Search and rescue teams are the backbone of outdoor adventures across the US, taking injured hikers or skiers off mountains, searching for people lost in the mountains, recovering avalanche victims.
The job is never-ending. SAR team members are on call all day, all week. They have jobs. They train continually for rescues, although Covid-19 has halted training for some SAR teams.
And Covid has led to more people in the backcountry, especially people who aren’t prepared physically or mentally. SAR teams in California, North Carolina, and New Jersey all report an increase in backcountry calls for injured hikers, according to the Mountain Rescue Association, an umbrella group for more than 90 rescue teams nationwide.
Then there are the financial and emotional costs. Many team members buy their own gear and pay for their gas to drive to rescue sites. Carrying a body off a mountain can be emotionally difficult.
Backpacking Routes spoke with members of SAR teams in Colorado, Idaho, and New Hampshire. Their responses follow.
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit
Boise, Idaho
Scotty Perkins, Public Relations Director
What skills does it take to be on an SAR team? Do you look for specific expertise such as medical training, skiing, rock climbing, or something else?
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit is an all-volunteer unit, and has been since its founding more than 60 years ago. We don’t require any special skills, just a willingness to learn and serve. We have members who also possess special skills. We have former and current Special Forces medics, physicians/nurses, and EMT/paramedics (I am a certified Wilderness and tactical EMT and volunteer with a local ambulance agency.) We also have special teams within the unit where we train certain skills, such as high-angle technical rescue, human tracking, drone piloting, etc. We also have a K9 team that many agencies around the state rely on. The only condition of membership is passing a background check administered by the Idaho State Patrol.
Do you have specific teams for certain rescues?
We do have specialty teams as mentioned above, depending on the conditions and requirements of the mission. The Tech Team, which requires very special skills and manages our high-angle rescues, is a good example of that. Our K9s and handlers are all certified as well. The structure of any given mission is managed by the Operations Leader on that specific mission and is determined in part by which members are available to respond to a given mission. When we receive a call for aid from one of the law enforcement or rescue agencies around the state, the unit’s paging system sends out a request for response to all members who are currently certified to respond to active missions, and each of us responds if we can.
How many hours a week, month, or year do volunteers put into your organization? How often during a week are volunteers on call? Is there a risk of volunteer burnout? How many volunteers does your organization have?
We have a 90-minute meeting each week, and 2-4 times a month we have classroom and field training that lasts up to two days. Combined we have approximately 70 live missions and training sessions throughout the year. Missions can last from several hours to several days.
Can you think of your most memorable rescue? Most difficult? Worst outcome rescue?
I’ve been fortunate to have been a direct part of several successful rescues, and I’m grateful for that. Last year we were able to rescue an ATV rider who lost control on a trail. He rolled down a steep hill a few dozen yards and there was no safe way to move him to higher ground, so the Idaho Army National Guard flew in and connected him to a hoist after we safely packaged him into a portable litter. He was safely flown to a nearby hospital and fully recovered. As you may have seen from recent news reports, three pilots from that same Army National Guard unit were killed in a training exercise two weeks ago. We were called to support the Guard and one of our partner SAR units on that search, which became a recovery after it was discovered that all three pilots had perished in the crash. It was a tragic day for Idaho and for the SAR community, as at least one of those pilots had been an integral part of one of our rescue missions in the past.
What do some of your volunteers do outside of SAR? Do volunteers pay for their gear, such as clothing, climbing gear, snowshoes, etc., used during rescues? Any other expenses, such as gas to drive to a rescue staging area?
We come from all walks of life: business, medicine, law enforcement. Some retirees, some outdoor enthusiasts. We all provide our own core gear (clothing, sleeping bag, pack, etc.) but the unit provides a uniform shirt. The unit has two dedicated vehicles and a base/communications trailer for missions and training. We also have sets of gear for specialty missions, including medical, climbing and high-angle rescue gear, swiftwater gear, and snow/avalanche gear. For those mission-specific expenses we incur, such as fuel, we submit those to the state for reimbursement. The rest is covered in the annual budget, the revenues for which come through donations and member dues.
How has Covid-19 affected your organization in the past year? Are you seeing more people outdoors, and perhaps some of them not prepared for what they’re trying to do? Has training been curtailed because of the risk of gathering in large groups? How about precautions when treating someone who you have to assume could have Covid?
