SAR COORDINATES

February 2007
TONTO RIM SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUAD, Inc.
P.O. BOX 357
STRAWBERRY AZ 85544

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

Operating under the authority of the Gila County Sheriff's Office

John Armer; Sheriff

TRSAR Squad meets monthly

General Public Welcome
2nd Thursday @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Payson Public Library Meeting Room
328 N. McLane Road - Payson, Arizona

Commanders Corner

Just a couple of quick hits – busy time of year for the “real job”.

Wondering if anyone caught this SAR mission in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico that occurred over the Christmas Holidays.  Seems kinda funny they spent only 3 days, really only one good solid day, on this mission due to “lack of evidence”…  Two hikers found her several weeks after she left on her trip – and 3 weeks after SAR gave up.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,122169,00.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS

Rick Heffernon sent an outstanding website link for visual knot tying.  Check it out.

Thank you - to those who responded to the quick mission Monday night, Jan 29.  Lady and son missing on quad while searching for their dog.  The son was lost for several hours, but they did eventually find their way home.  This was several miles out Colcord Rd east of Christopher Creek.  I paged out only quads, mainly due to an issue with OneCallNow that has since been resolved.

Stay safe and stay ready.

Bill Pitterle - 500

Vice-Commander’s Corner

Well another month is past and not a lot of search action, maybe this month things will pickup. Don't let this stop anyone from wearing those GET LOST shirts over your warm clothes. Now that I have said the word Warm, boy last month sure reminded me of Chicago weather. I think we had a few days there in single digits. Hope everyone remembered to layer those fleece garments and don't forget to keep safety items in your auto like; water, matches, candles, snack bars, extra warm clothes, even a sleeping bag might be a good idea. Boy, sounds like things you might have in your overnight pack!

Communications means more than expensive radios. Operational needs must be the driving force behind achieving effective inter-operability. Tactical level operations between and among public safety services must be the starting point for examining what type and how much inter-operability is required. The ability to deliver joint, flexible, coherent and coordinated operations between several different SAR departments and emergency medical service, must be anticipated in terms of who responds to what type of incident, what is their tactical objective and task, where do they fit into the command structure of the incident, what information exchange requirements exist between different response resources and between response resources and command staff, and how will these information exchanges be accomplished.

Bill and I will be putting together a class that will hopefully break the surface on these items I have mentioned in the preceding paragraph. A date has not yet been set but we will be sure to give plenty of lead time so everyone can attend this two day class.

My wife might even bake cookies. 

 Roger Miotto 501

Vice-Commander.

 

Guest Article

I went for a moonlight stroll the other night with a few of my friends. Now the day did not start out as one that would encourage this kind of activity. It rained hard all day and caused the creeks and drainages to flow in a way they haven’t for a long time. The Arizona clay soil was transformed to a slime that challenges the most agile and brings to their knees those who are anything less than acrobats.

Our pagers went off around 3:00 P.M. announcing the need for searchers on the 198 road for a 70-something gentleman that had been separated from his companions. They were rock hunting in weather that would challenge a duck and we slipped and slid around in our vehicles and on foot for 5 hours in an effort to locate him before a second call came to assist in a search for a 8 year-old autistic child in lower Round Valley.

Now adrenalin is a strange substance and we have all experienced what it can do for you when injected into the bloodstream. Those of us on the trail of the old man were getting pretty tired and our feet were tender, clothes wet and stomachs empty. But when Sgt. Hudgens called us back and informed us of the situation, every one quickly agreed to relocate and do whatever it takes to find the boy. Two were chosen to stay and maintain a presence on the first scene and that proved to be a good choice as one of them was able to locate the old man shortly after daybreak. He was in good condition and better prepared than his companions had realized so that search ended very well.

The rest of us, plus other members that had not been on the first mission, quickly assembled at the new search site and were assigned to our various search areas. Most of us had not eaten since noon and did not take the time to do so between scenes. Who can set down to a meal when we know the subject is out there somewhere cold, wet and hungry, lost and scared in the dark and with his family wringing their hands, worrying over him? Each of us joined this organization for just such an opportunity. One of the greatest joys we can experience in this life is re-uniting a mother with her lost child. To see the pain replaced by pleasure and know that you had an active part in restoring the family makes any sacrifice we may have made all worth while. It is that knowledge that keeps us all coming back and continuing to help even when other responsibilities pull on us.

