On Wednesday night, May 18th, I was at home, cozy in my PJs and down booties as the winter-like temps in Flagstaff continued to drop after a day of freezing rain and snow. As my friend prepared to head out following our late dinner, I said, "I have a feeling it's a SAR call night." About an hour later, I texted him, "Yep, it's a SAR call night."
This would be a search in the Blue Ridge area for two overdue hikers who'd last been seen leaving their campsite at 1 p.m. earlier that day, unprepared for the cold, wet conditions. They weren't carrying any food, water, or gear other than possibly a lighter.
While 10 of us volunteers readied our gear to depart the SAR building, a second mission was brewing in the same general area, but that one was resolved before we'd finished briefing. Due to icy road conditions and numerous accidents in the area, we took the lower elevation route to our destination, towing ATVs and the Polaris Ranger. In the meantime, a team member who lives in Blue Ridge went directly to the subjects' campsite and met up with deputies and Forest Service personnel to begin searching. The weather conditions and lack of preparedness on the part of the missing hikers lent a sense of urgency to the mission. Hypothermia was a big concern, and they'd already been missing for eight hours.
When the rest of us reached the point last seen, which became our staging area, assignments were given and, two-by-two, we headed out to search. One of the teams included a K9 handler, her four area search dogs, and a backer to do the navigation, radio communication, and assist with searching while the handler worked her dogs. Another team of two took the UTV, and the rest of us went out on foot. My field partner and I were one of the teams carrying night vision goggles, and everyone had warm-up gear to help the subjects regardless of who would find them.
While no DPS helicopter was available—the Phoenix crew couldn't fly due to weather concerns, and there was no crew available from Flagstaff or Kingman—a Guardian medical helicopter came to assist with the search. They arrived on scene just as we were deploying into the field.
Not long after, my partner and I heard through the static on the radio that someone was hearing yelling. It was one of the searchers driving Forest Service roads, doing containment, who had heard the shouts. He and another volunteer in a different vehicle had been slowly driving a perimeter around the area, going in opposite directions and stopping often to make noise and then listen. The two of them had just passed one another on the road when one of them heard the voices.
Soon, two very cold, hungry, and thirsty hikers were inside the vehicle, warming up. A landing zone was located for the helicopter, and the subjects were driven to that location, where they were checked by the Guardian medic as a ground ambulance continued to their location to transport the two to Payson.
It was about 3 a.m. when the lost hikers were located, so they'd been out there for about 14 hours, during which time the rain and snow had resumed for a while. They'd apparently continued moving till around midnight, covering a pretty good distance and certainly more than they'd planned. Finally, they'd laid down between two logs, a short distance from the Forest Service road and not all that far from a highway, for what turned out to be a few more very uncomfortable, freezing cold hours.
At 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, I walked back into my house and once again changed into those cozy PJs and down booties as the wintry, wet weather continued.
See: Lost Hikers Rescued from Cold Conditions from the Arizona Daily Sun
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.
A Train Derailment, A Training Day, and a Trail Wreck
It was just a typical 24 hours (actually, more for some folks) in Search & Rescue ... not that much of anything about SAR is typical. You never know what you're going to see or hear when that email/text message/phone call comes in.
On Friday evening, May 13th, my phone beeped, and when I retrieved it from my pocket, "train derailment" were the words that popped out at me. Reading the full text message, I learned it was a freight train that had derailed north of Williams, Arizona, with a possible serious HAZMAT situation. Search and Rescue was requested to shuttle HAZMAT techs to the site over very rough roads. (See the location of the derailment on Google Maps.)
Six or eight SAR volunteers were needed but 15 called in to help. We loaded some equipment, including the Polaris Ranger UTV, and headed to the site, upwind of the derailment in case there were any noxious fumes coming from the HAZMAT materials. (Thanks to our Coordinator for thinking of that!)
Just after we turned off the highway, we saw several RVs. People were camping in the area for the spring season turkey hunt. But it wasn't a rafter of wild turkeys that gave them a rude awakening—it was a railroad crew with very big, very bright lights, which I assumed would be transported to the derailment to illuminate the area. Those lights were all on next to the RVs when search and rescue headed out. I guess they were testing them before hauling them in.
As it turned out, the "nasty" stuff on the train—a sodium hydroxide solution—was intact, so crews were able to make their way to the site of the 15-car derailment from the downwind side, which was passable for their vehicles. Apparently, it was corn syrup, concrete, and beer cars that had overturned. I heard that at least one car had gone over a 120-foot cliff. Wonder how that happened.
A few hours after the call-out, SAR members were headed back home.