We have continued our training and meeting schedules through a combination of mask protocol, social distancing, and remote meetings and training where appropriate. We took the position that it was unacceptable for our unit to not maintain the top level of mission readiness and adjusted the procedures in response to Covid appropriately. It has certainly been the case that there are more people exploring the outdoors, but on balance 2020 was a relatively representative year for us regarding mission activity.
Finally, if there is one piece of advice you could give to people heading outdoors, what would it be?
The one piece of advice we always offer is for people to consider what could go wrong when they explore the outdoors and have a plan for those key situations. Start by telling someone where you’re going, what route you intend to take, and when you should be expected back. Knowing where to start a search and in which direction to prioritize could save hours and make all the difference. Next, consider what you would do if you had a medical issue and couldn’t make it back to safety on your own. How would you let someone know you were injured in the backcountry? What first aid skills could you learn and basic tools to take with you? If you needed to be out late or in bad weather, how would you stay warm and meet your basic needs?
Mountain Rescue Service
North Conway, New Hampshire
Michael Chert, team member
What skills does it take to be on an SAR team? Do you look for specific expertise such as medical training, skiing, rock climbing, or something else?
For Mountain Rescue Service, team members must be Wilderness First Responders or EMTs and have AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) avalanche certifications. Most team members also have American Mountain Guide Association training and technical rescue training. Less concretely, team members must be fast in the mountains and adroit on rock, ice, and snow. All must live within striking distance of the White Mountains. We are often out for 12 hours in the middle of the night and it’s important to know and trust one another.
Do you have specific teams for certain rescues?
MRS handles technical climbing rescues and winter above-treeline rescues, though we often work in conjunction with other area rescue teams, and are sometimes called in to assist with carryouts if New Hampshire Fish and Game needs extra hands. There are no specific team divisions. You never know who is going to show up!
How many hours a week, month, or year do volunteers put into your organization? How often during a week are volunteers on call? Is there a risk of volunteer burnout? How many volunteers does your organization have?
We have about 45 volunteers; team members must put in 16 hours of volunteer time a year, though many put in far more. As for burnout? As volunteers, we can always opt out of going on a rescue. We can be called any time, all year, but again, we are not obligated to show up.
Can you think of your most memorable rescue? Most difficult? Worst outcome rescue?
It’s hard for me to speak to any one rescue and most of them are far less exciting than they sound. I find the most rewarding rescues to be searches or bad accidents when everyone is found and ends up OK. It’s reinforcement that our training and experience works. The reward is seeing people who have been lost or injured out climbing, hiking, or skiing again—then it feels like we’re giving something back to the community. We’re just volunteers and part of a bigger picture. We try to do what is asked of us safely and quickly.
What do some of your volunteers do outside of SAR? Do volunteers pay for their gear, such as clothing, climbing gear, snowshoes, etc., used during rescues? Any other expenses, such as gas to drive to a rescue staging area?
Most are climbing guides, or once worked as guides. In addition to IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations) guides, we’ve got carpenters, writers, photographers, teachers, masons, salespeople, nonprofit managers, Forest Service employees, painters, nurses—it’s a broad range of skills and backgrounds, with climbing as the concurrent thread. All of us already have too much climbing gear. Other more specific equipment is donated by funding from grants. The organization pays for specific rescue gear, like static ropes and litters, and any kit that’s been lost or damaged on a rescue. Gas is reimbursed by NH Fish and Game. We’ve gotten free pizza a handful of times and that’s great.
How has Covid-19 affected your organization in the past year? Are you seeing more people outdoors, and perhaps some of them not prepared for what they’re trying to do? Has training been curtailed because of the risk of gathering in large groups? How about precautions when treating someone who you have to assume could have Covid?
I cannot speak to concrete numbers on an uptick in recreation. Nor can I ascribe lack of preparedness directly to Covid-19. We are making necessary steps to protect ourselves. For our part, we assume all our patients have Covid and we act accordingly, following state and CDC guidelines for first responders. Our training and meetings are now virtual and/or socially distanced.
Finally, if there is one piece of advice you could give to people heading outdoors, what would it be?
Buy a Hike Safe card—it’s a good idea and helps fund the Fish and Game—but remember there’s no helicopter on speed dial. If you call for help, it’s usually five to eight hours away, so prepare accordingly and please consider the rescuers are volunteers doing their best with what they have.
Alpine Rescue Team
Evergreen, Colorado
Howard Paul, PIO and Preventive SAR Coordinator
What skills does it take to be on an SAR team? Do you look for specific expertise such as medical training, skiing, rock climbing, or something else?
