Emergencies

What to do if…

Pocket cards for Stanage Edge. Tap a card. Follow the steps. If you are not sure, call emergency services.

Basic guidance, not a substitute for first-aid training. If in doubt, call emergency services.

Works offline: open this page once with signal and it will still open without signal. Printed cards are even better.

  1. In the UK call emergency services. On the moor or edge, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. At a car park or road with a medical emergency, ask for Ambulance.
  2. Say where you are: a grid reference or what3words from your phone, plus the nearest named feature. Robin Hood's Cave, High Neb, Popular End, Stanage Plantation, Long Causeway, Hooks Carr car park, Upper Burbage Bridge car park, North Lees campsite or Hathersage.
  3. Have ready: what happened and the injuries; the casualty's name, age and gender; how many are in your group; your mobile number.
  4. Stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you. Keep your phone on, save the battery, and answer unknown numbers. If they text a SARLOC or PhoneFind link, open it.
  5. Keep the casualty warm and off the cold ground. If the screen says "No service" or "SOS only", still make an emergency call. It can use any network.
  6. No voice signal: use emergencySMS. Text the emergency services with "Police, Mountain Rescue", what happened and where. It only works if you registered first. Register at emergencysms.org.uk before you go. Wait for a reply. No reply means it was not received.
  7. Distress signal: 6 whistle blasts or torch flashes in a minute, pause a minute, then repeat. The reply is 3.
  8. Edale Mountain Rescue Team covers Stanage Edge. They are volunteers, called through the emergency services. Never call the team directly. Mountain rescue in England and Wales costs you nothing.

Don't

  • Don't call the mountain rescue team directly.
  • Don't leave before they contact you.
  • Don't ignore a call or text from an unknown number while you are waiting.

Get help. Call emergency services. On the moor or edge ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. At a car park or road, ask for Ambulance.

  1. After a fall or a climbing fall, check for danger before you approach: loose rock, more climbers above, the edge.
  2. Do not move them unless they are in immediate danger.
  3. Ask "are you OK?" If there is no response and they are not breathing normally, use the unresponsive card.
  4. Call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
  5. Control serious bleeding with firm pressure.
  6. If they may have hurt their head, neck or back, keep them still. Use the head, neck or back card.
  7. Keep them warm. Put layers under and over them, or use a survival bag or a group shelter.
  8. Reassure them. Keep checking breathing and response until help arrives.

Don't

  • Don't take off a climbing helmet unless you must, to open the airway.
  • Don't give food or drink if they are badly hurt.
  • Don't leave them alone if you can avoid it.

Get help. Call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Signs. Spinal: neck or back pain, weak or absent limb movement, loss of feeling or tingling, loss of bladder or bowel control, difficulty breathing. Head: any loss of responsiveness, confusion, drowsiness, being sick, a severe or worsening headache, a seizure, unequal pupils, blood or clear fluid from the ears or nose.

  1. Call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say you suspect a head or spinal injury.
  2. Tell them not to move.
  3. Kneel behind their head. Hold it on each side so the head, neck and spine stay in line.
  4. Keep them warm with a cover. Do not move them to put things underneath unless you are trained or you must.
  5. A minor bump and no warning signs: rest, a cold pack for up to 20 minutes, and stay with them.
  6. Get them checked if any warning sign appears.
  7. If they vomit, or you cannot keep the airway open, turn them onto their side. One person holds the head. The other rolls. Keep the head and spine in line.
  8. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't move them unless they are in danger.
  • Don't let them walk off after a serious blow to the head.
  • Don't leave them alone.

Get help. Call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say you suspect a head or spinal injury.

  1. Support the injured part above and below the injury, with your hands, padding or clothing.
  2. If the wound is open, cover it with a clean dressing and press around the bone, not on it.
  3. Secure an arm with a sling. A jacket can make one.
  4. Do not move them until the injury is supported, unless they are in danger.
  5. Call emergency services (Police, then Mountain Rescue) if they cannot walk, or the injury may be the leg, hip or pelvis, or it is an open fracture.
  6. Also call if it is very painful, the shape has changed, or it is numb, cold or blue below the injury.
  7. A sprain they can walk on: PRICE. Protect, Rest, Ice (a wrapped cold pack, up to 20 minutes), Compression with a bandage, Elevate.
  8. Walk out slowly with someone. Keep them warm while you wait.

