The Search for the Kim Family

[lordmonar]

Okay, here's a question...

Suppose a situation like this occurs and ordinary civillians, not attached to the family, are participating in the search but for whatever reason C.A.P. isn't requested/wanted/etc..   Is there anything that would prohibit C.A.P. members from assisting without a mission number?  Could we use C.A.P. assets (members fund the flight time and fuel for the aircraft and vehicles) and all but aircrew be out of uniform?

I just hate to see a situation where politics, issues from long ago, personal grievances, or simply a lack of saying "we're here" keeps trained personnel from assisting when there's such a dire need.

Well...there is nothing stopping a private citezen for using his own reasorces to volunteer to help.

Let's say a plane crashed and you had an DF equiped air craft and you helped the sheriff to help find it.  No problem.

But you can not use corporate assets.  Can't use CAP freqs, CAP planes, radios, wear CAP uniforms and you can't use CAP liablity inusrance.  You would be completly on your own...and if at any time you represented yourself as being CAP you could set yourself up to be 2b'ed.

The question is....why was CAp not called?  Is there a realtionship problem there or was it just one of ignorance?  While CAP can't self deploy...there is nothing that says we can't make a call and volunteer our services.  We can call the mission base, talk to the IC or LO and tell him what we are capable of.  If he sees the need for our services we give him the number to AFRCC and then the ball starts rolling.

As Psicorp said....we need to be sure we have MOUs at all level of government so they can call on us if they need us.

[DNall]

At least one story I read indicated that the helos were using IR sensors and were concentrating on two hot-spots.

Where the hell was every Archer plane in the area?

A wilderness search in winter conditions is no place to be messing around, but this would certainly been a justification to drag every qual'ed GTM from the whole state into the mix.

Time is life, and it looks to me like he was walking for a while.

Give ARCHER a whirl, the whole one of them you might be able to get there a day late, but where's the funding for some FLIR systems to mount on our 182s? It ain't that expensive & Cessna does it right at the factory. In fact teh same division of Cessna that does those installations advertises in our "Volunteer" magaizine I see. Look at the FEMA standards too where they're talking about platforms in terms of FLIR or live feed video, not eyeballs looking thru windows, that's just bonus.

[shorning]

Lets get the story straight:

Coroner: Kim died of exposure, hypothermia

MERLIN, Oregon (CNN) -- CNET editor James Kim died of exposure and hypothermia as he sought help for his snowbound wife and children, authorities said Thursday.

But a coroner in Oregon could not determine exactly when the father of two died.

After waiting a week for rescue, burning car tires for warmth and having little to eat besides berries, the couple decided they had no other choice but for James Kim to venture out Saturday for help, Kati Kim told authorities. (360° Blog: What would you do?)

He faced the unforgiving wilderness of Oregon's back country wearing only street clothes. (Watch police describe how Kim was found -- 1:56Video)

Calling his trek "superhuman," officials said the 35-year-old walked 10.24 miles before he collapsed, authorities said. (Watch officer's emotional reactionVideo)

On November 25 the Kims had begun a drive home to San Francisco, California, after a Thanksgiving vacation in Oregon.

They missed a turn and found themselves stranded in snow and lost on one of Oregon's treacherous mountain roads -- an area that is rarely plowed during the winter.

At some point, James Kim tried to back up the car to where there was less snow to block them. But snow was falling so fast and furiously that he had to open his door to see, authorities said.

Over the next few days, the snow and rain fell unrelentingly, Kati Kim told searchers.

The family ran the car sporadically to keep warm as temperatures dipped below freezing at night.

After running out of gas, they set a spare tire on fire and eventually burned all four tires for warmth. When the weather let up briefly, they burned magazines and driftwood.

The Kims fed their children baby food and crackers. Kati Kim, nursing 7-month- old Sabine, also breast-fed her 4-year-old daughter Penelope.

Before James Kim left his family, he built a fire for them. He put on a pair of sweat pants over his jeans and set out.

He encountered what searchers would later describe as rugged, steep, snowy terrain with sodden branches, slick rocks, downed trees and poison oak nestled between sheer cliffs.

Despite those conditions, authorities said, he covered about 10 miles before succumbing in the ravine where rescuers found his body on Wednesday about noon (3 p.m. ET).

"It seems superhuman to me that he was able to cover that amount of distance given what he had and also that he had nine days in the car" before setting out, Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said.

"I'm amazed," searcher Robert Graham told reporters. "We spent hours down there and made very little distance. ... The conditions were very rough. It's been cold. The terrain is so rugged, just spending one day out here is very exhausting."

Kati Kim and the couple's daughters were found Monday when searchers saw her waving an umbrella. She had just set out on foot when they were found, authorities said.

The three spent a night in the hospital and were released Tuesday.
An arduous and determined trek

Using a map, authorities showed that Kim had headed south and west before entering the drainage area and following it eastward -- back in the direction of the family's car.

Authorities tracked him by following his footprints in the snow.

Before locating his body, rescue workers said they had found what they believed was a trail of clues from James Kim, including three shirts, a wool sock, a blue girl's skirt and pieces of an Oregon state map.

Kati Kim had told authorities her husband had taken the items with him when he left their car.

Operating on the assumption he might still be alive, searchers had dropped care packages in the area.

Kim's body was found about a half mile south of the family's car at the foot of a huge cliff, authorities said.

"It appears to me he was highly motivated, and he knew what he was doing, coming down [the drainage area]," Anderson said.

Authorities were not sure why Kim chose that route, he said.

A deputy found a message written on white paper on the road, Anderson said, describing the note as an SOS saying the family had been stuck since the Sunday after Thanksgiving and that two children were in the car.