Alpine Rescue Team volunteers have a smattering of skills, Howard Paul, Public Information Officer for Alpine Rescue, said in a phone interview. Some might be exceptionally skilled in climbing, skiing, or using a snowmobile, but everyone can do whatever is needed during a rescue. Training helps volunteers develop the broad skills they need.
Do you have specific teams for certain rescues?
Alpine Rescue relies on whoever responds to an emergency call to be able to handle any situation in the backcountry. Some of the 52 SAR organizations in Colorado have specialty units, but most follow Alpine Rescue’s format for volunteers. And Alpine Rescue calls on the Flight for Life air medical transport to carry injured people from the backcountry. The Colorado Air National Guard provides high altitude transport and larger helicopters that can carry more people who might be needed for rescues in the backcountry. But the helicopters are used sparingly, Paul says.
How many hours a week, month, or year do volunteers put into your organization? How often during a week are volunteers on call? Is there a risk of volunteer burnout? How many volunteers does your organization have?
“It is a very significant time commitment,” Paul says. Alpine Rescue typically has 70 to 90 volunteers, with 120 to 140 field missions a year that are generally divided about equally between rescues and searches. Volunteers respond to rescues when they can, and in the past few years turnout has been down. But enough people still respond to carry out a rescue, Paul says. The team averages 7,000 total volunteer hours per year in field missions, and at least twice that amount in volunteer training hours. New volunteers go through 12 to 13 classroom training sessions and five to seven field trainings before they start participating with the rest of the team. After an evaluation period lasting as long as five months, those who meet the requirements are eligible to be voted on by the team to become active field members. And burnout—or compassion fatigue—is real, Paul says. “You separate yourself” from the bad outcomes, Paul says. “But that can have a long-term effect.” Paul says that in the past SAR members continued on without acknowledging they were having difficulty, but within the past decade Alpine Rescue has made counselors available to help people struggling after a tragic rescue. Counselors attended team meetings when they were being held to help the group work through difficulties. Paul says team members also watch out for each other to help in difficult times.
Can you think of your most memorable rescue? Most difficult? Worst outcome rescue?
“Fortunately, the bad outcomes are greatly outnumbered,” Paul says. Avalanches are always a concern, and the 2020-21 season is shaping up as a bad one. Ten people have died in avalanches in Colorado this winter; the average number is six. Alpine Rescue, along with other teams, recovered the body of a snowboarder killed in an avalanche on Feb. 14.
What do some of your volunteers do outside of SAR? Do volunteers pay for their gear, such as clothing, climbing gear, snowshoes, etc., used during rescues? Any other expenses, such as gas to drive to a rescue staging area?
Volunteers can spend as much as $1,000 for supplies, such as mountaineering boots (per weather season), team jacket, snow travel and safety equipment, helmet, climbing harness, etc. This does not include the fuel use in personal vehicles to attend training sessions and respond to missions. Because the team responds in three counties, a typical drive to a rescue staging area is one hour. Volunteers pay for their gas, as well as absorbing the costs of added miles to their vehicles.
How has Covid-19 affected your organization in the past year? Are you seeing more people outdoors, and perhaps some of them not prepared for what they’re trying to do? Has training been curtailed because of the risk of gathering in large groups? How about precautions when treating someone who you have to assume could have Covid?
Alpine Rescue canceled all training and group meetings early on in the pandemic, resumed some training on a limited basis when Covid seemed to be easing, and now is back to all training and group meetings canceled. Smaller teams of four to five go into the backcountry for rescues, and volunteers wear masks and gloves when treating an injured person. The injured person is also given a mask to wear. Paul says the smaller rescue units have made Alpine Rescue recognize that small groups can work efficiently for rescues. And backcountry use has increased, with trailhead parking lots overflowing. But overall, the number of missions has not increased substantially, Paul says.
Finally, if there is one piece of advice you could give to people heading outdoors, what would it be?
Paul says more people seem to be going into the backcountry without enough preparation. The internet has provided a forum for people to read about outdoor adventures and meet up with people to climb, hike, or ski together. The result is that people go into the backcountry without being fully aware of the skills needed, or the skill level of their partner. One measure Alpine Rescue takes during the pandemic is to stock cards at trailheads that backcountry users can fill out with essential information and leave on the dashboards of their cars.
Featured photo courtesy of Alpine Rescue Team
