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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Pictures
  • Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:21:15 -0700

We had a big kerfuffle within the New Mexico SAR community recently. A
dramatic search and rescue was made of a family trapped in their car.
While driving a NM highway in whiteout blizzard conditions, they slid off
the road into a ditch where the car was soon buried under 4 feet of snow
and they became trapped inside. They made a cell phone call for help,
and were located by SAR volunteers who searched a few miles of ditch with
avalance probes. This was a day-and-night search; the car was found at
3am.

A photo of the car window down in a hole in the snow was given by a SAR
responder to the family. The family passed it on to a reporter. The
story was picked up nationwide and many media outlets contacted NMSP PIO
and NMSARC PIO to request the photo or more information about the photo.
Neither PIO knew at the time who was the source of the photo.

You can see the photo in question all over the web, including here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/texas-family-rescued-from_0_n_1167788.html

Volunteer SAR responders are not mentioned specifically in most of the
news stories. We work under the state police and often only that agency
is mentioned. Incident Commander of this SAR mission was Nate Lay, who
works for Philmont Scout Ranch and volunteers for SAR both as a member
of Philmont SAR and as a NM SAR individual resource.

Una Smith
New Mexico

PS: A modern avalanche probe resembles a collapsible tent pole. In a
pinch you could use a tent pole. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalanche_rescue#Probes





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