SAR COORDINATES
November
2009
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
Don’t forget; the
meetings this month are November
10th
for the Board
and
November
12th
for the General Meeting.
Deb's Search & Rescue stories
http://www.sarstories.comThese are my stories as a
volunteer member of a Search & Rescue team in Coconino County,
Arizona.
Daylight Makes All The Difference
Posted: 25 Oct 2009 02:47 PM PDT
In the dark, something ... or someone ... 150 feet away may as
well be 150 miles away if you don't choose a path to the exact
location or come close enough and happen to shine your light in
the right direction. That is, if that someone can't respond.
It's hard not to beat yourself up over it--to keep rehashing it
in your mind. Or, I should say, in my mind. I thought about
suggesting to my teammate (my husband in this case) that he and
I circle through the woods around the ATV while we waited for
our third field team member to join us. Why didn't I? Because I
thought that had already been done? Maybe.
But even if we had, that doesn't necessarily mean we would have
seen him then, either. We wouldn't have gone very far in--just
enough to try cutting for sign--so we probably wouldn't have
walked right to that spot. And even ten feet away, in the lights
of our headlamps, it was difficult to make out shapes on that
dark night. Is that a stump or a log? A bush or a big rock? A
man? So many dark shapes could have been a man.
We did search for tracks while we waited, and there were many on
the dirt road around the ATV. We looked at the deputies' boots
and ruled out those two sets of prints. There was a third set of
prints that were different. Maybe, we thought. But then we
looked at a family member's shoes. No, that third set of tracks
were his. We looked up and down the road, which had been driven
on heavily since the ATV was found. We saw no other footprints
or partials there, so we looked at the ground on either side of
the road near the quad. It's really difficult to find tracks on
pine needles. Is that animal or human? Is that even a depression
at all? There are so many deer and elk in those woods.
Then our teammate arrived and we began our assignment.
We'd been so close--many of us that night--and then searched so
far. I didn't think he'd walk all that far, though, given what
we'd been told.
But you just can't know for sure. If he were conscious and
anywhere near the quad (the last known point or LKP), he'd have
seen the campfire and the lights of our vehicles. Or he'd have
heard us calling or even just talking. In fact, the air was so
clear, cold and still that night, field teams could hear each
other's voices--not even a shout--maybe a half-mile away. And we
did shout and blow our whistles as we searched. After the
helicopter passed over, we shouted some more. And we looked. We
shined our lights this way and that and walked closer to any
"suspicious" shapes. There were many.
You want to believe the one you're searching for can hear you if
you get close enough. You want to believe they can respond, but
you look as hard as you can in case they can't. We covered a lot
of ground that night. Just not the right piece of ground.
At about 4am, we rested back at our SAR vehicles, near the LKP.
When it was light, we'd resume the search.
But we didn't have to. As soon as the sun came up, one of our
team members, standing near where the ATV had been left, looked
into the woods and saw "something that didn't look right." He
walked into the trees, closer to that something, and saw it was
indeed a man.
At least he'd died doing something he loved. And he'd gotten his
buck, which lay maybe ten feet in front of where he took his own
last step.
One hundred fifty feet away might as well have been 150 miles
that dark night, because he couldn't respond.
******
To this man's family and friends, my sincere condolences. I'm
sorry this search didn't have a
happy ending. http://www.sarstories.com
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November
2009 Training & Events Schedule
| 12-Nov (Thurs) |
Cold Weather Gear training.
After the General squad meeting. |
| 14- Nov (Sat) |
Navigation Training - Place:
Tonto Natural Bridge turn off - at the corral. Time: 0900 |
| 21- Nov (Sat) |
Rope Training - Place: Pine
Narrow canyon – Time: 0900 – Instructor: Roger Miotto |
Planned Training Sessions ( Coming this Year)
| |
Planned Navigation Training – Compass and GPS |
| |
Planned Mock Mission |
| |
Planned ATV over night ride 120 miles |
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:
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
Active: Members wishing to remain on active status must attend at
least three official Squad functions per quarter of the calendar
year, as well as two training exercises per six months of the
calendar year.
Reserve: Members who wish to remain on reserve status must attend at
least one official Squad function per quarter of the calendar year
as well as one training exercise per six months of the calendar
year.
Laws that are still on the books
At
the Paiute Indian
Reservation in California, a mother-in-law
is prohibited from spending more than 30 days a year visiting her
kids.
Kids in Kalispell, Montana, must have a note from the doctor in
order to buy a lollipop or candy bar while church services are in
session.
Although there are no R and X ratings for Ma Bell, in Blue Earth ,
Minnesota, it’s against the law for children under 12 to talk on the
telephone unless accompanied by a parent.
