Commander’s
Corner
The holiday season is upon
us and as I write this it is Thanksgiving morning, my favorite
of the holidays. I have a lot to be thankful for, the usual
things like good health, a loving wife and family, a comfortable
home, living in a free land, but in addition, I have friends!
Most of these friends are you folks in Tonto Rim with whom I
share a lot of common interests, such as the desire to help
others, the satisfaction of gaining or perfecting personal
skills through training, the love of the outdoors, and the
camaraderie of like-minded people like you.
Thanksgiving indicates that
November is nearly over and December, one of our busiest and
most important months (outside of missions) is upon us. If your
status is active, you received your officer ballot in the mail.
The potential officers on the ballot are all well qualified and
from the Commander’s standpoint all will serve Tonto Rim well.
Be sure and bring your ballot to the December 12th
meeting or mail it if you are unable to attend.
Also on December 15th
at 18:00 there will be a Christmas Party at the American Legion
on SR 260. This is a combination party for Sheriff, Posse, and
Tonto Rim. There is no admission except a dish to pass and
(optional) a gift to exchange. Many members signed up at the
Nov. meeting, but those who did not, you need to sign up at the
Sheriff’s office.
We had a very interesting
and successful mission in November on the edge of the Rim. While
we did not find the subject, we did a very thorough search and
know where he is not! I was proud of each member’s
attitude and effort, and Sgt. Wade felt we did an exceptional
job.
See you soon
Jim
Don’t
forget; the meetings this month are Dec. 10th for the
Board
and Dec. 12th for the General Meeting.
Leaders and Legends in SAR
Jane
Boyles
Don Hornecker, Deceased
Don Hornecker was State Emergency Services
Director when I first met him. Don was a soft spoken guy
with a wealth of knowledge about Search and Rescue. I had
been to a NASAR conference and had been attending a pilot
program for the National Orthopedic Society on wilderness
emergency medicine. Don’s wife Nancy was my partner in the
class. I had gotten to know Nancy really well and
discovered she and Don had just married. She was from
North Carolina and they had met at a NASAR conference the year
before. Because this class was part of a pilot
program to be used in colleges, we got to critique the book and
the methods taught. I was honored. Don would sneak
in every now and then and quietly interject his thoughts and
ideas. Nancy and I felt pretty smug as we suggested his
ideas and got all the credit!!!!!
Every big search would find Don quietly in
the background at command watching and directing. He had
been elected to the NASAR board of Directors and staid in that
position for several years. Arizona was well represented
and this enabled us to obtain some top notch professional
instructors and observers to the State of Arizona multi-agency
trainings held every year. This was the time when our
state SAR coordinators were created. Deputies from around
the state would spend a week with Forest Service, Game and Fish
and other leaders learning how to effectively lead us volunteers
through a search function. The students would spend the
week in grueling classes and then would run a mock search round
the clock directing the volunteers on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday morning. The critiques were really interesting to
attend as the distinguished instructors corrected the errors in
management techniques. It was fun to listen to Don’s stories at
the Saturday night barbeques.
John and I were privileged to be a part of
these gatherings for several years, assisting the instructors in
a variety of ways. Don was another one in law enforcement
who semi-retired and stayed on in Search and Rescue as a part
time State Search Director until James Langston had learned his
new job. Don would come out on the searches with Nancy and
their motor home. No more roughing it. We all knew
it was just for the memories and socializing with his old
friends.
Don and Nancy sold their home in Tempe and
retired to North Carolina to be near the children. Within
two years he had gone to meet the big Search Coordinator in the
Great Wilderness above. He truly is a
legend of Arizona’s past.
LOCAL WEATHER
Courtesy of Bill Pitterle 566
http://wjpitterle.mystarband.net/weather/wx.htm
FOR SALE
For
those interested in Mountain Rescue;
all the safety
equipment you’ll need to be successful.
CMC Pro Series Harness
Petzl Helmet
Edge Kit w/ all
accessories
Tote Bag
including:
Carbiners
Figure 8
Steel Rings
Webbing
Safety Rope
Heavy Duty
Outdoor Products Bag to hold everything
Valued at $452.12 …….. yours for only
$320.00
Call Fred at 928.476.4742 or email
fberneche@aol.com
FOR SALE
1994 Jeep Wrangler 4X4, low miles
4 cyl, 5 spd, lift kit, 31” BFG
tires with American Racing wheels. 2 tops, 2 lock boxes and
alarm system. Nerf bars, receiver hitch and rear rack. Alpine
radio/cassette with sound bar & dual speakers. Warn 8000 winch,
high lift jack and rear cargo rack. Will throw in trailer to
carry a Quad. Price reduced to
$8000 OBO. Call Don Peters; 472-7457
For Sale
1995 Wolverine 350 4x4 Yamaha
very good conduction.$3000.00. O.B.O.
1994 Timber wolf 250 4x4 Yamaha
$2000.00. O.B.O.
call Roger Miotto 476-5330, cell
978-0783.