The next day, it was training from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for me and the rest of the technical rescue team out at Volunteer Canyon, a few hundred feet deep at the end, where we were practicing tandem systems on either side of the canyon. (Wish I had photos for you, but my hands were pretty tied up most of the time. Here's a picture of the canyon, though, which looks like it was taken right where we were practicing.)
During one rotation, I was the subject and rappelled down to a ledge where I made myself comfortable (relatively speaking) and waited for a teammate to be lowered to pick me off. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed being suspended over a long way down.
Happily, the rather complex maneuver, with main and belay lines attached to the subject (me) and my rescuer from both rims, was a success, and the two of us were safely transplanted back on top. It was a productive day for the team and good to be back on the ropes after months of alpine training through the winter.
But the day wasn't quite done for some tech team members. As soon as we'd refueled the vehicles and then unloaded equipment back at the SAR building, our coordinator called, saying there had been a mountain bike accident on the Schultz Creek Trail. I was already late for another commitment so I couldn't respond, but several others quickly reloaded gear and headed to the scene. Coconino County Search & Rescue assisted Summit Fire and Guardian with what FlagScanner described on Twitter as "a very technical rescue of an injured adult female ... at the Schultz Creek Trailhead."
On Friday evening, May 13th, my phone beeped, and when I retrieved it from my pocket, "train derailment" were the words that popped out at me. Reading the full text message, I learned it was a freight train that had derailed north of Williams, Arizona, with a possible serious HAZMAT situation. Search and Rescue was requested to shuttle HAZMAT techs to the site over very rough roads. (See the location of the derailment on Google Maps.)
Six or eight SAR volunteers were needed but 15 called in to help. We loaded some equipment, including the Polaris Ranger UTV, and headed to the site, upwind of the derailment in case there were any noxious fumes coming from the HAZMAT materials. (Thanks to our Coordinator for thinking of that!)
Just after we turned off the highway, we saw several RVs. People were camping in the area for the spring season turkey hunt. But it wasn't a rafter of wild turkeys that gave them a rude awakening—it was a railroad crew with very big, very bright lights, which I assumed would be transported to the derailment to illuminate the area. Those lights were all on next to the RVs when search and rescue headed out. I guess they were testing them before hauling them in.
As it turned out, the "nasty" stuff on the train—a sodium hydroxide solution—was intact, so crews were able to make their way to the site of the 15-car derailment from the downwind side, which was passable for their vehicles. Apparently, it was corn syrup, concrete, and beer cars that had overturned. I heard that at least one car had gone over a 120-foot cliff. Wonder how that happened.
A few hours after the call-out, SAR members were headed back home.
The next day, it was training from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for me and the rest of the technical rescue team out at Volunteer Canyon, a few hundred feet deep at the end, where we were practicing tandem systems on either side of the canyon. (Wish I had photos for you, but my hands were pretty tied up most of the time. Here's a picture of the canyon, though, which looks like it was taken right where we were practicing.)
During one rotation, I was the subject and rappelled down to a ledge where I made myself comfortable (relatively speaking) and waited for a teammate to be lowered to pick me off. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed being suspended over a long way down.
Happily, the rather complex maneuver, with main and belay lines attached to the subject (me) and my rescuer from both rims, was a success, and the two of us were safely transplanted back on top. It was a productive day for the team and good to be back on the ropes after months of alpine training through the winter.
But the day wasn't quite done for some tech team members. As soon as we'd refueled the vehicles and then unloaded equipment back at the SAR building, our coordinator called, saying there had been a mountain bike accident on the Schultz Creek Trail. I was already late for another commitment so I couldn't respond, but several others quickly reloaded gear and headed to the scene. Coconino County Search & Rescue assisted Summit Fire and Guardian with what FlagScanner described on Twitter as "a very technical rescue of an injured adult female ... at the Schultz Creek Trailhead."
******
See the latest post from SAR Stories News: Search & Rescue Blogs and Mission Episodes / Also: Update on the Search for Abisha
More Lost Hikers Rescued on the Peaks
Last month, there were two groups of lost hikers on the San Francisco peaks, two nights in a row. The first group was very hypothermic when rescuers from Coconino County SAR arrived, and a teammate of mine told me he didn't think one (at least) would have survived the night. These hikers had all lost the trail and then darkness caught up with them. Good thing there's a cellphone signal up there.
At this time, the Mt. Humphreys Trail is still covered with snow in some sections and still quite deep with a lot of blowdowns, making it very difficult to follow. One of my teammates who was hiking up there recently and knows the mountain intimately helped another disoriented hiker make his way back down to the Arizona Snowbowl ski area, likely avoiding a search and rescue later that same day or night.