Business Cards for Active Members
All active members
are permitted to have business cards with your SAR info on them. If
you do not have them yet, or if you have used up the ones you had,
contact Mike Taylor to place your order. They are nice to have when
you are doing any Squad activities, and the best part is they are
free. A common use for them is to hand out to family members of the
search/rescue subject.
Email
miket@trsar.org or call 978-8009.
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.
Greg's Musings
Sorry! I don't know what's wrong with
me... I just had to do it again.
Greg 521
Click on the link below...
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/CuLH0TMhXXOmBOpa
Other
SAR News
Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more
rescues than at any other park. Hikers who come prepared with
snacks and water and who pace themselves fare the best.
By Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press Writer GRAND CANYON
NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. -
Frank Poole worked out at a gym and hiked around his Mississippi
home carrying a weighted pack for months in preparation for his
trip to the Grand Canyon.
But it wasn't long after Poole started hiking on a popular Grand
Canyon trail that he was struggling to breathe. Several hours
later, he was in a northern Arizona hospital, where doctors
determined the 75-year-old Poole had suffered a heart attack.
"I never suspected I was having a heart attack," Poole said
recently from his home in Oxford, Miss. "I just thought it was
the heat and extra exertion, the altitude and things like that.
I was just so naive."
At the Flagstaff Medical Center - northern Arizona's only Level
I trauma center, and the place where Poole was treated -
officials have a name for the spring and summer months when many
tourists travel to the canyon. They call it "Grand Canyon
Season."
Emergency workers at the park and hospital officials know
they'll start seeing more people with injuries or those who,
like Poole, didn't know they had underlying health conditions
that surfaced during the strenuous hikes at the canyon.
The canyon lures millions of people each year with its colorful
landscape, immense size, and
awe-inspiring geology. But it presents obstacles that can leave
even experienced hikers emerging sore and fatigued, including
scorching heat during summer months, an altitude of 7,000 feet,
and steep, rocky, winding trails.
"There's a million ways you can hurt yourself down there," said
Lon Ayers, who works in the park's backcountry office.
The last few weeks have illustrated that.
In late April, an Ohio man fell 60 feet when he was peering over
the edge of the canyon and lost his balance. Two days later, two
teenagers and a young man who were swimming in the Colorado
River at the bottom of the canyon were swept away and drowned.
Another injury occurred when a mule lost its footing on a trail,
fell and rolled over the passenger it was carrying.
Falls, fatigue, extreme temperatures and horseplay at national
parks around the country lead to nearly 3,600 search and rescue
operations each year, according to 2007 figures. The park
service also responds to 16,000 emergency medical calls a year
for anything from abrasions to twisted ankles, heat stroke and
cardiac arrest, said Dean Ross, NPS branch chief of emergency
services in Washington, D.C.
Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more rescues than at any
other park, including 300 helicopter rescues a year, said Ross.
People who come prepared, bringing plenty of snacks and water,
and who pace themselves and listen to their bodies fare the
best.
"Don't be afraid to try it, (but) take it easy," said Dave
Florence of Green Bay, Wis., who recently completed a 40-mile,
five-day hike at the canyon.
But hikers don't always heed warnings from rangers and on signs
posted around the canyon.
Allan Widener of Louisville, recently took the Bright Angel
trail just off the canyon's South Rim. After a park staff member
strongly recommended that Widener not head down without water,
the hiker quipped that, "I don't drink water, I drink Coke."
On the way back from his 1 1/2 mile hike, leaning against the
canyon wall in a shady spot, the 48-year-old said he wished he'd
had something to drink.
Park rangers say they generally encounter three types of people
hiking in the canyon. There are the strong-headed ones, usually
in their teens and 20s who have an invincibility complex and
will go against recommendations. Others are excited and
unprepared but willing to change plans if needed.
Then there are people like Albert Shank, who are prepared and
generally stick to plans they've made, but sometimes get in
trouble because of circumstance or because they made a bad
decision, said Marc Yeston, deputy chief ranger.
Shank was about 28 miles into what was supposed to be a 42-mile
rim-to-rim run in April when his legs started cramping and his
body refused to keep down any food or water. He nearly collapsed
on a park bench and spent several hours having saline pumped
into his body before he was able to walk out of the canyon.
The Arizona State University faculty associate, who often runs
distances longer than marathons, had plenty of water, energy
bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but not enough
electrolytes or salty food.
"That was a rookie mistake, and I'm not a rookie," he said. "I
learned that no matter how good of shape you're in, the canyon
is something you need to respect, and dehydration will take you
down."
What can be deceiving at the Grand Canyon is that the
temperature at the South Rim, where 90% of all visitors go, is
about 20 degrees cooler than at the bottom. And while most
trails lead hikers up a mountain before the downward descent,
it's the opposite at the Grand Canyon.
