “I thought we weren’t going to make it out alive. We had to scramble back up the hill. It was pitch black by then.
“It was terrifying. I had to keep my girlfriend calm, because it wasn’t only getting stuck up there, it was the effects of the cold.
“The helicopter seemed to be circling everywhere apart from over us. I realised they have thermal imaging cameras which would be able to detect us if we set fire to something. The biggest thing I had was a map, so I set fire to that and it worked.”
Mr Lardon’s praise came ahead of an online web chat to discuss plans for South Yorkshire Police to lose its own dedicated helicopter.
The Government is introducing a National Police Air Service, which will see 23 helicopters working from 20 bases, with South Yorkshire to be served by choppers based in Derbyshire, Humberside and West Yorkshire, rather than having its own.
Fifty people took part in the first live web chat about the plan and there will be a second chance tonight, between 6pm and 8pm.
n To take part, visit www.southyorks.gov.uk/SYJSHome/PoliceHome/PoliceHelicopter.aspx at 6pm.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 11 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
PaoloS
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 03:18 PMHad to say I thought this was one of those stories when you know the person responsible and think, "why am I not surprised". He'd get lost in his own bathroom.
Sheffielderinthesouth
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 02:14 AMHow is it spin by SYP when the chump himself has clearly reported it to the star?!?
Woodseats Sammy
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:48 AMLike posting 7!
Charlie Farleigh
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:40 PMMorons like this should be billed!!!
waddle93
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:20 PMI used to work with this clown and nothing suprises me with him, he once commented on the space shuttle that was having problems in space a few years ago saying "well if they can't get back on the shuttle they must have parachutes"!!!!! his mum promptly began to expain :-) oh and he's a blunt!!!
Woodseats Sammy
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:07 PMBBC Radio Sheffield has a better article with a thermal image photo from South Yorkshire Police.
seenitall
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 02:50 PMI ssee everything....Spin, maybe, but are you seriously suggesting if a means of rescue was available, courtesy of SYP, that the person being rescued should have been domiciled in SY or that the call be redirected to our already overstretched RAF team? I wonder what were the exact circumstances to have ensured the SYP copter was used....was it already in the area?
happy_larry
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 01:08 PMif i were him i'd stick to mam tor lol,, stuck on kinder scout, the hill is flat on top with a very nice path going all the way around.navigating across the top isnt that hard either.. was he trying to impress the missus by going off path?? send him a bill for the copter and book him in for some navigation lessons..
CHARLES ATKIN
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:52 AMWe have already lost our Sheffield based air ambulance to Leeds, we don`t want to loose the police chopper too.
ISeeEverything
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:42 AMI'm sorry, but this story doesn't stack up for several reasons. Firstly, the couple aren't from South Yorkshire and they weren't rescued from South Yorkshire. Secondly, it is not the role of police helicopters to rescue stranded walkers. That's why we have mountain rescue teams and the RAF. Finally, even if the police do choose to involve themselves in this type of rescue, the couple would still have been rescued under the new arrangements, probably by the helicopter based in Derbyshire. This is just spin by SYP.
diΞsΞł 簡 dΦｇｇ
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:27 AM"set fire to his map" ?? Talk about eggs in one basket. I am obviously happy they were saved but surely there should be fines for this sort of thing.... by the sounds of it they had no torch and no warm clothing.... very irresponsible.
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