This past Monday night, there was another call for the rescue of yet another lost hiker on Mt. Humphreys. Using a GPS app on his phone, the Ohio man texted his coordinates to his wife back in Ohio, who then contacted Coconino County Sheriff's dispatch at around 5:30 p.m. Eight search and rescue volunteers were then dispatched to the coordinates and located the lost hiker. After helping him get warm, they escorted him down the mountain to his vehicle. He declined medical attention.
Please remember, if you're going to hike Mt. Humphreys, especially when the trail is in such "challenging" shape, carry extra layers of clothing, two light sources and extra batteries, food and plenty of water, a topographic map (Humphreys Peak Quad), a GPS (if you know how to use it), and a fully charged cellphone. Keep in mind that you'll be hiking at elevations ranging from 9,500 to 12,600 feet, which is a lot more difficult—and colder and often much windier—than hiking at sea level or even down in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet, so it will take you quite a bit longer.
For current trail conditions, contact the Coconino National Forest Ranger District at 1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001 or call 928-527-3600.
At this time, the Mt. Humphreys Trail is still covered with snow in some sections and still quite deep with a lot of blowdowns, making it very difficult to follow. One of my teammates who was hiking up there recently and knows the mountain intimately helped another disoriented hiker make his way back down to the Arizona Snowbowl ski area, likely avoiding a search and rescue later that same day or night.
This past Monday night, there was another call for the rescue of yet another lost hiker on Mt. Humphreys. Using a GPS app on his phone, the Ohio man texted his coordinates to his wife back in Ohio, who then contacted Coconino County Sheriff's dispatch at around 5:30 p.m. Eight search and rescue volunteers were then dispatched to the coordinates and located the lost hiker. After helping him get warm, they escorted him down the mountain to his vehicle. He declined medical attention.
Please remember, if you're going to hike Mt. Humphreys, especially when the trail is in such "challenging" shape, carry extra layers of clothing, two light sources and extra batteries, food and plenty of water, a topographic map (Humphreys Peak Quad), a GPS (if you know how to use it), and a fully charged cellphone. Keep in mind that you'll be hiking at elevations ranging from 9,500 to 12,600 feet, which is a lot more difficult—and colder and often much windier—than hiking at sea level or even down in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet, so it will take you quite a bit longer.
For current trail conditions, contact the Coconino National Forest Ranger District at 1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001 or call 928-527-3600.
*******
To follow up on the fundraiser for injured Coconino County Search and Rescue team member Scott Baker, held this past Saturday, I'm told more than $11,000 was raised for the Baker family on that day. Thank you to all who participated and helped make this event such a success!
Helping One of Our Own
In January, 2011, my teammate, Scott Baker, was injured in a construction accident, leaving him with spinal cord injuries and paralyzed from the waist down. As today's article in the Arizona Daily Sun says, "As a SAR volunteer, Baker spent 25 years never hesitating to get up in the middle of the night, whatever the weather, and go searching for lost or stranded people."
And I know this from firsthand experience working with Scott, who has been a great field partner to me on several missions, including one all-night search on Mt. Agassiz. It was well below zero on that winter night, when our hands would go numb the minute we'd remove our gloves to try to use our GPSes. We were struggling out there, snowshoeing through deep drifts for hours, but Scott always kept our spirits up.
In addition to being a "ground-pounder," Scott was also a member of our team's technical high-angle rescue unit.
Scott has also been a helper in ways other than his 25 years as a dedicated search and rescue volunteer. He was a 4-H parent for 10 years and helped children by maintaining equestrian equipment and a safe, happy place for kids to practice horsemanship. Scott's wife also volunteers, serving on several committees in the community.
This Saturday, the Summit Fire Department Auxiliary, the local firefighters' union, Coconino County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, and 4-H are coming together for a fundraiser at Coconino High School to help cover some of the costs associated with Scott's long-term rehabilitation down in Phoenix and other expenses not covered by insurance. Even the wheelchair alone costs $28,000. His family has been going to visit him every week down in the valley to learn how to help him when he comes home, which is scheduled for sometime next week.
Scott Baker Fundraiser
Saturday, May 7th, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m
Coconino High School, 2701 N. Izabel St.
Chili cook-off, cake auction and silent auction raffle
Cost: $25 for chili cook-off; $5 for six raffle tickets; $10 T-shirts; $10 to taste all the chili you want.