The boy had been seen by a neighbor around 6:00 PM walking down a creek bed and we started our search from that point. For those who have not been there, it’s hard to understand how difficult it is to find the tracks of a child in a creek bed after a rain. It had stopped raining in this area just before the boy went on his journey so his tracks were not washed out, they just weren’t tracks. The gumbo clay of the area when wet is the best contact glue known to man. When dry it is almost impossible to remove from your clothes and shoes. The problem is that the shoe collects about a half-inch of this gumbo every time it touches the wet ground and you soon feel like you are walking on stilts, very slippery stilts. Trying to separate the subject’s tracks from all the tracks made by family and friends who were out looking for him prior to our involvement requires a super-human effort. It is really quite impossible because no tracks are distinct, all are just spots of mud removed and relocated.

We were finally able to get to the point where untrained searchers had not gone and some of our members were able to find a good imprint of his shoe that verified that he had indeed passed this way. Several of us then proceeded to track him a good distance until finally losing the trail where he apparently left the creek and climbed up onto a rocky plateau that left almost no evidence. A couple tracks were found to establish that he had gone this way but they indicated he was wandering in circles and provided no clue to direction of travel.

At this point it was nearing dawn, the mother, an uncle and a friend had joined us and search dog teams from Maricopa County were in route so we rested and waited for them to arrive so we could show them the location of the last known track. Once they were on the trail, it was daylight and we were no longer needed, as the family members were going to stay with the MCSO unit, so we started to head back to command post across the top of the plateau instead of by the creek bottom we had followed in. It was extremely brushy and tough going but it provided us the opportunity to cover an area not previously searched by anyone. After about ten minutes, we heard a sound similar to a mourning dove and we listened carefully until determining that it was a human voice, not a bird. Following the sound we found the boy sitting on a hillside under some brush, cold, scared but OK. Two of our group wrapped their jackets around him and gained his trust until his mother arrived. She had decided after we left her to follow us out and so she was quick to show up which was best for all involved. She carried him on her back for a short way and then he wanted down and walked the rest of the way. He seemed none the worse for the experience and quite healthy so the family took him straight home and we were able to return to ours.

It is so wonderful when a search turns out this way. Without trained volunteers, the outcome could be so different. There is no way the State system could pay salaries to have people available to do what we do. With 25-30 missions per year and all that we do to prepare for them we accumulate about 7500 hours each year and that would add probably ½ million dollars to the county budget when all costs were counted. Because we donate our time and buy our own personal gear, our net operating cost is around $25,000. And that is just to maintain the group equipment such as our rescue truck, rope gear and buildings plus liability insurance. We can’t possibly count the expenses of all our members and the gear they are willing to buy to make this all happen.

I cannot express how proud I am of each member of TRSAR and your selfless attitude of saving total strangers. Most of the people we help are not even from the local area but they get the same concern and effort as if they were friends and family. Two of our members even made an extra round-trip into that canyon that night in order to escort the dog team to our location. That exemplifies the dedication and willingness of everyone in the Squad and why TRSAR has gained a reputation for being one of the very best units in Arizona.

Thank You for what you do and how well you do it. Keep up the good work.

I look forward to sharing another night with you, in any weather.

Mike Taylor 502L

Commander Emeritus

(This article first appeared in the Newsletter in October 2003)

 February 2007 Training & Events Schedule

February 2007 Training & Events Schedule

10-Feb (Sat)          Tracking Exercise – Time: 0900 – Place: Corrals on Houston Mesa Road – Les Hulse in charge

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 24-Feb (Sat)          Rope Training – Time: 0930 – Place: Pine Canyon Narrows – Roger Miotto and rope instructors in charge

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17-Feb (Sat)       Mock Search – The Command Post well be on 414 Rd. from Rye about one mile in. Time - 8:00.

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Planned Training Sessions ( Coming this Year)

10-Mar (Sat)         Tracking Exercise – Time: 0900 – Place: to be determined – Les Hulse in charge

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 Apr 14-15              SAR Academy – This is a mandatory class for the ones who haven’t taken it – any member

(Sat-Sun)               can also take it again – Place: Pine Community Center – Time: 0800-1600

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 Planned                 Navigation Training – Compass and GPS

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 Planned                 CPR : April 25, June 20 and August 15

First Aid: May 16

First Responder: July 18 

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Requested Training Sessions

?                  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 

Italics = Sign-up required to attend this training                                          

* See following notes:

P            To reserve use of squad ATV, contact Don Johnson at 928-474-5335

 Jacket, gloves, boots, helmet, and eye protection required to operate Squad ATV

Question for the Month: Can you start a fire anytime, anywere ?. If not you NEED to LEARN.  It will save your life and other.

