Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland

{{Short description|Mountain rescue service for Scotland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS), now known as Scottish Mountain Rescue{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/about-us/|title=About us|website=Scottish Mountain Rescue|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-11-07}} is the body which represents and coordinates mountain rescue teams in Scotland. It has 27 affiliated mountain rescue teams.

Scottish Mountain Rescue consists of 21 volunteer mountain rescue teams, 2 search and rescue dog associations (SARDA) with over 1000 volunteers, plus an additional 3 police teams, 1 RAF team and Scottish Cave Rescue.

The Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS) was formed in 1965.{{cite web |url=http://www.mountainrescuescotland.org/about-mrcs/ |title=About us |publisher=Scottish Mountain Rescue |accessdate=28 September 2014}} It is a registered charity (number SC015257).

In 2011 it received annual funding grant of £312,000 from the Scottish Government.{{cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/12/12143249 |title=Rise for Scottish mountain rescue grant |publisher=Scottish Government |date=12 December 2011 |accessdate=28 September 2014}} This is distributed between the teams, with the largest grant, £24,000 going to the Lochaber MRT.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35433633 |title=Mountain rescue row as teams plan to leave official body |author=Christopher Sleight |date=2016-01-30 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2016-06-13}}

Increasingly, the organisation has seen demands for "non-mountain" rescue operations in response to events such as flooding, and searching for missing people. However, a reported split in the organisation in 2016 prompted by this was denied.{{cite web |url=http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2016/02/04/scottish-mountain-rescuers-deny-split-as-three-teams-question-organisations-focus |title=Scottish mountain rescuers deny split as three teams question organisation's 'focus' |author=Bob Smith |date=2016-02-04 |publisher=Grough |accessdate=2016-06-13}} Later that same year the Cairngorm, Glen Coe, Lochaber and Tayside teams left the organisation to form Independent Scottish Mountain Rescue (iSMR).