Training Schedule
Scheduled Training Sessions
(current)
14 Dec—Sat.
Ropes Training; Time and location to be announced, Chris Christy
in charge.
11-12, 18-19 Jan Rope Cert
Class Squad Building—Time to be announced.
This is a full 4 day course.
Applicants need to attend two regular training sessions prior to
this class.
Planned
Line Search training—Les Hulse in charge
Planned
Tracking practice—all levels—Les Hulse in charge
Planned
Pack Peek- all members- bring your gear.
New Member
Bill Pitterle 566
Bill was born in Phoenix in 1957 and grew up
in Apache Junction. Bill graduated from Seton High School
and ASU majoring in Electrical Engineering. Bill married
his wife, Elise in 1980. They have three boys and one
girl; Clinton (21), Karl (18), Warren (15) and Erin (13).
Bill has spent many years with IBM.
First he spent 5 years with IBM in Tucson, then Ft Collins for 5
years, and 12 years in Oregon. Bill’s wife Elise is in the
Air Force. She was Active Duty for many years, but went
Reserve during their stay in Oregon. It was in Oregon
where they operated Champoeg Wine Cellars; Elise maintaining
Reserve status in the Air Force and Bill working at IBM.
Bill had spent some time in Payson as a kid
and had always enjoyed this country. After moving to
Payson, Bill learned about Tonto Rim Search and Rescue at a
fundraiser where he had spoken to Don Peters and Mike Taylor
about the Squad. After attending a couple of meetings, he
submitted his application. Bill has done a lot of Winter
Mountaineering in Oregon and still has a lot of Equipment that
will be useful in Rope Rescue. Bill has already passed on
some valuable information to the Squad about Winter Clothing and
hopes to become active in Rope Rescue.
We welcome Bill to the Squad.
Christmas Party
We have been invited to
participate in the GCSO party this year on Dec. 15th,
1800 hrs at the American Legion Post 69 at 709 E. Hwy 260.
You need to contact Craig
Smith at the GCSO if you wish to attend.
Bring with you a modest gift
for exchange, male item for male, female item for female.
Also bring your favorite
culinary dish.
Changes
We have FIVE new
members this month!
551 Margaret Bullard of Pine,
Elementary School teacher and EMT
552 Jeff O’Neill of Payson
553 Jennifer Rasmussen of Payson,
Gen. Manager of Precision Intricast, Inc.
555 Denise Baehr of Payson,
557 Alicia Keller of Payson LPN
Rescue Archives
By Jim Martin
As many of you know, before moving to Payson,
I belonged to a SAR group in Michigan known as Great Lakes
Search and Rescue. This was an all K-9 group headquartered out
of central Michigan, about an 80 mile drive from my home. The
group was an independent search corporation that responded to
various law enforcement agencies throughout the Mid-West as well
as private party requests. The track record for this
organization was very good. The live subjects were usually
Alzheimer’s patients walking away from institutions (short
distances), run away juveniles and suicide victims. These
searches utilized trailing dogs, tracking dogs, and air-scent
dogs. There were also urban search dogs used in building
collapses and cadaver dogs used specifically to locate
decomposing human remains. The organization at that time had 23
handlers, 47 K-9s and four Scouts (non-dog handlers trained to
assist and protect).
Since many of the searches were unable to
utilize scent specific dogs, I certified as a Scout to assist in
air scent and cadaver dog operations. My most memorable mission
was in the farmlands of Eastern Michigan . I was called on to
scout for two cadaver teams, both consisting of female handlers,
one with a German Shepard, and the other with a Rottweiller.
Command consisted of three FBI agents and the Huron County
Sheriff. Two days earlier, a car was found with blood in the
trunk determined to be that of a missing crime-family member
from Detroit. The car was found on a dirt road that bordered the
back side of a farm owned by a rival crime boss. I was chosen,
since I held a concealed-weapons permit (rare in Michigan) and
had what the Sheriff and the GLSAR Commander considered adequate
training.
The day had gone without incident, after
tiring searches of the swampy areas of a 180 acre woodlot and a
rural automobile salvage yard, the dogs and handlers were tired
and ready to return to command. We decided to take a shortcut
diagonally through a neighboring section when we came across a
pond in a clearing in a wooded area. Since it was a warm October
day, late in the afternoon, the dogs were ready for a swim. The
two dogs were barley wet and the two ladies and I were standing
near the bank when a close proximity gunshot rang-out. Without
thinking, I dropped to the ground pushing both ladies down, one
head-first into the pond. While I was radioing into command, the
scene was pandemonium. The two dogs, thinking this was a new
game of some sort were welcoming the newcomer to the pond who,
unprepared for her bath was struggling for air. I was sure we
were being shot at. Within minutes, two Deputies arrived and
shortly found a young squirrel hunter not far from us oblivious
to our presence.
Back at command, we were all able to laugh at
the situation, and I was forgiven by the lady who by then had
dried and changed into some borrowed clothes!
Thanks to all who
contributed to this issue of the newsletter.
Please continue to
share for the enlightenment of all.
Mike