Don't

  • Don't try to straighten a bone or push it back.
  • Don't raise a leg that may be broken.
  • Don't let them walk on a possible break.

Get help. If they cannot walk, or the break looks bad, call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. Wear gloves if you have them.
  2. Press firmly on the wound with a dressing or a clean cloth. They can press it themselves.
  3. If something is stuck in the wound, do not pull it out. Press on either side of it.
  4. Call emergency services. A helper calls, or put the phone on speaker.
  5. Bandage firmly so the pressure stays on. Not so tight that it stops the circulation.
  6. If blood comes through, take that pad off and press again with a new pad.
  7. Lay them down. Raise the legs if there is no leg injury. Keep them warm. This is for shock. Keep checking their response.
  8. If pressure does not stop the bleeding, the call handler may talk you through a tourniquet.

Don't

  • Don't pull out an object that is stuck in the wound.
  • Don't take the pressure off to look.
  • Don't raise an injured leg.

Get help. Call emergency services. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. Make sure it is safe. Shake their shoulders. Ask loudly, "are you OK?" Shout for help.
  2. Tilt the head back and lift the chin. Look, listen and feel for up to 10 seconds. Occasional gasps are not normal breathing.
  3. If they are not breathing normally, call emergency services on speaker, or send a helper. Ask for a defibrillator (AED). The call handler will say where the nearest one is.
  4. Send a helper for the AED. Do not leave the casualty yourself.
  5. CPR: put the heel of one hand in the middle of the chest, the other hand on top, arms straight. Push down 5–6 cm, 100–120 times a minute.
  6. If you are trained, give 30 compressions then 2 rescue breaths. If you are not trained, or you will not give breaths, keep doing continuous compressions.
  7. Do not stop until help takes over, they breathe normally, you are exhausted, or an AED is ready. Follow the AED voice prompts. Swap with a helper every 1–2 minutes.
  8. Breathing normally but unresponsive: recovery position. Put the arm nearest you out at a right angle. Put the other hand against their cheek. Pull the far knee up. Roll them towards you. Tilt the head back so the airway stays open. Keep them warm and keep checking breathing.

Don't

  • Don't treat gasps as normal breathing.
  • Don't leave them on their back if they vomit.

Get help. Call emergency services. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Ask for an AED.

Signs. Shivering, pale cold skin, blue or grey lips, slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness, confusion. Severe: they stop shivering, or they are confused or drowsy. That is an emergency.

  1. Get them out of the wind and rain, behind a wall or boulders, or into a group shelter or survival bag.
  2. Insulate them from the ground. Sit them on a rucksack or a mat.
  3. If you are sheltered, swap wet clothes for dry layers. Add a hat, gloves and a waterproof outer.
  4. If they are fully awake, give a warm sweet drink with no alcohol, and sugary food.
  5. Huddle together. Stay with them and keep them talking.
  6. Call emergency services (Police, then Mountain Rescue) if they are confused, drowsy, have stopped shivering, or cannot walk.
  7. Handle them gently.
  8. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't rub their arms or legs.
  • Don't give alcohol.
  • Don't use a hot water bottle or direct heat on the skin.
  • Don't push on, hoping a walk will warm them, if they are getting worse.

Get help. Confused, drowsy, no longer shivering, or cannot walk: call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Signs. Heat exhaustion: tiredness, dizziness, headache, nausea, heavy sweating, pale clammy skin, cramps, very thirsty. Heatstroke: still unwell after 30 minutes of cooling, hot skin and not sweating, a very high temperature, fast breathing or heartbeat, confusion, a seizure, or unresponsive.

  1. Move them into the shade or another cool place.
  2. Take off clothing they do not need.
  3. Give plenty of water, or a sports or rehydration drink.
  4. Cool the skin. Spray or sponge with cool water, and fan them.
  5. Put cold packs wrapped in a cloth under the armpits or on the neck.
  6. Stay with them. They should feel better within 30 minutes.
  7. If they still look like heatstroke, call emergency services and keep cooling them while you wait.
  8. If they are unresponsive, use the recovery position. If they are not breathing normally, start CPR. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't leave them alone.
  • Don't let them carry on walking in the sun.

