SAR Coordinates - January 2005
 

This squad consists of many hard working members who contribute many hours of time and effort to make it a valuable asset to the Gila County Sheriff's Office and the community.  I want to mention a few members and tasks that exist in this Squad.

Fundraising:  Tom and Mary Sander lead the fundraising effort this year.  Due to their leadership and the work of many other squad members, made this the best year for fundraising we’ve ever had. 

Training:  John Boyles has organized and coordinated our training this past year.  This is a very big job.  John’s training staff consists of the following:

Man Tracking - Jim Martin has done an excellent job providing Man Tracking training and Man Tracking certification. 

Rope Training - Bill Pitterle and Roger Miotto have been our Rope Team trainers.  We have a rope team to be proud of.

ATV Training - John Avery (assisted by Don Johnson and Jack Logan). This training consists of ATV safety, navigation and radio communications.

Safety - Ira Gibel has provided training in CPR, First Aid, First Responder and many other aspects of Search and Rescue. 

Navigation Training - Jim Oelerich, and more recently Les Hulse and Sgt Hudgens, have provided Map and Compass, and GPS training.

Database: Les Hulse has provided the squad with a multifaceted database.  It contains reports, past missions, blank forms, TRSAR documents, GCSO documents, knots for training purposes and Safety Notes, just to name a few.  This is a very valuable tool for all members.  Les has also provided the Squad with a Mapping Tool.  It has location finding capabilities by name or trails.  We are very fortunate to have Les provide us with these tools

YES program: Jim Martin has been the primary presenter for the YES (Youth Education for Survival) program this past year.  There have been others who have assisted in this program this past year also. 

Webmaster: Jack Quinn has provided the Squad with an outstanding Website.  Jack is constantly adding new data and improving the website.  Tonto Rim Search and Rescue is very fortunate to have Jack on our team.   www.trsar.org

Newsletter: Mike Taylor was the commander of Tonto Rim Search and Rescue for over 12 years.  He is currently providing our outstanding monthly newsletter. 

The Board members have provided the leadership and direction for the squad.  They have worked very well together to make the squad the best it can be.  Squad Officers have performed their jobs as well in an exceptional manner.  We have newly elected Board members:  Bill Pitterle will continue as Vice Commander, Joanne Travis is the new Treasurer and Don Johnson is the new member at large. 

Don Johnson is going to take over Training this year.  I hope each of you will give him the same support you gave John Boyles.

I’ve only mentioned a few of the tasks and functions that take place in Tonto Rim Search and Rescue.  I’m trying to express the thanks to the Squad as a TEAM for making us what we are today.  It’s not any one person that makes us good.  It’s the collective effort of all the exceptional people in this squad that makes us good. 

 Thanks again for a wonderful year.  I look forward to working with you all this New Year.

 Stay Active and Stay Healthy!

Dave Pirtle

Commander

            I was thinking of an article for the Newsletter and thought that my cycle trip from the R. of Panama to New York might be interesting!

          I have had a number of adventures in my life, but I would definitely place my cycle trip in the top 5!  (Marriage and children being # 1 )

             After 4 years of college and a year spent teaching in Pennsylvania, I was motivated by reading the book, “The Ugly American” to apply for membership in the Peace Corps.  The Corps had recently been founded during the Kennedy Administration and seemed like an excellent opportunity to:

            1)  Do something for my country

            2)  Travel and work in another country

            3)  Adventure….

                        The entry process was long and involved.   After a three hour exam, and background checks, I found out that I was accepted to the training, not automatically accepted to the Peace Corps.  This was in the summer of 1965.  I was to report to Arecibo, Puerto Rico for training.  (The Peace Corps paid for the ticket!) 

     Many studies have shown that the Peace Corps has been one of our countries great successes in understanding and diplomacy with other nations, and well worth the investment.

            If accepted there was no salary but urban volunteers would receive a stipend of $120.00 a month to live on, and rural volunteers would receive $90.00.  There was a 30 day vacation period after one year where you were expected to visit surrounding countries for the contrasting learning experiences.  (You did accrue the equivalent of $.11 cents per hour and at the end of two years you would have almost two thousand dollars…..)

            My training consisted of a three month intensive educational and cultural study of the Republic of Panama.  We received training for urban and rural positions.  Today the training is much more specialized.

        Spanish language training was 4 hours a day,  and we were also tested in the Outward Bound program consisting of Rock climbing, outdoor survival and drown-proofing. 

We also had physical training, jogging at 5:30am every morning and strength testing (both men and women).  I remember I did hold our group’s record for sit-ups in two minutes.  (96)  Don’t ask how many I could do in two minutes today!

We were prepared for tropical illnesses and problems that didn’t exist in the U.S.  I received 15 vaccinations in the 3 month period.  They included:  immune globulin, tetanus, typhoid-paratyphoid, rabies, polio, typhus, and plague (Bubonic Plague).  I only got a reaction from one…the plague vaccine. 

I remember vividly, the experience.  I had the injection in the morning and everything was fine until about 10pm at night.  My body started to shake and sweat uncontrollably.  I couldn’t feel my legs and I was experiencing some mild seizures.  One of the staff stayed with me and after what seemed an eternity, it passed and I fell asleep.  Checking in with the Peace Corps nurse in the morning…she said, “Don’t worry, it was only a mild reaction to the vaccine….”  I would hate to experience a bad reaction!!!

 The rock climbing gave me a great introduction to rope techniques, rappelling, belay, knots, and how to tie a Swiss seat with webbing.  (We didn’t use harnesses, and did those Swiss seats cut into your thighs and buttocks!)

