When I was leading groups into the Wyoming wilderness in the 1990s, once we left a trailhead we were on our own.
Opinion
If somebody got hurt, we could walk or carry the injured person out or send runners to the road to call for support. In the case of a life- or limb-threatening emergency, we could use a transponder to try to send a coded message to a passing aircraft, pleading for help.
Things have definitely changed.
“People expect to be rescued,” said Tod Schimelfenig, who has been on the search and rescue team for Fremont County since the 1970s. “Maybe it’s that a whole generation has grown up with instant communication, and that drives what they do when they go into the wilderness.”
What they do, according to Schimelfenig, is go farther and attempt more difficult objectives, which means demands on search and rescue teams have increased sharply over the last decade.
The United States has a patchwork of search and rescue organizations charged with responding to backcountry emergencies. Who comes to your aid depends on where you are and what land management agency is responsible. Most have volunteer teams that report to a local law enforcement officer, although some national parks, like Yosemite or Grand Teton, have paid crews on call.
In the 1930s, The Mountaineers, a Seattle-based climbing group, came up with what they called the Ten Essentials to help prepare people for outdoor emergencies. The checklist became ubiquitous. But it’s longer now, says Maura Longden, a member of the Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue, who trains teams across the country.
In addition to practical things like water, food, a map and layers of clothing, the essentials list now includes cellphones, personal locating beacons and GPS devices. Communication is critical.
It’s undeniable that the volunteer search and rescue system is feeling the strain.
Carol Viau, who’s been with Teton County, Wyoming, Search and Rescue for 23 years, says many people choose climbing routes, ski descents and remote peaks just by surfing the Internet.
This past winter Viau helped rescue a skier who’d been injured in a fall while deep in the Tetons — a place he’d chosen online. He used his phone to call for assistance, and Teton County’s SAR team brought him out.
Jim Webster has been involved in search and rescue since the 1970s and leads the Grand County, Utah, SAR team. He says today’s outdoor recreationalists aren’t as self-sufficient as they used to be.
This spring, Webster’s team helped rescue a canyoneer who realized — midway down a rappel into a slot canyon — that her rope failed to reach the ground. She hung suspended in the air until rescuers were able to find her and haul her back out of the canyon.
Another spring rescue involved a solo boater who decided he wanted out from descending a flood-stage river. He couldn’t — or wouldn’t — go farther. Webster said he called for help and a rescue boat went to his aid.
Both of those calls had happy endings. But Webster’s team has experienced the opposite, including recovering the body of a BASE jumper last fall.
Webster says his team of 30 to 35 people responds to around 120 calls per year, an average of two a week. But teams often get two or three calls in a single day. Most teams are made up of volunteers, though in the case of Grand County, volunteers get paid when they’re on a call. Many have to take time off from work to respond.
This past winter in Wyoming, Viau says she was called out every day for a week — usually just as she was getting off her job as a guide at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. That stretched her eight-hour days into 12-plus-hour days. She’s so busy, she says, she doesn’t think she should own a dog.
It’s undeniable that the volunteer search and rescue system is feeling the strain. Last October, Christopher Boyer, executive director of the National Search and Rescue Association, told the PBS NewsHour the current system was “broke.”
What’s the solution? In Colorado, you can buy an inexpensive SAR card that reimburses a county for the cost of your rescue. Or what about diverting some tax revenue to equip and pay teams?
For now, these unsung heroes keep bringing a victim back alive. They do it even when the desperate caller has gone somewhere they probably shouldn’t have — somewhere they couldn’t leave without help.
This piece was originally published by Writers on the Range, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about Western issues, and reprinted here with permission.
Why should taxpayers pick up any costs associated with rescueing people who’ve intentionally put themselves in dangerous situations? Because of better communications and expanded rescue capabilities more people are going into situations where they are illprepared, inexperienced, and overconfident that if they get in trouble someone will rescue them.
These parties should be billed for the full cost of a rescue operation. Private Insurance could be obtained for these activties and in some cases could be required by authorities before an activity is permitted. This is the case with certain climbing areas. To get a permit one must put up a bond for rescue or provide insurance that would pay for rescue.
Putting this financial responsibility on the user may make them think twice about their activity.
Additional comments: Wyoming Army National Guard air crews need to fly constantly just to keep their readiness up and their qualifications up to date. Sometimes they fly around wyoming or Camp Guernsey just on training flights, What if some of these training hours could be utilized at Jackson airport to support local Teton County volunteers?? The Governor is the ultimate head of the Wyoming National Guard – over the generals that is – Mark has the ability to deploy a limited amount of WNG assets to Teton County if justified – Mark has been readily available to the people of Wyoming to discuss many issues and this issue might be appropriate to bring to his attention. The crews are flying anyway and burning fuel why not deploy on a temporary basis to Teton County. And, the taxpayers are already paying their salaries and overhead. Thunk about it.
Most likely, SARS flight operations require a different skill set than what military pilots might have. Some might be qualified, many are probably not.
Nice article – what a load for the responders – obviously headed towards full time paid responders in the heavy use area. There is a big question concerning whether or not full time paid responders should be County or Federal employees in the high use areas such as Teton County. County government has the ability to levee taxes in the form of mill levees to support fire protection districts and sheriff departments whereas Federal agencies such as the NPS and National Monuments depend on congressional funding via the Federal budget. I suspect the Teton County Commissioners are already supporting responders in some form. The article does not mention whether or not county level of government would be willing to support an increased mill levee. And, the possibility of a county level mill levee to support full time paid paid responders CAN BE PUT ON THE BALLOT AND VOTED ON BY TETON COUNTY REGISTERED VOTERS!!! Now that’s an interesting possibility.
In addition, the Wyoming National Guard blackhawks have night vision capability and I believe they are the only helicoptors in Wyoming that can lower rescue baskets into canyons and other hard to reach locations. My nephew in Cheyenne used to fly these missions. He said their problem was response time which can approach 6 hours and they would like to reduce response time to 4 hours. Unfortunately, they are in the extreme SE corner of Wyoming and most high altitude rescues are in the furthest NW corner of Wyoming. About 2 hours is lost due to delayed request from the rescue site, the crew must be called out usually from home and then there is the flight time from Cheyenne. On occasion, National Guard rescue assets are deployed in times of national emergencies such as hurricane rescues. It would take very high level authorization such as congressional to have a small number of WNG assets deployed to the Jackson airport on a semi permanent basis. However, our WNG crews have been deployed to Afghanistan in the past.
Since the volunteers are stressed out, its time to explore these options.
This is getting out of hand. Expenses to all sportsmen/women to rescue a few is not right. This submersible rescue is prime example. That is costing all taxpayers millions $$$$$. I hate to have more government in our lives. But fools continue to push the limits. They need to accept responsibility. Thus the bill for rescue.