Mark Silmon

When the Unthinkable Occurs:

Mark has been a member of North of Tyne MRT since 1996. The team covers an area of more than 2000 square miles in the north east of England, from the Scottish Borders down to County Durham, and from the Pennines across to the north east coast. Given the size and varying terrain across the area, he has vast experience of search and rescue in a variety of different environments, in over 400 incidents. He has held several roles including training officer, deputy team leader, team leader and is currently team chairman and NESRA regional training officer. With over 20 years’ experience as an incident and search manager he remains an enthusiastic leader both on and off the hill, and through his passion and interest in search management, has assisted in the delivery of the MREW Search Planning and Management courses both nationally and regionally.

Outside of MR, Mark is the managing director of a mechanical and electrical company which specialises in working in hazardous environments and is used to operating and managing staff in high-risk environments. In 2020, he received the Chief Constable’s Commendation for his outstanding leadership contribution to mountain rescue services within the Northumbria Police area and the north east region. North of Tyne also received a commendation for their contribution during the ‘Beast of the East’ weather event. He will be joining Chris Murray of Clyde and Co to explore the potential legal implications for teams when we ‘fail to prepare’.