Get help. Call emergency services for heatstroke. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. Stop where you are. Keep the group together.
  2. Keep well back from the crag. The drop is on the west/south-west side, facing Hathersage.
  3. Work out where you last knew you were.
  4. Use your map and compass, or your phone's GPS (OS Maps, Google Maps or what3words), to find your position.
  5. The main path runs along the top of the edge.
  6. Move only if you are sure of the way. Take short legs between features you recognise.
  7. If you cannot work it out, put on warm layers, stay put, and call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
  8. If there is fog and it is getting dark, stay put sooner.

Don't

  • Don't walk towards the edge to look.
  • Don't split up.
  • Don't keep wandering in the hope of finding the path.

Get help. If you are not sure of the way, call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. Phone them and text them. Try again every few minutes.
  2. One person stays where you were last together.
  3. Check the obvious places nearby: the path, the car park, and the toilets or café if you were near one.
  4. Do not send everyone off to search.
  5. Agree a time. If there is no contact within 30 minutes, call emergency services and ask for Police.
  6. Call sooner if the weather is bad, it is dark, or they are unwell, inexperienced or vulnerable.
  7. Tell the police their description, clothing, phone number, plans, and where they were last seen.
  8. Keep your phone charged and ready.

Don't

  • Don't wait for hours before you call.
  • Don't let searchers go alone into the dark.

Get help. No contact within 30 minutes, or sooner if they are at risk: call emergency services and ask for Police.

  1. Shout their name. Look around nearby for a minute or two.
  2. Then call emergency services and ask for Police straight away. Do not wait.
  3. One adult stays at the place the child was last seen.
  4. Give their age, height, clothes and colours, and what they were doing.
  5. Check the car, the car park, and the path back.
  6. Tell other walkers and climbers nearby.
  7. Keep your phone ready to use.
  8. Before you set out, agree a meeting point. Teach children to stay put and to shout, or blow a whistle, if they get lost.

Don't

  • Don't delay calling.
  • Don't leave the last-seen spot empty.

Get help. Call emergency services and ask for Police straight away.

  1. Try an emergency call anyway. A UK emergency call can use any network that is available.
  2. Move higher, or to a more open spot away from the crag face, then try again.
  3. Try a text. emergencySMS works only if you registered first. Register before you go at emergencysms.org.uk.
  4. Save the battery. Use low power mode, close apps, and keep the phone warm in an inside pocket.
  5. Send someone for help only if they can go safely, and in a pair. Write down the location, the injuries and the time.
  6. Distress signal: 6 whistle blasts or torch flashes in a minute, pause, then repeat.
  7. Ask other walkers. They often have a different network.

Don't

  • Don't leave an injured person alone if you can avoid it.
  • Don't run the battery down on photos or maps.

Get help. Try an emergency call first. If there is no voice signal and you are registered, send an emergencySMS text.

  1. If you are benighted, or it is getting dark, get your head torch out early, before it is fully dark.
  2. Put on warm layers, a hat and gloves.
  3. Stay on the main path. Keep back from the edge.
  4. Slow down and stay together. Put the slowest person at the front.
  5. If you are unsure of the way, or someone is hurt, stop, shelter, and call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.
  6. Sit on your rucksack. Get into a survival bag or a group shelter. Share food.
  7. Use your torch for the distress signal if you need it.

Don't

  • Don't take a shortcut down unknown ground in the dark.
  • Don't use your phone torch until the battery dies.

Get help. Lost, or someone is hurt: call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. If you can hear thunder, you are in range.
  2. Move off the edge, the summits and exposed high ground, if you can do it safely.
  3. Keep away from isolated trees, rock pinnacles, fences, water and metal.
  4. The best shelter is a building or a car. Use the car parks at Hooks Carr and Upper Burbage Bridge.
  5. If you are caught in the open, crouch low on your rucksack or mat, feet together, hands on your knees, head tucked. Do not lie flat.
  6. In a group, spread out a few metres apart.
  7. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before you go back up.
  8. Someone who is struck is safe to touch. Check their breathing, call emergency services, and start CPR if they need it. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't shelter under a lone tree, or in a cave entrance or overhang.
  • Don't hold climbing gear, poles, or anything metal.

Get help. If someone is struck, call emergency services. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Start CPR if they are not breathing normally.