"It's a unique set of circumstances," Ayers said. "People from
all over the world need to at least hear it from somebody on
what to expect. People who have never hiked the Grand Canyon
before expect it to be a walk in the park."
Some hikers do undertake extraordinary preparations. But other
times, rangers say they aren't sure what people were thinking.
They've seen a man in a business suit carrying a briefcase full
of water bottles, a man playing a tuba and people hiking without
shoes or in flip-flops.
"It all stems from a lack of preplanning and knowledge of these
trails," said Ian Buchanan, a seasonal park worker who advises
people on smart hiking. "A lot of people get the sense that it's
Disneyland when it's an environmental park."
This time of year, 30% of the heart patients at Flagstaff
Medical Center are brought in from the canyon with conditions
such as valve and rhythm problems, and heart disease and
blockages.
Since the hospital started its open heart surgery program in
2004, there has been at least one month where all heart attack
patients came from the Grand Canyon, said Gigi Sorenson, the
hospital's cardiopulmonary services director.
"You just get used to it," she said. "And now when tourist
season kicks in, you just start to expect when they call and say
they're coming from the canyon."
Poole, who had three clogged arteries, was the hospital's first
open heart surgery patient after his heart attack at the canyon
in 2004. He said his general good health, the exercise he did in
preparing for his trip and willingness to seek help spared him
from a more serious problem.
He hasn't had any complications with his heart since the
surgery. "My heart's in good shape now," he said.
|
Study: Park Service averages 11
searches per day
By MIKE STARK (AP)
SALT LAKE CITY — The ripest recipe for trouble in a national
park? Young men hiking on a weekend who make a bad decision or
two and end up hurt, exhausted or lost.
On average, 11 search-and-rescue operations are launched in
national parks every day. While expenses average around $900,
the price can easily jump into the thousands of dollars,
according to a new analysis of search-and-rescue operations over
15 years.
Travis Heggie, an assistant professor at the University of North
Dakota who headed up the study, also found that roughly 20
percent of the people who called for help likely would have died
if they had not been rescued.
Nearly half of the calls for help are for hikers, often for the
day, who are caught unprepared, get hurt or sick, or
underestimate the wild landscape.
"They're coming into what they perceive is a safe environment,"
said Heggie, a former ranger who once worked on a park service
risk management program.
The results are similar to an analysis published earlier this
year of national parks in Utah, which found young male day
hikers were among those most likely to need rescuing.
In recent days, rescuers helped a father and son whose
ultralight plane crashed in Utah's Zion National Park, pulled
three teenagers and one of the boy's mother from a cliff face at
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the Utah-Arizona border
and launched four separate searches over two days for missing
hunters and hikers in Arkansas' Buffalo National River area.
Heggie's study, published in the latest issue of the journal
Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, was an attempt to
quantify the "untold story" of national parks' search-and-rescue
operations and see how much they cost. He found more than 65,000
operations in 1992-2007 with expenses exceeding $58 million.
The study also said that in 2005, half of the operations were in
just five spots: Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, New
York's Gateway National Recreation Area, California's Yosemite
National Park, Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park and
Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The costs vary widely depending on the rescue's difficulty, the
terrain and the equipment necessary, he said. In Yosemite, for
instance, costs exceeded $1.2 million in 2005 while Zion spent
about $139,000.
Individual parks pay for operations that cost $500 or less,
while regional or national offices pick up higher tabs.
"We can't really turn a rotor on an aircraft and not spend over
$500," said Dean Ross, branch chief of emergency services for
the National Park Service.
In recent years, the park service has pushed more aggressively
to educate visitors about safely traveling in the parks and the
importance of understanding where they're going and bringing
adequate water and gear.
More difficult, Ross said, is getting people to make the right
judgment call when conditions change or they're going into an
unfamiliar situation.
After someone is rescued, "you'd be surprised how many say, 'I
knew that was going to be a bad idea,' " Ross said.
In a typical year, rescues include people stranded on cliffs,
desert dunes, mountaintops and in the water of manmade
reservoirs. Some parks have full-time rescue teams while others
rely on park staff with other jobs who have rescue training.
In 2007, $4.7 million was spent in national parks across the
country looking for lost, stranded or injured visitors,
according to Park Service figures. More than 97 percent of
searches were successful within 24 hours.
Heggie said that, behind hikers, boaters are the most likely to
need rescuing, with many of the cases involving alcohol.
After high-profile operations, there's often a debate over
whether people should be billed for being plucked from the
wilderness. The park service doesn't seek reimbursement, partly
because it might discourage people from calling for help when
they need it.
The national park system has 391 sites around the country and
attracted about 274 million visits last year.
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