Don’t forget; the meetings this month are February 6th for the Board and February 8th for the General Meeting.

Reader Comments

To: Editor,

--ref the newsletter.  

I just wanted to say that your newsletter is "first class". I enjoy reading it and hope you keep up the rants and raves as space permits.

Dennis McL.

Phoenix

Computer Tips, Techniques, Rants, Raves, and Netiquette
submitted by Jack Quinn and Les Hulse

This month, let’s take a quick look at PC software. Software refers to all of the programs you run on your PC to get things done – whether for business or play or any combination of the two.

Please note that everyone’s situation is different; what works for us, may not work for you.

There are basically four kinds of software:

1 – Paidware: the programs you buy at a store (or from the web) that come

      boxed with CDs or DVD and require hard-earned dollars,

2 – Shareware: programs you download from the web and pay a few dollars to

      get,

3 – Freeware: programs you download from the web for free, and

4 – Free/Paid versions of the same software from a vendor.

Walk into any large PC sales store and you can find a lot of different software for sale ranging from a few dollars into the high hundreds (for businesses, the costs can be in the thousands). If you do some searching on the web, you can find the same (or similar) software for higher or lower cost as well as thousands of other pieces of software for free or for considerably less cost.

Remember the expression “You get what you pay for”? In the world of computer software, this is not necessarily true.

There is a ton of free (or cheap) software available for you to download from the web to your PC. However, many of these offerings are dangerous because (1) they may come with all sorts of “bad things” attached, (2) they may not work as advertised, (3) they may have side effects you do not want, (4) and so forth.

NOTE: These same comments can be made about some software that costs you hard-earned money.

However, there are some free software packages that are excellent and work really well (sometimes even better than the boxed software from big companies). The problem is telling the difference between good and poor software (for what you want to do).

Regarding software available in paid and free versions: The paid versions generally will have access to some options not available in the free version. The free versions generally are more “user friendly”, but this means that some operating conditions are assumed by the software.

The following section comes from Les:

In my situation, I do not have to worry about the same things as Jack. I have several desktop PCs and 2 laptop PCs. I work in a home environment without the responsibility of managing a web site.

All of the PCs I have are totally protected with free software – anti-virus, firewall, spyware detection and removal, malicious ad blocking, etc.

If I find out about a piece of software that might be useful to me, the first thing I do is check several select web sites to find user reviews. If most reviews are favorable, I will try to get an evaluation copy (if it costs money) to see if it works as advertised.

In all cases, I make a backup of the PC before installing anything new. I have had a few bad experiences with the PC getting “messed up” because of a new piece of software – the backup allows me to remove the offending software and restore the PC to its previous condition.

In conclusion …

The above comments are purposely very general. We did not make recommendations of software since all programs are a matter of personal preference. If you really want to know our choices or want additional information on any topic briefly mentioned in this article, let the editor know and we will address your concerns in a future issue.

Question: Do any of you find this section useful?

We can rant and rave about many topics, but do not know if it is appreciated. Also, we will most likely choose topics that “tick us off” and ignore the ones that you may be interested in. We can give you our opinion on just about anything (opinions are cheap).

So let us know if this section is useful, and if you would like us to tear into some topic, just tell us.

Send any comments and/or suggestions to the editor; Mike – address at bottom of newsletter.

Website

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/TRSAR-Payson-Rim-Country-Area.htm

Related SAR info

Radio Transmitters Touted to Help Hikers
Jan 16, 6:18 AM (ET)

By MATT REED

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A search-and-rescue group's wristwatch-size radio transmitters have helped track missing Alzheimer's patients and autistic children. Now the group wants to offer the technology to help find lost hikers.

The National Park Service has agreed to experiment with Project Lifesaver International's transmitters, although officials say electronic devices often provide a false sense of security.

The transmitters are to be demonstrated for park service officials on Alaska's Mt. McKinley in the next few months. Mt. McKinley's extreme conditions - it's the tallest mountain in North America - make it an attractive spot to experiment with the equipment, said Kathryn Healey-Flores, programs development.

Project Lifesaver started providing the transmitters in 1999 to police departments and emergency agencies in and around the city of Chesapeake. Sales have expanded to 530 agencies in 40 states and Canada.