  1. Call emergency services and ask for Fire.
  2. Give the location as precisely as you can: grid reference or what3words, the nearest feature, and which way the fire is spreading.
  3. Move away from the fire, upwind and sideways, onto bare ground or a path.
  4. Never go uphill of the fire. Fire spreads fastest uphill and downwind.
  5. Do not try to put it out unless it is tiny and you are completely safe.
  6. Keep the group and the dogs together. Warn other people.
  7. Barbecues, including disposable ones, campfires and stoves are not allowed on the moors. Take cigarettes and glass home.
  8. If someone is deliberately starting a fire, call emergency services if it is happening now. Or call Crimestoppers or FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558. You can stay anonymous.

Don't

  • Don't go towards the smoke to look.
  • Don't drive into smoke.

Get help. Call emergency services and ask for Fire.

  1. If your dog is chasing or attacking sheep, get it back and put it on a lead immediately.
  2. Call emergency services if it is happening now and animals are hurt or in danger. Otherwise call 101.
  3. Give your details to the farmer. A farmer may be entitled to shoot a dog that is worrying livestock.
  4. Keep dogs on a short lead near livestock all year. On open access land, keep them on a lead from 1 March to 31 July, for ground-nesting birds.
  5. If cattle chase you, let the dog off the lead and get yourself to safety.
  6. If the dog is injured, keep it calm and still. Muzzle it with a soft lead or a bandage only if it is breathing normally and not vomiting. Press on bleeding.
  7. Carry the dog out if it cannot walk. Phone a vet on the way.
  8. Adder bite on a dog: carry it, and go to a vet straight away.

Don't

  • Don't let your dog off the lead near sheep.
  • Don't chase after cattle to get a dog back.

Get help. Animals hurt or in danger now: call emergency services. Otherwise call 101. An injured dog, or an adder bite: phone a vet.

Look. Adders are the UK's only venomous snake. They are grey or reddish-brown, with a dark zig-zag stripe. Most bites are not serious, but every bite needs checking.

  1. Call emergency services or go to A&E immediately. Do not drive yourself.
  2. Keep the bitten part as still as you can.
  3. Take off rings, watches and jewellery, and loosen clothing near the bite, before it swells.
  4. Lie in the recovery position if you can.
  5. Paracetamol is OK for the pain.
  6. Remember the snake's colour and pattern, or photograph it from a distance.
  7. On the moor, call emergency services and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue, so they can carry the casualty out. Do not walk out.

Don't

  • Don't go near the snake, and don't catch it or kill it.
  • Don't cut the bite or suck it.
  • Don't tie anything tightly round the limb.
  • Don't take aspirin or ibuprofen.

Get help. Call emergency services or go to A&E. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Do not walk out.

Signs. Swollen lips, tongue or throat; difficulty breathing; wheezing; a tight throat or a hoarse voice; faint, dizzy or confused; pale or blue skin; often a raised itchy rash.

  1. If they have an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen or Jext), use it. The instructions are on the side.
  2. Inject into the outer thigh. Through clothing is OK.
  3. Call emergency services and say "anaphylaxis".
  4. Lie them down with their legs raised. If they are struggling to breathe, sit them up slowly.
  5. If an insect sting is still in the skin, scrape it out.
  6. If they are no better after 5 minutes, use a second auto-injector.
  7. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't let them stand or walk, even if they feel better.

Get help. Call emergency services and say "anaphylaxis". On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

  1. Sit them up straight. Stay calm. Loosen tight clothing.
  2. Blue reliever inhaler: 1 puff every 30–60 seconds, up to 10 puffs. Shake it between puffs. Use a spacer if they have one.
  3. AIR or MART inhaler: 1 puff every 1–3 minutes, up to 6 puffs.
  4. Follow their asthma action plan if it says something different.
  5. Call emergency services if they get worse at any time, they do not improve after the maximum dose, or they have no inhaler.
  6. If they are no better after 10 minutes and help has not arrived, repeat the same dose.
  7. Cold air can set off an attack. Shelter them, and cover their mouth with a scarf or a buff.

Don't

  • Don't lie them down.
  • Don't leave them alone.

Get help. Call emergency services if they get worse, do not improve after the maximum dose, or have no inhaler. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Signs. A diabetic hypo is low blood sugar. Shaky, sweaty, pale, hungry, irritable, confused, dizzy, blurred vision.

  1. If they are awake and can swallow, give fast sugar now.
  2. A small glass of fruit juice or sugary (not diet) fizzy drink, 5 glucose tablets, 4 large jelly babies, or 2 tubes of glucose gel.
  3. Let them rest. Check again after 10–15 minutes, with a blood test if they have a meter.
  4. If they are still low, or not better, give more sugar.
  5. Once they are better, give a longer-lasting snack, such as biscuits or a sandwich.
  6. Do not let them walk on until they have fully recovered.
  7. If they are unconscious: nothing by mouth. Use the recovery position. Give a glucagon injection if you have one and you know how. Call emergency services.

