SAR Coordinates - November 2004
 

A self-supporting, not-for-profit group of volunteer citizens
dedicated to improving safety in the Arizona wilderness.

This issue of SAR Coordinates is available in Adobe PDF format viewable
and printable with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
 

Commander’s Corner

I asked Mike Taylor for permission to use a Commanders Corner article he wrote in November of 2000. Permission was granted, so here it is.

“Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” It is only through practice and repetition that we can develop our skills and techniques. The difficulty is that as volunteers we must carefully balance our lives between our multiple roles (e.g. spouse, parent, school, job, church, volunteer) which is not always an easy task. Increasing activity in one area by neglecting another usually leads to some unpleasant situations, including; divorce, loss of income, guilt, stress and burnout.

It is important to truly understand your own motivations for volunteering. A clear understanding of why you get up at 2:00 AM and go out searching for a total stranger will help you identify your priorities and basic motivations on which to base your decisions. These priorities will change over time. I have come to believe that training is the most important activity for most of us to be involved with, whether as student or instructor. This includes missions and other activities where we are learning even as we perform our duties. Knowledge and skill is what sets SAR members apart from the general public. Training is where we begin to gain that.

Keeping everything in balance and continuing to increase your knowledge and skills needed for SAR activities is challenging but not impossible. Focusing your attention on your interests and aptitudes is the best way to avoid burn-out. The number of activities that we can be involved in are many and varied. Few members can participate in every activity, but you can excel in more than one. Determining the time you have to invest, and committing to becoming the best you possibly can in a limited number of areas of interest should reduce your level of stress and increase your value as a volunteer.

With clear priorities and an understanding of your own motivations, the ability to say, “No, I choose not to do that” without guilt, when asked to participate in some activity will enable you to enthusiastically participate in those areas in which you truly wish to be involved.

I am not trying to discourage people from being involved and participating in the different SAR activities. In fact, I encourage everyone to get their feet wet in more varied activities in order to find out what they are truly interested in. What I am saying is be careful to not overextend yourself. Your commitment and positive attitude as a person who is happy with their life and volunteer involvement will affect those around you in a positive way.”

Thanks Mike for letting me quote you. Very well said.

We have four new members in our squad. Hal and Kathy Baas, Kim Donau and Eddy Floyd. Join me in making them welcome.

Sgt Hudgens is working hard to get funds for Project Lifesaver. Project Lifesaver is a radio direction-finding system for people with autism or Alzheimer's disease who frequently wander. We need $10,000 to get this project started. If anyone has knowledge of a funding resource for this project please contact Sgt Hudgens at 595-3803.


Stay Active and Stay Healthy!

Dave Pirtle
Commander


Don’t forget; the meetings this month are November 9th for the Board and November 11th for the General Meeting.

A Senior Moment By Jane Boyles

RAMBO

There are several Arizona agencies that care for and assist young people with unacceptable social attitudes. Some of the larger more well known agencies are Vision-Quest, Anasazi and similar boot camp operations where self-reliance, responsibility and discipline are part of the curriculum. While many famous sports people such as Frank Kush lend support, the public seldom hears anything about the organizations which tend to keep a low profile, preferring to stay out of the limelight as the counselors and the youngsters concentrate on becoming better people. Often this is accomplished by extended time spent in the wilderness. Gila County's ordeal with the missing Anasazi girl is well remembered by those who searched for her near Cherry Creek.

On the “RAMBO” mission, Maricopa was called to Four Peaks to search for a missing teen. This young fellow was part of a group camped by a steam about two thirds of the way up the Maricopa side of the Four Peaks Road. The counselor had rewarded the group with a hike up to the Lone Pine Saddle area. The intent was to then hike up the trail to Brown’s Peak. One young fellow was a little out of shape and was soon huffing and puffing, too much to keep up with the others. He agreed to hang out by the marker just above the parking lot while the rest continued on up the trail. When the group returned, he was no where to be found. After determining that he had not gone back to the camp site, the Sheriff was called and a search was activated. Mountain Rescue did a hasty search around the trails on Four Peaks that night without success. At daybreak the next morning, the search escalated to include three helicopters, and both Gila and Maricopa county SAR teams. Again all trails on the mountain were searched and anything reasonably resembling a path was followed. By noon Jim Weeks had arrived with his bloodhounds and worked from the point last seen (the monument) in all directions. The hounds seemed to alert on one particular wash on the northeast side of Lone Pine Saddle but no distinct sign was located. The three helos went in grid formation up and down the sides of the hills and out the westward extension of the ridge toward Edwards Park and Highway 87. From our command vantage point, we had a clear picture of the whole operation. Command was continually questioning where this teen had gone as the clues did not add up. The terrain was so rugged that one team had to have a helo pickup to get down from the cliff they found themselves on. Night came again with no sign of the young lad. We were pretty sure he had not left the mountain area as there was no sign going down any of the roads or trails to the lowlands. Since things did not add up, we felt he was still in the area. He was equipped with a warm jacket and snacks and water canteens. He also carried a huge knife in a sheath. On the third day, with weather brewing, we were getting very concerned, not only for his safety but the safety of our SAR hikers. Winds had picked up forcing the grounding of the helos. Low and behold he stepped out of the thick brush by the towers where he had been hiding and presented himself to a team of our searchers. Weather and lack of food had forced him to quit playing his RAMBO game and ask for help. So once again our SAR teams were out searching for someone reported missing. The circumstances could have been sadly different, but fortunately, he was safely returned to his camp and we were off the mountain before the snowstorm hit.

-----THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE.

Batteries

Here is a very good web site that provides more...much more information about batteries than the normal person would need... and done in a way that you can appreciate without being an engineer.
http://www.buchmann.ca/default.asp

GPS

Here is a good website for anyone who might like to use their GPS in conjunction with their computer.
http://www.easygps.com/
 

Website

Tonto Rim SAR Members can now have your very own email address through our site. Just contact our  to arrange for it, no cost to you or us.

We are promoted and you’ll also find our newsletter on the Rim Country Volunteer site;
http://www.inpayson.com/Tonto_Rim_Search_and_Rescue_Payson_Arizona.htm
 

November 2004 Training Schedule

11 Nov Thur Cold Weather Survival Gear- Time: Immediately following the General Meeting.- Instructors; Bill Pitterle and Roger Miotto.

13 Nov. Sat Man Tracking/Sign Cutting - Time: 0800 –Location: TBA (This is for all levels of experience)- Instructor J. Martin