Autistic children and other dependents are outfitted with a wristband or an ankle bracelet that sends out a radio pulse every second, project spokesman Jay Smith said.

Smith said the radio signals can be read from 2,500 feet in the air. They also don't require satellite technology and have a 45-day battery.

If someone wanders away from home, a caregiver calls an 800 number, and searchers are often able to find the missing person within minutes using a tracker, he said.

"We find most people within a mile of their house," said Mike Catron, a police officer in Virginia's Chesterfield County.

Project Lifesaver, a nonprofit based in Chesapeake, believes that hikers going into treacherous terrain during winter months could be required to rent the equipment at a trailhead Park Service station. If hikers become lost, or aren't heard from for several days, searchers could track the radio signals to narrow down a search area.

Using electronic devices for wilderness search and rescue would save valuable time, as well as public money, said Healey-Flores. "The dollars spent on search and rescue can be prohibitive," she said.

While the National Park Service has agreed to experiment with the device, it will only offer them to forest rangers, said Dan Portbriand, the park service's branch chief for emergency services. It would complement other electronic devices, since there are often blackout spots in cell-phone or two-way radio coverage, he said.

"This is not a stand-alone device," he said. "Should this be used in place of a radio? Not a good idea."

The technology behind Project Lifesaver's radio transmitter has been around for years and originally was used to track wildlife. These days there are personal locater beacons, portable satellite phones and devices that use the Global Positioning System - not to mention the growing prevalence of cell phones.

Portbriand, who oversees search and rescue for 400 federal parks, said park service officials have been concerned that new developments in personal technology are leading people to take more extreme risks in the wild.

"People get this false sense of security that all you have to do is push a button," Portbriand said. "But it should not replace common sense."

Park service officials said the radio transmitters couldn't have prevented a tragedy like the one on Oregon's Mount Hood last month, in which one hiker was found dead and two went missing after a week of blizzard storms on the mountain's treacherous north side.

The Mount Hood hikers had cell phones, and that helped in alerting rescuers. "That was all fine and dandy," Portbriand said. "But they still couldn't get up there for a five days because of the weather."

On the Net:

Project Lifesaver: http://www.projectlifesaver.org/site

PLB Helped Save Stranded Hiker in Big Bend National Park

On December 30, the U.S. Air Force notified the park that a personal locator beacon (PLB) signal had been received from a backcountry location within the park. Rangers headed to a backcountry campsite about six miles from the coordinates given by the PLB and found a vehicle registered to a visitor who had a solo hiker permit for that zone of the park. Two rangers then hiked to the approximate PLB coordinates, but were unable to find anyone in that area. They were joined by another team of searchers and a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter the following morning. The crew of the helicopter homed in on the 121.5 MHz distress transmission from the PLB within minutes of arriving on scene and soon spotted the hiker, who was waving a space blanket at them. He had "cliffed out" on the side of Elephant Tusk peak, but gave the helicopter crew a thumbs-up signal indicating that he was okay. Although the helicopter was unable to land, the crew directed searchers to the man's location, then ferried rope and climbing equipment to the rangers on scene. They climbed to his location and helped him down. The man told rangers that he'd attempted to climb to the top of Elephant Tusk the day before. He'd cached his backpack, tent and sleeping bag and had made the ascent carrying only a space blanket, food, water, a whistle, an LED light, and a PLB. After topping a 40-foot chimney, he decided to turn back - only to find he couldn't climb down from his location. He spent the night on a 6-foot by 50-foot ledge wrapped in the space blanket, with his PLB tied to a bush to keep it from being blown away by high winds. Overnight temperatures were just below freezing. This incident marks the first time in Big Bend that a PLB has been used by a hiker to call in rescuers. Without the PLB and assistance from the DPS helicopter, it would have been extremely difficult to find and rescue the man in a timely fashion. The PLB probably saved his life.

**********

"Stop Disasters!" Game for Kids

The UN/ISDR produced an online game to engage and teach children ages 9 to 16 how to protect cities and villages against natural hazards through disaster risk planning and management. The online game includes five natural hazard scenarios (flooding, tsunami, wildfire, hurricane, and earthquake) with different levels of difficulty that require critical decision-making and strategic planning. The game is accessible by children all over the world, with limited computer access and limited bandwidth. More than 90 percent of the world's internet users can play the game. It’s a fun challenge for adults as well.

http://www.stopdisastersgame.org

Thanks to those who contributed to this issue of the newsletter.  

Mike 502  editor@trsar.org