Don't

  • Don't give food or drink to someone who is not fully awake.

Get help. Unconscious, or not recovering: call emergency services. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Signs. Crushing or squeezing chest pain, which may spread to an arm, the neck or the jaw. Short of breath, sweating, feeling sick, a burning like indigestion, pale or grey skin.

  1. Call emergency services straight away. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say "chest pain".
  2. Sit them on the ground, knees bent, with their back supported by a rock or a rucksack.
  3. Give aspirin 300mg if they have it. They should chew it slowly. Not if they are allergic to aspirin.
  4. Help them use their own angina spray (GTN) if they have one.
  5. Keep checking that they are responding and breathing.
  6. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR and send for a defibrillator. Use the unresponsive card.

Don't

  • Don't let them walk out.
  • Don't give aspirin to someone who is allergic to it.

Get help. Call emergency services straight away. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say "chest pain".

  1. Face: has one side drooped? Can they smile?
  2. Arms: can they lift both arms and keep them there?
  3. Speech: is it slurred, or are they confused?
  4. Time: call emergency services immediately. Note the time the symptoms started.
  5. Other signs: sudden weakness or numbness on one side, loss of sight, confusion, dizziness or falling, a sudden severe headache.
  6. Keep them warm, comfortable and supported.
  7. If they are drowsy or being sick, put them in the recovery position.
  8. Call emergency services even if the symptoms go away.

Don't

  • Don't give food or drink. Swallowing may be affected.
  • Don't wait to see if it passes.

Get help. Call emergency services immediately. On the moor ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say you suspect a stroke.

  1. Check skin, children and dogs after walking in bracken and long grass.
  2. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool. Grip as close to the skin as you can. Pull slowly upwards.
  3. Do not squeeze the tick or crush it.
  4. Clean the bite with antiseptic, or with soap and water. Then dispose of the tick.
  5. The risk of illness is low. For the next few weeks, and for up to 3 months, watch for a circular or oval rash. It may look like a bullseye or a bruise. Also watch for flu-like symptoms.
  6. If a rash or flu-like symptoms appear, call 111 or see a GP, and mention the tick bite.
  7. To cut the risk: long trousers tucked into socks, insect repellent, and stay on the paths.

Don't

  • Don't burn the tick.
  • Don't smother it in cream, oil or alcohol.
  • Don't twist it or squeeze it.

Get help. A rash or flu-like symptoms in the weeks after a bite: call 111 or see a GP. Mention the tick bite.

  1. If you are stuck or crag-fast, stop. Do not try a move you cannot reverse.
  2. Get as secure as you can. Take a good stance. If you are roped, clip into protection.
  3. Shout to people below and to climbers nearby. Stanage is busy, and other climbers can often help, with a rope from above or by talking you down.
  4. If there is no safe help, call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Tell them which buttress or route, and how high you are.
  5. Stay warm. Keep still. Keep your phone on.
  6. If you are scrambling or you have left the path, stay where you are rather than climbing up or down.

Don't

  • Don't try to downclimb, and don't jump, when you are tired or panicking.
  • Don't let untrained friends climb up to you.

Get help. Call emergency services. Ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. Say which buttress or route, and how high you are.

  1. If a crime is happening now, or anyone is in danger, call emergency services and ask for Police.
  2. Otherwise call 101, the police non-emergency number, or report it online to the local police.
  3. Get a crime reference number for the insurance.
  4. Do not touch the car more than you need to. Note what was taken, the time, and the registration of any suspicious vehicle.
  5. Lost car keys or a lost phone: check with the others, then use another walker's phone.
  6. Cancel bank cards straight away.
  7. Leave nothing on show. Take valuables with you.

Don't

  • Don't confront anyone, and don't chase them.
  • Don't leave valuables in the car.

Get help. Happening now, or someone is in danger: call emergency services and ask for Police. Afterwards: call 101 or report it online.

Learn first aid

Checked against NHS, St John Ambulance, British Red Cross and Mountain Rescue England and Wales guidance, October 2026. Basic guidance, not a substitute for first-aid training. If in doubt, call emergency services.