BY AILEEN MURPHY

A number of Fermanagh climbers found themselves involved in a dramatic rescue of a 62-year-old woman at Slemish Mountain on St Patrick's Day.

Around 15 Fermanagh people are members of the North West Mountain Rescue Team (NWMRT) which had been training in the vicinity that day when they received a call from the St John Ambulance Service to assist with the with the evacuation of a 62 year old woman with a suspected lower leg fracture.

The team were able to respond swiftly, and while the St John Ambulance Service rendered medical care, the NWMRT stretchered the casualty from the lower reaches of the hill to a waiting ambulance within half an hour.

NWMRT Team Leader Joe Dowdall said: "Although this lady was well equipped for the hills, accidents can, and do, happen. This is a classic example of bad luck, and should serve as a reminder to all to treat any mountain with a degree of caution."

The NWMRT was formed in 1980, and currently has around 50 volunteers.

They cover the length and breadth of Northern Ireland. Because the team is spaced so widely, it is divided into three sections, East covers from Belfast through the Glens of Antrim to the North Coast, Central, covering the Sperrins and surrounding areas and then West. The area of Fermanagh is covered by West Section, which numbers about 15 volunteers.

Each section trains twice a month, and all three sections join together at the end of each month in a team training exercise, which is hosted by each section in succession.

This often takes a full weekend, and allows all team members to gain some experience of the terrain in areas outside their own locality.

The NWMRT consists entirely of volunteers, and is a registered charity No: XR 61304. More information can be obtained from the team's website at www.nwmrt.org.