The majority of the interventions carried out by the Mountain Rescue Group are rescues, 87.8% of them. Of these, 65% of the injured required medical attention. The rest of the interventions are searches for people, operations related to animals or technical services. The municipalities where the GRM is most active are Escorca, Arta, Pollensa, Soller and Calvia.
Most of the people who received help from the specialised team of the Mallorca Fire Brigade were hikers (56.8%), but people going to the beach (16.8%), canyoning (5.3%), cycling (4.7%) or climbing (3.7%) were also attended to. A large number of the interventions took place on weekends, 36.1% of the total, and the most common age range of the victims is 19 to 30 years (22.2%), followed by 51 to 60 (18.7%) and 31 to 40 (17.8%).
The period when most rescues are carried out is in the spring and autumn months, good weather for excursions. Last October was the month in which the most operations were carried out, 41. This is followed by August, with 40, and May, with 36. However, the Mountain Rescue Group’s activities have increased in summer. To avoid incidents in the mountains, the GRM recommends that hikers take care when going out on excursions. Know the area well, ensure that the hike is suitable for each person’s physical ability, equip oneself properly and be aware of the weather conditions. It is also advisable to inform someone of where you are going on your excursion. The island’s director of emergencies, Joan Fornàs, emphasised that the Mountain Rescue Group is ‘the elite of the specialised groups’.
‘It is a benchmark in mountain rescues and is one of the groups that carries out the most interventions in the whole of Spain. The GRM, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is made up of 40 members, divided between the Soller station - where there are eight corporals and 16 firefighters - and the Inca station - with 16 firefighters. Due to the difficulty and the high degree of technicality of the work, the Mountain Rescue Group is constantly training and participating in drills, and carries out eight training exercises a year’.
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