About

Devon Cave Rescue Organisation (DevCRO) is a volunteer search and rescue organisation whose focus is on locating and evacuating lost and injured people and animals from underground environments such as caves and abandoned mines. Since 1965 our volunteers have been attending incidents across the county, as well as responding to national and international calls for assistance.

Devon is lucky to have such magnificent natural limestone caves, as well as a rich industrial mining heritage, but these features pose unique hazards that the statutory emergency services just aren't equipped to deal with. As well as being entirely devoid of natural light, underground spaces can be cold, confined, and complex to navigate, with hazards such as instability, rapid flooding, and deep sudden drops. A such our volunteers have a huge diversity of skills and knowledge that allow us to operate safely in these unique environments. Amongst our number we count mining engineers, roped access professionals, outdoor education specialists, paramedics, anaesthetists, and cave divers, to name just a few.

The team have a number rescue stores containing a wide range of specialist equipment such as compact flexible stretchers and underground radios. The teams also have the use of two vehicles; an incident management vehicle and a 4WD land-rover to facilitate access.