Information: Summit Fire Department at 526-9537
And I know this from firsthand experience working with Scott, who has been a great field partner to me on several missions, including one all-night search on Mt. Agassiz. It was well below zero on that winter night, when our hands would go numb the minute we'd remove our gloves to try to use our GPSes. We were struggling out there, snowshoeing through deep drifts for hours, but Scott always kept our spirits up.
In addition to being a "ground-pounder," Scott was also a member of our team's technical high-angle rescue unit.
Scott has also been a helper in ways other than his 25 years as a dedicated search and rescue volunteer. He was a 4-H parent for 10 years and helped children by maintaining equestrian equipment and a safe, happy place for kids to practice horsemanship. Scott's wife also volunteers, serving on several committees in the community.
This Saturday, the Summit Fire Department Auxiliary, the local firefighters' union, Coconino County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, and 4-H are coming together for a fundraiser at Coconino High School to help cover some of the costs associated with Scott's long-term rehabilitation down in Phoenix and other expenses not covered by insurance. Even the wheelchair alone costs $28,000. His family has been going to visit him every week down in the valley to learn how to help him when he comes home, which is scheduled for sometime next week.
Scott Baker Fundraiser
Saturday, May 7th, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m
Coconino High School, 2701 N. Izabel St.
Chili cook-off, cake auction and silent auction raffle
Cost: $25 for chili cook-off; $5 for six raffle tickets; $10 T-shirts; $10 to taste all the chili you want.
Information: Summit Fire Department at 526-9537
AZ K9 SARCON: Search and Rescue Dogs Come to Flagstaff
This year for the first time, the Arizona K9 SAR Conference was held here in Flagstaff, hosted by our own Coconino County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team. More than 50 dogs and their handlers came from around the state and other parts of the US to learn from expert instructors and from one another during this four-day event.
Classes included:
- Air Scent K-9 Fieldwork
- Trailing Dogs Fieldwork, Introduction to Scent Theory
- Scent Dynamics
- Forensics/Decomposition
- Human Remains Detection/Fieldwork
- Pheromonal Communications
- Helicopter Safety for Search and Rescue Canines
- ROC and Triangulation Techniques
- Field First Aid for K-9s
- Human Bone Identification
- Working K-9 Health Issues
I'm not a K9 handler, but I really enjoyed helping out with this conference for a couple of days, "getting lost" for the dogs to find, and at times just observing. I found the advice and tips the instructors gave the handlers fascinating, including suggestions for how to correct certain behaviors (both their own and the dogs'), overcome challenges, and build on the dogs' natural instincts.
Alerts, motivation, and rewards were often the focus during field work sessions, as well as training techniques and reading the dogs' signals. I loved watching the handlers communicate with their canine partners and especially enjoyed seeing the fun the dogs had. To them, searching is a game with a prize at the end.
As the "subject" of dozens of searches, I saw and felt lots of pink tongues and wet noses up close and personal and handled quite a few gooey toys and hotdogs.
This excited four-legged SAR volunteer has located me, run back to get Mom and lead her to his find...
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| The K9s came in all shapes and sizes. Isn't she a beauty? |
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| She may be little, but she's got a great nose and work ethic. |
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| Instructors, including Coco SAR's Cindy McArthur, worked one-on-one with dogs and handlers. |
Thank You, Coconino County Board of Supervisors
At our monthly general team meeting in April, Sheriff Bill Pribil announced that the Coconino County Board of Supervisors approved a $280K expenditure for completion of the administration area of our new Search & Rescue building. This will include offices, a kitchen, a conference room, municipal water, and bathrooms. (Yay! No more port-o-potty in the middle of winter! Changing into mission clothes in there was a real drag.)
The Sheriff said this funding is due to all the missions our team of volunteers responds to, including large incidents like the Schultz fire and resulting floods in the Timberline, Wapatki, and Doney Park areas.
Additional funds will be needed to complete parts of the bay area of the building where all of our equipment, SAR vehicles, and supplies are stored, including another bay door and the mezzanine. We're also hoping a technical rescue training area, including a climbing wall, will eventually be part of the facility.
The Sheriff's Department is also working on a plan to get the outside parking area paved before the monsoons so it won't be a mud pit again, with the hope that that project will be completed this summer.
Thanks again, Board of Supervisors!
The Sheriff said this funding is due to all the missions our team of volunteers responds to, including large incidents like the Schultz fire and resulting floods in the Timberline, Wapatki, and Doney Park areas.
Additional funds will be needed to complete parts of the bay area of the building where all of our equipment, SAR vehicles, and supplies are stored, including another bay door and the mezzanine. We're also hoping a technical rescue training area, including a climbing wall, will eventually be part of the facility.
