Search and rescue: Volunteers save the day

[Iceaxe]

Search and rescue: Volunteers save the day
Majority of rescues occur because people fail to plan ahead, recognize their limits
By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune


BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON - Keith Sauter's 30-pound backpack filled with ropes, water and equipment hung snug on his shoulders as he huffed up the steep shale trail of Stairs Gulch to reach the bloodied climber.

Not far above Sauter, the leader of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue team, a 56-year-old man had fallen 30 feet while rappelling, slamming into the face of a cliff wall. The bones in his right arm were shattered, his leg was scraped and blood crusted in one eye from a gash on his head.

At the toe of the cliff, Sauter joined team members and paramedics talking to the man and checking his vital signs. Members of the team discussed logistics, helped move the hiker to a special stretcher and lowered him by hand and rope down to a medical helicopter.

Utahns have come to rely heavily upon largely volunteer search-and-rescue crews who conduct about 520 missions each year on average. Summer searches for hikers far outnumber other types of operations, but nearly everyone in need of rescuing has broken at least one of a few cardinal rules for a safe outing.

The June 6 rescue took about two hours and ended as a rescuer hooked the injured man's stretcher to a helicopter cable and he was hoisted hundreds of feet above the canyon floor.

"That's a pretty typical thing," said Sauter, 46, after returning back down to the command post to talk about the successes and challenges of the rescue.

Salt Lake, Grand and Utah counties have accounted for nearly half of all search-and-rescue missions in the state in the past decade. Utah County search-and-rescue Sgt. Tom Hodgson said the majority of people who need assistance:

-- Don't familiarize themselves with the area they are going to and fail to pack enough food, water and extra clothing.

-- Don't tell someone where they are going and when they will return.

-- Extend themselves beyond their outdoor abilities and end up lost or injured.

The locations where people most frequently wind up getting lost are often the most easily accessible, said Hodgson. Utah County's team frequently responds to Provo Canyon's Alpine Loop and Aspen Grove.

"A lot of people know about those particular areas," Hodgson said.

Another frequent rescue location in the county is Utah Lake, where many emergencies involve stranded boaters lost after dark.

Last week, a call came in to help find a lost boater who jumped into the lake to retrieve a paddle and never resurfaced. On Tuesday, the body of 25-year-old Craig Decker floated to the surface and was recovered after four long days of searching. His family hailed the persistence of the rescue team.

Utah County search-and-rescue Lt. Dave Bennett said some members of his team have been volunteering for as long as 30 years. They don't get paid. Their compensation comes from giving back to the outdoor community and helping others, he said.

"They're just really dedicated people," Bennett said. "I don't know how we could do it without volunteers."

The 20 members of Salt Lake County's volunteer team routinely respond in the summer to reports of lost, injured or missing hikers across the Wasatch Mountains. They are called mostly to Big Cottonwood Canyon.

On June 28, the canyon had its first hiking fatality of 2008. The team discovered Christina Traylor, 19, of Herriman, at the base of a cliff near Moss Ledge. She had fallen 100 feet after getting separated from her group.

It's not uncommon for people to mistake the mountains ofalong the Wasatch Front for safer, familiar terrain rather than a potentially dangerous wilderness area, Sauter said. Even if they are experienced hikers.

Kim Bake, 24, of Salt Lake City summited Mount Olympus last year, but had to call for help this year when she got stuck on the side of a cliff during her solo descent.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue Sgt. Travis Skinner coordinated the rescue operation and organized a command post below the mountain.

Bake had reached the peak of Mount Olympus about 11 a.m. on May 30. On the way down, she accidentally went too far east and off the trail. Bake got lost in some brush and then followed a stream before trying to return to the summit to re-locate the trail. But she never did. Because she was lost and had to backtrack, Bake ran out of water and food, hurt her knee falling on a boulder and was exhausted when she ended up stuck on the ledge. She called for help.

"I was just stuck and pooped," she said.

When the search-and-rescue team arrived shortly after 5 p.m., Skinner spoke with Bake by cell phone. He got her general location and fed the information to a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. But it all took time.

Skinner asked Bake several questions about her position and whether she was standing on rock, snowpack or dirt. She apparently saw the helicopter at one point and jumped up and down while waving her arms, but the crew couldn't see her.

But after about 20 minutes of searching, they were able to spot Bake. She was hoisted off the cliff about 7 p.m.

She had a big smile on her face, scratches on her leg and blood on a knee as the helicopter deposited her at the trail head parking lot. She was examined by medics.

"I'm fine," she said, a little embarrassed but relieved after the chilly ride off the mountain.

She then got in her car and drove away.

Hodgson said there can be a misconception that the person being rescued will have to pay for the help.

Counties can apply to the state for reimbursement through a fund overseen by the Utah Search and Rescue Advisory Board. The fund is supported by surcharges on hunting and fishing licenses and off-highway vehicle registrations or renewals.

Hodgson emphasized it is always best to call 911 for search and rescue in an emergency.

"We would rather get a call [and get canceled] than have people help themselves and compound the situation they are in," he said. "We would rather have a rescue than a recovery."

[Iceaxe]

Search and rescue: Staying safe outdoors
The Salt Lake Tribune

Before venturing into the outdoors, have the right supplies on hand:
- Map, compass and first aid kit
- Flashlight or head lamp
- Extra food, clothing, and water
- Sunglasses, sunscreen, and bug repellent
- Pocket knife
- Waterproof matches or firestarter
- Whistle

If you do get lost:
Stay calm. Try and remember how you got to your present location.
Stay on the trail. Use your map and compass.
Stay put if it is nightfall, of if you are injured or near exhaustion.
Pay close attention to your surroundings and location so you can direct a rescuer if needed.

[Deathcricket]

-- Extend themselves beyond their outdoor abilities and end up lost or injured.

Hasnt happened yet, but this is one of my worst fears. Having a GPS has helped a lot though. It's not so much I fear for my safety, I tend to know my limits. It's the embarrassment of having to be rescued, or making a wrong turn and being stuck with too short a rope to get down.

I always hear these stories and think "man they are soo stupid they should have "xxxx" or "yyyyy". Like the guy who jumped in the whirlpool trying to retrieve his pack. Other times I read it and smile to myself and think "wow I wonder if I would have the brains in that situation and the presence of mind to do xxxx like he did". But to have to put myself under the mirror? No thanks.

[Iceaxe]

I enjoy reading stories of epics, survival and disasters... I always try to learn from them.

One common thing I have noticed is it's usually not one thing that "get's you".... but more a bunch of small problems that cascade into each other... you know the drill...

"The weather was iffy and we got a late start...."

[sparker1]

I enjoy reading stories of epics, survival and disasters... I always try to learn from them.

One common thing I have noticed is it's usually not one thing that "get's you".... but more a bunch of small problems that cascade into each other... you know the drill...

"The weather was iffy and we got a late start...."

Just watched a NG program about a train disaster. The NTSB guy says, "Most disasters are caused by a daisy chain of things going wrong. Break the chain in one link and the disaster is usually avoided."

[JP]

One common thing I have noticed is it's usually not one thing that "get's you".... but more a bunch of small problems that cascade into each other... you know the drill

Just watched a NG program about a train disaster. The NTSB guy says, "Most disasters are caused by a daisy chain of things going wrong. Break the chain in one link and the disaster is usually avoided."

I was watching something on the History Channel I believe, something on infrastructure disasters and such. It all showed that in most failures it was an accumulation of things that caused them to fail, or it was several things happening at one time, take away one of those things and the failure would never have happened.