  The survival training was useful in learning techniques to stay alive in the wilderness if lost etc.

  The drown proofing was a unique way of staying alive in deep water using the least bit of energy.  (The last test was a 45 minute drown proofing ordeal in the ocean off the Puerto Rican coastline of Arecibo.)  It wasn’t a pass/fail training but more of a synopsis of how each trainee reacted to the experiences.

The object of all the Outward Bound training was as (I learned later) to see how well we would react to stress in a strange and new environment.

 Of my group of 80 who trained…only 40 were selected to service in the Peace Corps.

As the purpose of this article is my trip afterwards, I will not dwell on what I did in two years, living in the slums of Panama City.  Suffice to write that it was a series of adventures, successes, failures and a wonderful learning experience for the rest of my life.  (It might be the stuff of another article!)

 At the end of my two year stint, I was thinking of another great adventure to finish my Peace Corps experience.  The Pan American highway ends (or begins) in Panama.  I was contemplating buying a cycle and driving it home to New York (Oceanside, Long Island).  The fact that it was 6,000 miles and some of the roads weren’t paved vaguely entered my mind.  Heck, I was 25 and in fantastic condition.  (One of my experiences in the Peace Corps was training the national freestyle wrestling team and I worked out every day with the team.)

I decided to buy an X-6 Suzuki Hustler (250 cc) with a tire tread that would work on pavement or some dirt roads which I knew I would encounter).

 Not having ridden a cycle before or having much mechanical knowledge of cycles (or cars) this might have looked a bit foolhardy to the average individual…..

 In Latin America there is a common practice to name a vehicle.  Zorba the Greek was a popular movie and play on Broadway and I had become familiar with Zorba’s dance and frequently embarrassed myself and others attempting to dance at parties etc.  One of my volunteer buddies (an artist) offered to paint on the side cover of the bike…..”Zorba El Griego”.

  Well, let the adventure begin…..

  Next month….the trip itself…..

  Respectfully submitted,

    Ira Gibel – tr -532

      Have you ever been helplessly involved in a situation where no matter what you did, regardless of training and resources, high tech equipment where neither prayers nor good luck would change the outcome?  This story is one that involves family, friends, the US Coast Guard, radio operators, fishermen and anyone who knew one of those.  It was a screaming helplessness that affected us all.

      There was a young man of 16 who flew into Sitka to fish the summer on his Grandpa’s salmon troller.  Before leaving town, there were a lot of chores and shopping to be done and last minute things to be taken care of.  By the time they reached the fishing grounds off Sea Lion Island, most of the fleet was hard at work trolling back and forth in long straight lines.  The weather was rather mild, medium to heavy fog and not much wind or swell.  Grandfather was at the wheel intent on the radar, watching the fathometer and the other boats, not only confident in the boys ability to handle the gear, but thankful to have the company on board and the extra hand in the foggy weather.  It meant they could fish longer hours and much harder, then the old man could do by himself.  Fishing was great and the boy must have been thinking about the money he was making as he ran the gear and pulled the big king salmon aboard.  He might even have been thinking of buying his first car with his share.  We will never know.

      Grandpa heard an unusual noise and stepped over to the wheel house door.  The boy was nowhere to be seen.  Only his fisherman’s cap was floating in the slow moving wake of the troller, disappearing further into the fog.  Grandpa realized the boy somehow had slipped over the side and was gone.  He threw in a buoy, stopped the boat and called a “Mayday” and ran back to the cockpit to look into the dark blue water of the deep ocean. 

 All of the fisherman monitor channel 16 on the Marine band radio. And all stopped fishing to come to the Grandfather’s aid.  Back and forth with hooks dragging hoping to catch the boys clothing, but nothing they tried worked.  The Coast Guard responded with a small fast cutter and a helo even though the visibility was very limited.  Grandfather stayed anchored to the spot and called and called the boys name, until his voice was gone.  Then darkness came, we had no choice but to abandon the search.  Everyone knew the hopelessness of the situation.  Everyone felt the gut-wrenching heartbreaking despair.  After several days, the Grandfather and the boy’s family returned to their home in Washington.  The young man’s body was never recovered.  Grandpa never fished again.

I am sure somewhere in the family treasures is a water-stained fisherman’s cap.

 John Boyles 510
 

Tonto Rim SAR Members can now have your very own email address through our site. Just contact our Webmaster at jack@jackswebs.com  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
 

15 Jan. (Sat)     Man Tracking Training– Time: 0900 – Location: Squad Building –  Instructor J. Martin

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22 Jan. (Sat)     Rope Training – Time: 0900 – Place: Box Canyon – Roger Miotto and rope instructors in charge

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29 Jan. (Sat)         ATV Ride - Time: 900 –  Location:  Intersection   423 , 426 and 60 on A Cross Rd. at the corral.

                              Instructor:  Don Johnson

April 2005       Medical Type Classes – Place: Ira Gibel’s Home – Time: TBA – Instructor: Ira Gibel

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Planned            ATV Rodeo – All squad members -  Instructor: John Avery

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Planned            Navigation Classroom (with exercises) – Basic GPS Settings and Techniques - Instructor: Les Hulse

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Planned            Navigation Classroom (with exercises) – Basic Map and Compass Techniques (no GPS) –

                             Instructor:  Les Hulse

?                If you would like to volunteer to run a training session, or if you have a training session request contact

Any Board Member or Don Johnson 

Mike 502, oldfogey502@trsar.org