TOTM January 2017- Search and Rescue

As a former professional CSAR A lot of my experience doesn't translate to the civil arena that well, but I have continued my training asa first responded and THAT has giving me a lot of new insights on the ways and means of doing this now days. For folks looking to join up and take part,Contact your local County Sheriff's office and ask about training and or recommendations of where to go, and who to talk with! Many Sheriff's offices have auxiliary personal and these include SAR personal, see about joining up! Beyond that, a person can still learn how to be of help in an event where all the help they can find is needed. Another resource is local churches, some have resources available for training and taking part in operations! Personal gear is preference based, and once you get training, you will know the best Load Out for YOU! I divide mine up into drop packs as a part of my greater back pack, so that my core gear stays the same, and the extras can be switched as needed. For much of what I do, I have to carry O2 bottles, enough for 48 hours, so I have to factor that into my gear, I always try and position my truck as close to the area I am working, so I can switch out O2 as needed. Very few have this level of preps, but the area I normally work, it's needed! Folks always ask me what Medical gear I pack, the answer is not much, A small pack with two smaller leg pouches is all I carry! I am rescuing some one and treating for basic needs, not complex things that may do more harm then good! My job has always been to keep people from dying, not fixing any things that can be wait! I think a lot of people assume I can do complex medical tasks, but the reality is no I cannot, not as a civilian with a limited amount of time and very little available to me, it's just not possible!

 

Ura-Ki,
I really appreciate your post.
I miss S&R like a lost love, even though it's all volunteer the joy of rescuing some one that appreciates it is a reward of it's own.
Plus it's fun playing with the Sheriffs equipment too.
The experience it self provides living insight in survival and common mistakes both of the victim and the professional.

 

We had our first Mountain Rescue this weekend, some skier got off trail and went over a 40 foot cliff. Took us 4 hours of serious searching to find him and another 2 1/2 to get him ready for transport! I was one of the closest Cats, and because I run a winch cat, I was able to run cable through the trees and down the cliff to the medics who then littered him back up and out of the trees and then loaded on the back of one of the other cats for the trip down to the lodge for evac out! He broke his back and looked to have suffered a spinal, Not something easy to work with, took extra time to get him stabilized before he could move him. This is exactly the kind of Worse Case situation for SAR personal, and requires a level of training and expertise that is well beyond most! Most of us were on O2 for the entire operation, about 7 hours total, and that takes a toll on the rescuers too! Advanced prep, lots of equipment, Awesome Comms, Real time GPS map locating on every single person and piece of equipment, and Loads of O2 in all the cats made this seem pretty simple, but it belies the complexities of SAR work, especially in nasty conditions at high altitudes!

 

What are the cats your using Bombardier , Kasbora , Tucker, Mersadies Benz, ?

 

local Sheriff as Lead/Command! U.S.Army, U.S. Parks as second fiddle, better support for Air Lift when needed!

 

Kassbohrer PistenBully R600 WinchCat
We also have a pair of older FMC Groomer cats as backups, and are doing a trial of a pair of new Bombi's with the newHybrid Mercedes Diesels! I like my Bully, 500 hp C12 Cat diesel power that really moves a Mountain!

 

I wish we had cell phones when I was in S&R.
The ability to find a track and transfer that, picture info to other teem members and or clothing pictures to the victims family .
ll too often people get al excited about getting in the field before having enough available information.
If you knew the victims brand shoe, one could Google it, and see a pattern every one should be looking for. We didn't have that in my day.

 

Bingo!!! IMO a five star post because I think you hit on what I was hoping for this month. We come here day after day getting prepared in case something happens. We store food, talk and learn skills. We learn to think about how to react in situations. We talk about bug in & bug out. I was hoping to learn skills, tips & how to organize a search and rescue if society broke down. Cell phones gone, local S & R team is off trying to keep their own family safe, so then what will the members here do? Will people let their friends and neighbors fend for themselves? Imagine a hurricane hitting your area, have you thought about organizing a community search and rescue? Or will you sit in your home because you have a Coleman stove and 100 lbs of rice?

 

Problem is , not every one is community minded, even some of the members on a team are not all there to serve, but to have the recognition for the effort.
Personally I'd rather the S&R teams were sponsored by the Fire department rather than the Sheriffs department
But i guess there are poetics every where you go.
Organizing people that are not trained is taking a big risk ,especially if there are those that think they know more than you do. with zero experience/training , or that have to challenge every decision with out foundation.
People accustomed to doing S&R in a community know they must communicate, and use the best of their resources, in stead of taking unnecessary chances possibly creating more victims .
Guys have died being noble and no one had the courage to stop them from taking too great a risk.
Thinking about your team and the conditions they are facing, is serious ,but oft times those in command either forget or neglect to consider the circumstances .
On another note,
Years ago I trained and maintained search and rescue tracking dog both ground and air sent.
Well trained search dogs are golden and an important advantage to any team worth their salt.

 

My wife made it perfectly clear I was to make it home EVERYTIME after a call out.... My goal was to be an asset and not a burden to the team.
It is a TEAM effort not a one man show.

I will agree dog teams are great and amazing! The deserve every effort and privilege to assist them in the field.

The best reward is a successful deployment with a positive outcome... Everyone is a winner.