Strange, memorable or just plain odd SARs

[SARMedTech]

Im currently working on my Masters degree in Disaster Medicine and Emergency Management and right now we are talking about SARs (rescue AND recovery) as they would relate to a natural or man made disaster and I will be writing a paper on the idea. I would love to hear some of your accounts of actuals you have been on, how they turned out, the condition of the person when you found them, how long you searched, urban or rural...you get the idea. If I use it in my paper I will credit you in my works cited list if you wish.

[DeputyDog]

Are you counting disaster relief missions, like the door-to-door checks during Katrina?

[SARMedTech]

Are you counting disaster relief missions, like the door-to-door checks during Katrina?

Absolutely. Since my Masters work is in disaster medicine and ES management i would love to have as much info as I can for the paper and I also know that the more experienced Officers have alot that they can teach me. Ive just now started my MS via distance learning and since the program deals with disasters, disaster relief the after math of rescues or recoveries etc. i absolutely would like to hear as many and as detailed "war stories" as I can get. But beware, those of you have been ES in CAP for a long time may just find yourselves tutoring me via PM. My ultimate goal is to keep on being an EMT (will probably go part time as I work in the degree) and start a think-tank/consultancy group that can assist from a distance or actually go to where the trouble is. So yes...door to door, rescues, recoveries, your experience with SAR and DR and please feel free to flood me with details. The paper is long and what I plan to do is study what you all have to say and using that information come up with a paper that deals with disaster medicine and ES with a strong emphasis on best practices, so if you broke new ground on the operations you relate to me please let me hear about it.

Thanks in advance.

[Stonewall]

I'm bored, I'll bite...

Get a call about an ELT signal smack dab in the middle of DC.  Not to worry, we've shut ELTs off at the pentagon's helipad, DCA, and the Park Police Helo in DC.  There's also a number of boats floating around with EPIRBS.  No biggie, just another DF search, over and done with in 2 hours tops.

Nope. 

The closest possible vessel with an ELT/EPIRB when our signal was strongest was the CNO's yaht, which we had gone to before to shut off an EPIRB, but we already checked, it wasn't his.  Nothing left but buildings, and it's 0200.

We narrow it down to a USCG building.  It's coming from inside.  We call the emergency number on the door and an hour later a LT comes down to let us in.  We use our Radio Shack Jetstream radios, off frequency, antenna down, and finally come to an office and say "it's gotta be in here".  The L. T. opens the door and we find a box of 6 EPIRBs upside down on a desk.  The box said, on all 4 sides **WARNING** "THIS SIDE UP"  **WARNING**.   Go Coast Guard!!!

[RogueLeader]

^ Who'da thunk to actually read the labels. . . .
Hilarious though

[Flying Pig]

Non-CAP SAR

We got a missing hiker call from a family member in the area of Wishon Lake in Ca.  Its about 9000ft.  The father, mother and 15 year old son went camping out in the boonies.

Mom, who is in her late 50's, over weight with heart trouble decides to go for a walk in the morning.  By night fall, moms not back.  At sun rise dad sends son to find mom.  By night fall, sons not back.  So the next morning dad looks for a while but then decides in his infinite wisdom that maybe it time to let someone know his family is dwindling down one by one.

We get up there in the helo and find the camp.  Hovering at tree top level you can literally follow the trails by hanging out the door directing the pilot.   For 2 days, marking all of our search areas by the moving map, up and down every trail.  Literally, if you came to a fork, you made a right or left and followed that trail to the end, then followed it back to where you started and continued the other direction.  Over lakes, rivers, etc.  I think about 8 hours of flight time total. 

The ground team is also on the ground headed up a trail we had alread searched.  Here come a boy and a woman walking down the trail.  The Sheriff GT contacts the people....what do ya know.  Its them.

They saw the helicopter, knew we were looking for them, but the 15 years old in his infinite wisdom convinced his mother "HE" wasn't lost so they didnt need to signal us.  Instead, when the helo hovered over the top of them, they stepped off the trail under the trees.  The dad then congratulated his son for finding his way out. 

The people were so ungrateful that we even bothered to look for them.  Now keep in mind we were day 2 of the search.  Had the full SAR team, horses, Sheriff and CHP helo's the command post, and everything.  They literally said, "Oh, OK, thanks.  Got in their truck and left.  We spent the next two house air lifting GT's out of the Sierras andthe rest of the day packing gear.

So there you have it.  People lost, knew they were lost, one of the people having a serious medical condition, but pride wouldnt let them ask for help so they actually hid from the SAR Team.

[sardak]

Gotta love those types.  "We didn't need any help so we're going to hide."  Then at the opposite extreme are the ones who didn't tell anyone where they were going, but after they're found they want to know why SAR took so long to find them.

Related to this, the Colorado SAR Board has started collecting stories about people who hid from or didn't call SAR because they were afraid of getting a bill.  This was the result of an incident earlier this year.  The first installment is at:

http://www.coloradosarboard.org/

scroll down to Current Issues, then

Refusing SAR Help

Mike

[floridacyclist]

Not sure if evacuating a hospital would count or not, but you can read it and see a few pics at http://www.tallahasseecap.org/pdfs/2005aar.pdf