The Sheriff's Department is also working on a plan to get the outside parking area paved before the monsoons so it won't be a mud pit again, with the hope that that project will be completed this summer.
Thanks again, Board of Supervisors!
My Third Arizona SAR Conference
Once again, it was a fun and informative long weekend. At this year's Arizona SAR Conference, held every 18 months in Heber, I helped teach the GPS courses. I also had time to attend a class.
In addition to the two all-day GPS classes, courses offered at this year's conference included:
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| AZ DPS Helicopter Class |
- Alternative Navigation
- Map & Compass
- Tracking
- Basic and Advanced ATV and UTV Operation classes
- New Search & Rescue Technology
- Swiftwater Awareness
- PLB/ELT Direction Finding
- Amateur Ham Radio
- Wilderness First Aid
- Search Area Segmentation
There was also a class about the AZ DPS helicopter, a demonstration by the USAF 305th Rescue Squadron, and a schedule of classes for those in Mounted Search & Rescue.
Among the awards given out at the conference were the Arizona SAR Team of the Year award, which went to Verde SAR from Yavapai County. And congratulations to my teammate, Art Pundt, for receiving SAR Volunteer of the Year!
Here are some more photos from the conference....
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| Art was the lead instructor for one of the GPS classes. |
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| Marty helps a student during the GPS class field exercise. |
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| Students plot waypoints on their maps, then enter them in their GPSes. |
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| Art helps a student during a GPS class. |
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| Our SAR coordinator for Coconino County presents Art with his award. |
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| Verde SAR accepts their SAR Team of the Year Award. |
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| Many different county SAR teams were represented at the conference. |
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| The Mounted SAR area, with all their horse trailers. |
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| USAF 305th Rescue Squadron |
SAR Guilt -- Two Missed Missions
It's been three and a half years since I joined the team. During most of that time, I rarely missed a mission, unless I was out of town or otherwise really tied up with something else. All told, I've put in more than 1,000 hours of mission time plus trainings, meetings, conferences, and other SAR events and activities.
These days, though, it's a little tougher for me to respond to call-outs due to my elderly mom's medical and mental health issues, with me being her primary caretaker, and other commitments I've had lately. The last several months have been quieter on the call-out front than most of my time with the unit, but I've had to miss a number of those missions. And it bothers me.
There was a call-out last night, in fact. The phone awakened me after I'd fallen asleep on the couch. I don't remember what time it was, but it was fairly late, and I was really tired. Contemplating, I listened to the call-out message, looked at the call-out text, and then read the call-out email. Should I go? I agonized for several minutes more, as I listened to wind whip around the house. Should I stay? What about the things I had to do in the morning? What if the mission weren't over by then? Even so, I might get little to no sleep before I'd have to take care of tomorrow's commitments. Finally, I decided, albeit reluctantly, not to respond. It was a call to search for two lost hikers on the peaks.
Missing this mission made me feel guilty, more so because I'd had to skip another one just the night before for two more lost hikers on the peaks. I don't know anything about either search because I haven't yet talked to any teammates who were on them, and I've seen nothing in the newspaper. I wonder what happened and how long the team was out there. Maybe it sounds silly, but it bugs me when I can't participate.
At 11:11 p.m., I'm wondering if there will be another call-out tonight. If so... I go!
These days, though, it's a little tougher for me to respond to call-outs due to my elderly mom's medical and mental health issues, with me being her primary caretaker, and other commitments I've had lately. The last several months have been quieter on the call-out front than most of my time with the unit, but I've had to miss a number of those missions. And it bothers me.
There was a call-out last night, in fact. The phone awakened me after I'd fallen asleep on the couch. I don't remember what time it was, but it was fairly late, and I was really tired. Contemplating, I listened to the call-out message, looked at the call-out text, and then read the call-out email. Should I go? I agonized for several minutes more, as I listened to wind whip around the house. Should I stay? What about the things I had to do in the morning? What if the mission weren't over by then? Even so, I might get little to no sleep before I'd have to take care of tomorrow's commitments. Finally, I decided, albeit reluctantly, not to respond. It was a call to search for two lost hikers on the peaks.
Missing this mission made me feel guilty, more so because I'd had to skip another one just the night before for two more lost hikers on the peaks. I don't know anything about either search because I haven't yet talked to any teammates who were on them, and I've seen nothing in the newspaper. I wonder what happened and how long the team was out there. Maybe it sounds silly, but it bugs me when I can't participate.
At 11:11 p.m., I'm wondering if there will be another call-out tonight. If so... I go!
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