The International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) 2009

If you are interested in broken gear, and a series of differential equations that can explain the dynamic events that lead up to the breaking of the gear, then ITRS is for you. For three days in November each year, rope rescue practicioners from around the world converge in a conference room to present, argue, and discuss the finer points of rope rescue. While much of the audience is involved in wilderness rescue, representatives from many organizations and jurisdictions fill the room.

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Tom Harrison Maps UTM Reader

Larry Reinhart from San Gorgonio SAR recently shared a UTM reader that is useful for the popular Tom Harrison 1:4750 maps. As with the other readers, I recommend printing on overhead transparency media then laminating them. 

As mentioned at the last IESARC meeting, please send any forms or other tools that you find helpful in your SAR efforts. I post them in the "Documents" section of the website.

Update on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 10:43 by Jeff Lehman

Larry has updated the file to contain readers for most of the popular map scales in this series of maps. The file now contains readers for the San Jacinto, Angeles, Baldy, and Whitney regions in addition to the San Gorgonio region.

Director's Dialogue November 2009

On behalf of the entire IESARC Board of Directors, Frank Kams, Christine Stuehrmann, Dave Northrop, Mike Ward and myself, we would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope that all of you have the opportunity to spend a great day with your loved ones, your family and friends. There are a few things coming up this month that I want to let you in on….if you have not already received notification.

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SAR City Keynote Address Highlights Yosemite Challenges

Almost 300 participants at the 38th annual SAR City rescue conference were treated to a stellar presentation by Ranger Paul Doherty, Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) GIS Specialist.  Paul is unique in the National Park Service as being the only full-time dedicated GIS Specialist and Law Enforcement Ranger specifically hired to map search and rescue operations. He gave a wonderful overview of one of the most unforgiving areas in the country, where a mistake can prove to be deadly. YOSAR received a Special Achievement in GIS award during the recent ESRI International Users Conference held in San Diego last July for their innovative use of geospatial technologies to help save lives. This is the first time that a SAR team has been honored with that distinction. The SAR City audience was quite impressed how YOSAR's digital mapping capabilities is making a difference. Perhaps this will spark an interest to better utilize our own Mobile Mapping Unit whenever there is a need.

SAR City Keynote Address

Escaping the Belay

Scenario: Two SAR members, Slippery Sam and Shuffling Sue, have been given an assignment to search some dangerous slopes on the flanks of Mt. Baldy in January. The area is treacherous. The snow is very hard packed and slippery. They make the decision to travel while roped up. They each tie into the dynamic rope using a Kiwi coil. They dress in the appropriate attire including ice axe and crampons. Off they go. However Sam, true to his name, slips. He bashes a few “targets” on his giant slide down the mountain resulting in being knocked out. Quickly the rope tension is transferred to Sue, she catches Sam’s fall as she hits the snow, digs in and waits for the inevitable huge tug on the rope. Her style is impeccable. She plants the ice axe pick into the hard snow and holds the fall. Sue is now pinned to the snow, holding Sam who is dangling, unconscious, over a precipitous cliff. Her weight is being used while lifting up on the ice axe shaft to lever her pick deeply into the snow. Now what does she do?

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40-K Locates and Extracts Lost Hiker

This evening, RIM SAR responded to a call for a search for a lost hiker near The Pinnacles northwest of Lake Arrowhead. At first, it was thought to be too windy for 40-K to fly, but while 15 members of the team were enroute, the hiker was found and extracted by the helicopter.

RIM SAR Passes Technical Rope Evaluation

Congratulations to RIM SAR, who successfully passed their rope re-certification on Sunday, October 25. To maintain rope rescue status, teams must pass a certification every two years. The certification process is comprehensive, and includes a gear check as well as a rescue scenario. Members of the Rope Rescue Oversight Committee (RROC) are the evaluators, and they look for a safe and efficient process.  RROC is composed of two members from each rope-certified team. Currently there are five rope-certified teams in San Bernardino County: The Cave & Technical Rescue Team, Rim of the World SAR, San Gorgonio SAR, West Valley SAR, and Wrightwood/Phelan SAR.

BMC Rules Change

Our Basic Mountaineering Course is coming up. The lecture portion is November 21-22, 2009. Any SAR member can attend it. However the rules have changed to take the full course. All students must be certified in Personal Vertical Skills (PVS) before taking the field weekend, January 23-24, 2010. Thus individuals can take the lecture portion on November 21-22, 2009 while learning PVS.

For more information please email Sonny Lawrence, Cave and Technical Rescue Team:   canyonear AT gmail DOT com or call at 909-255-6036.

Director's Dialogue October 2009

As promised in the last issue of the Directors Dialogue, September was a very busy month for all of our SAR members and their units.

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Rim SAR Retrieves Missing Hiker on the PCT (9/27/09)

The call came about 1830 Sunday evening that a 67-year-old experienced hiker was missing. He was last seen at the bridge crossing Deep Creek near Splinter’s cabin. He and two companions had planned to hike the Pacific Crest Trail using a car shuttle from Fawnskin to Splinter’s Cabin. He apparently missed the turn-off to the cabin and continued on down the PCT. He was described as wearing a blue bandana, red T-shirt, blue shorts and white running shoes (did I say that his hiking companions were female?) When have you ever had such a complete and accurate description of a hiking ensemble from a male companion? The search planning seemed easy enough the question was how far to extend the coverage, Devil’s Hole, Bradford Ridge Path, the spillway? 40 King was also called the same time as us and was able to locate the subject on the PCT near a bridge. It sounded like it would be the bridge near Devil’s Hole but the possibility of the bridge beyond the Hot Springs was a possibility also. When 40 King mentioned that there was a road near him the Devil’s Hole location seemed the best.

The subject was advised to stay put and that help would be on the way. The team sent to Devil’s Hole found the subject in about 5 minutes with the report that the subject decided not to stay put. It did make the search quicker but we were glad that he didn’t get passed the road and heading all the way back to Splinter’s Cabin. This is the second call out this year in the same location and for the same reason. Seems like a sign indicating the way to Splinter’s Cabin might be helpful.