There's a little training exercise planned for the new members who are just finishing Coconino County's Basic SAR Academy. Their pagers will go off tomorrow—not tellin' when—just like it's a real mission. They'll respond to the SAR building, sign in, sign out radios, load gear, and respond to Incident Command, which will be at the Kachina Trail parking area up on the peaks.
And who will they be lookin' for? Why, li'l ol' me and my teammate, Joe. We'll be sitting out there, all bundled up (it's supposed to be cold and windy, and we'll be at an elevation of over 10,000 feet) with goodies to keep us warm and occupied. We'll bring books and dinner too, because who knows how long we'll be waiting to be found. We'll also have radios so we can eavesdrop on the searchers' progress.
When they eventually find us, one of us is going to require a litter carry. Joe and I will draw straws, arm wrestle, and fight about who gets to be the injured one, but I sure hope I win. I've been a fake patient before, and riding in that litter makes me feel rather icky (meaning nauseous).
This whole mock SAR mission is dependent on the fact that no real mission takes precedence. It's been vewwy, vewwy quiet for a while. In fact, when I returned from a recent trip to Colorado, I was surprised to find I hadn't missed any missions while I was gone. Hm, makes me think the elk poo is about to hit the fan.
These are my stories as a volunteer member of the Sheriff's Search and Rescue team in Coconino County, Arizona. I'll share what it's like to go from a beginner with a lot to learn to an experienced and, hopefully, valuable member of the team, as well as the missions, training, and other activities along the way.
