Mounted search and rescue

["Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>]

Sorry for the confusion. We definitely address emergency medical services in Wilderness SAR, but not necessarily the same as SAR closer to civilization. Urban / Suburban / Rural SAR is notably closer to emergency services and other resources than the vast wilderness areas. Remote Wilderness SAR needs to be prepared to be more self-sufficient.  Distance / travel time is an issue for ambulance and helicopter response in remote areas, as are other emergency services, regardless if related to a SAR response. With very limited emergency services available for the vast wilderness region, and mutual aid public safety already stretched thin in the small pockets of population, we adapt. J

 

When teams in the field might be 10-20 miles – or further - from the nearest road, and notably further when terrain creates serious obstacles,  you tend to want more than basic First Aid training for the responders in the field. So in Wilderness SAR you often find medical First Responders or at least Wilderness First Aid as a minimum. It isn’t uncommon to have first response teams include multiple EMTs (or above) who would respond into / from the field. You’d likely find a Paramedic at base (also trained and equipped for field) who could be inserted into the field, and vehicles capable of carrying a litter to meet either a helicopter or ambulance to expedite transport.  Or a helicopter might directly insert medical help and wait to extract the patient. Locally we can also patch through on the radio or via satellite phone to a physician to provide medical instructions, which is a fairly common procedure for more complex emergency medical care in more remote locations.

 

Terrain can limit where even 4WD vehicles with seriously experienced drivers and well equipped rigs can respond. Remember I mentioned the Hasty Team recommendation for MSAR with a higher level of medical training? Consider the value in Wilderness SAR with EMT+ on fast horses who are also trained for low angle rescue and transporting in the saddle, or alternately rigging a litter for carryout or helicopter extraction.  ;-)

 

We have trailers to haul horses; what we don’t have locally is a veterinarian nearby when the SAR is deep backcountry. Riders are equipped and trained for wilderness equine First Aid, expecting you may be on your own for many hours. We do maintain a list of large and small animal vets in various regions of the county who are set up for ranch (mobile vet) calls and are willing to respond. We also have a couple of local vets who are experienced backcountry packers, and if needed could pack into the backcountry or be inserted by helicopter.

 

Deep backcountry Wilderness SAR is similar to the pioneer or Old West era when remote folks are self-sufficient to survive, but now are better trained and equipped.  ;-/

 

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Jorene Downs

SAR & CERT

Mounted SAR

www.ceoates.com/msar

 

 

From: IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN

If your logistics section/branch does not provide for emergency services for searchers your operation is seriously deficient.  […]

By the way, when I filed the latest federal grant application for the township I was informed that based on our population density we were rural, not suburban.