SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS DURING TEN TORS TRAINING

Over the years the Plymouth and Cornwall wing have developed a radio communications organisation designed to provide radio cover for events our cadets are involved in. This increases cadet safety in wild country areas and especially during our Ten Tors training.

Cadet safety is paramount and while we don’t encourage teams under training to carry there own transceivers, all staff carry them whether they are with the teams or shadowing the teams or on a check point waiting for the teams. Team managers may use personal mobile radios between them and their team during the initial training weekends but this is discouraged from weekend three onwards, the actual Ten Tors event, teams are not even allowed to carry mobile telephones.

Our wing has built up a knowledge of radio coverage on Dartmoor and with all this cadet safety is greatly enhanced and it has been said that the staff know when a team has problems before the team realize they have…..

On any weekend training there could be up to 18 hand held sets out covering our training area with a main safety/radio control point with other base sets in our safety vehicles. This is greatly increased on weekend six when the RAF send staff down to check the proficiency on our teams. For this weekend all ATC ten tors teams throughout the country are obliged to attend and also the University Air Squadrons who have entered 55 mile teams. There could be up to thirty teams out and Plymouth and Cornwall wing supply their communications expertise to cover the weekend. This means an increase in equipment and personnel.

All in all with our staff experience and expertise, cadet safety whilst out on Dartmoor is the best there is.