All members are required to carry equipment that enables them to safely navigate and communicate, mitigate risks, deal with incidents and provide them with increased resilience and self sufficiency in the difficult conditions under which they may be required to operate.
New members are not expected to acquire the full complement of equipment as soon as they join. We ask them to start with a basic range of items and then build up their kit as they progress through their Responder training, ensuring that they have the required equipment for the level of operations that they aspire to.
The lists below are therefore arranged in order of progression from ‘new member’ through to an NPTC certificate holder. There is a list of optional equipment that can be considered by Responders if or when they are asked to carry out special deployments, for example the towing of police trailers.
Volunteer Equipment List
This is the equipment that a new member should aim to acquire if he or she intends to progress through their training to Basic Responder level. Most items are likely to be found already in a reasonably well equipped 4×4 vehicle:
- Notebook & pencil
- Mobile phone
- Torch
- Waterproofs including trousers
- Waterproof boots
- Work & waterproof gloves
- Warm hat
- Hi-Vis Vest
- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Jump leads
- Basic toolkit
- Penknife
- Jack and wheel brace
- Spare bulb set for vehicle (if not LED)
- Money & spare change
Basic Responder Equipment List
In addition to the Volunteer Equipment List a Basic Responder is asked to carry the following additional equipment as they may be asked to, or find themselves having to, tackle more difficult tasks on deployment than a volunteer undergoing training:
- Hi-Vis jacket
- OS Explorer maps
- ViewRanger system
- GPS system
- Compass
- Mobile phone charger
- Hands free mount
- Spare torch & batteries
- Spare torch bulbs
- Food for 2 persons for 24hrs
- Water for 2 persons for 24hrs
- Blanket (sleeping bag if winter deployment)
- Tow rope or strop
- Rated shackles
- Spade or shovel
- Spare clothes
- CB or other radio system
Advanced Responder Equipment List
Advanced Responders undergo a higher level of driving, risk management and recovery training than Basic Responders and are therefore available to volunteer for more onerous tasks. The list below is indicative of the additional equipment that they may carry depending on the task at hand:
- Detailed road atlas for ‘out of area’ working
- A wider range of rated shackles
- Strops – a wider range
- Windscreen de-icer or concentrated screen wash
- Helmet
- Head torch
- Warning triangles
- On-tow sign
- Snorkel (optional)
- Winch (optional)
- Trailer towing equipment
NPTC Responders Equipment List
Responders trained to NPTC City & Guilds Level 2 may also carry from time to time the following equipment:
- Trailer equipment on the Advanced list
- Winch sail
- Snatch blocks
- Higher SWL shackles
- Wide tree protector strop
- Choker chain
- Log lifter