"Please send help," it said. Authorities are not sure which of the Kims had written the note, Anderson said.

A note was also found in the car. It was written by Kati Kim and indicated where she and the children were headed.
'James Kim was a hero'

The news that James Kim was found dead left searchers "devastated," said Anderson, who grew emotional while telling reporters of the discovery. "I'm crushed."

Kim was a senior editor at CNET Networks.

"This has been a heart-wrenching experience for everyone involved," CNET CEO Neil Ashe told reporters. "I know that I speak for everyone at CNET Networks when I say that James Kim was a hero, and we will miss him greatly."

He said the company would do all it could to assist Kim's family and honor his memory.

Searcher Joe Hyatt told reporters the rugged terrain of Oregon can be deceiving to those who are unfamiliar with it.

"When you're up in the mountains, it all looks nice and peaceful," he said.

Of Kim, Hyatt said, "I can only describe him as an extremely motivated individual. I would describe him as a true hero."

Wednesday evening, Scott Nelson Windels, a friend of the Kims, issued a statement thanking the searchers and others involved in the incident.

"We want to send out our utmost thanks to the search and rescue teams who risked their lives in the efforts to bring James back to us, they are true heroes to risk their own lives for a stranger," it read.

"Please continue to keep Kati, Penelope, Sabine and the rest of their family in your thoughts."

© 2006 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.

[SarDragon]

Look here for some really good info that builds on what's already been posted.

[floridacyclist]

This is not a critical post, but a questioning one.

Why are we all  reacting the way we are to this incident? Hikers and hunters get lost and die all the time...nature can be very unforgiving, but most of them don't stir up half the discussion that this one has, nor do you often hear of a Sheriff breaking down in tears while announcing an unsuccessful end to a SAR mission.

Is it because we're upset that we weren't allowed to help?

I question that because this story seems to affect everyone the same way, not just SAR-type people.

Is it because he was relatively famous and his story got a lot of news coverage?

Could be....but I didn't hear about it till they found his wife and kids

Is it because many of us think this man epitomized the idea of a father giving his life to try to save his wife and children and the men (the probable majority of the folks that might be following this story closely) empathize with him more closely than usual?

Bingo perhaps...I know that looking at it this way is enough to make me catch my breath....sort of like watching "John Q" over again

Thoughts?

[Al Sayre]

I choose C.  What he did is to act they way we all hope we would... Do what ever is necessary and withing our power to try to protect our families.

[fyrfitrmedic]

I choose C.  What he did is to act they way we all hope we would... Do what ever is necessary and withing our power to try to protect our families.

I'll second that.

[ELTHunter]

I'm probably the only person that has not been following this story other than to know about it in general.  I'm not questioning that the guy acted nobly in trying to hike out and find help, but what I'm wondering is why leave the road and start across country?  Even if the roads are not well traveled, it seems that there would be a better chance of finding help by staying on them.

Than again, I'm not familiar with the area.

Comments?

[A.Member]

Lets get the story straight:

Was the story in need of straightening up to this point?  

Why are we all  reacting the way we are to this incident?

I'm not entirely certain I'm clear on what you're asking.  What way are we reacting?  Do you mean why is this one particular incident being discussed more so than the hundreds of other similarly tragic incidents we respond to each year?  If so, that is a good question.   Maybe the answer to why it's garnered more discussion is as simple as the fact that someone actually posted about it. That and the fact that there was a lot of media coverage means that more of us heard about the incident and could speak to it at some level.

From my perspective, I'm not sure there is anything significantly different about this incident other than the fact that this was a high-profile search that we did not particpate in - and a few people are wondering why that is. 

As you mentioned, hikers and hunters get lost and succumb to the elements.  Planes crash and people die.  In all cases, someone's son or daughter or loved one is lost.  It's tragic but that's the business we're in.  This incident is no different to me.

To me, the potentially larger question is, what can we learn from this story - both as SAR volunteers and as potential victims of such a circumstance.  That may be the greater value in such discussions.

[shorning]

... but what I'm wondering is why leave the road and start across country?  Even if the roads are not well traveled, it seems that there would be a better chance of finding help by staying on them.

They were lost.  They were actually in a different area than they thought they were.  It appears he was trying to get to a nearby city and following the river would have been a shortcut had they been where he thought they was. 

It's easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and second-guess someone after the fact.  Each of us would have handled the situation differently, but it would have been what we thought was the best at the time.

Personally I'd say we should put this issue to rest.  CAP wasn't called.  We were never going to be called.  The "woulda, shoulda, coulda" serves no purpose.

[A.Member]

... but what I'm wondering is why leave the road and start across country?  Even if the roads are not well traveled, it seems that there would be a better chance of finding help by staying on them.

They were lost.  They were actually in a different area than they thought they were.  It appears he was trying to get to a nearby city and following the river would have been a shortcut had they been where he thought they was. 

It's easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and second-guess someone after the fact.  Each of us would have handled the situation differently, but it would have been what we thought was the best at the time.

And to me that is the value of this discussion - especially this time of year when blizzards/heavy snowfall can become fairly common.   What is the correct thing to do?  Knowing the correct answer just may save your life.  

As you stated, they were lost.  If you don't know where you are, don't assume.  Unless there is some critical danger in doing so, stay with the vehicle - while doing whatever is possible to increase the likelihood of being found.  The vehicle provides critical shelter and has a higher probability of being found before an individual. 

[floridacyclist]

Personally I'd say we should put this issue to rest.  CAP wasn't called.  We were never going to be called.  The "woulda, shoulda, coulda" serves no purpose.

Actually, I think that anything we can learn to better understand the psychology of a lost person can only help us...especially when we're the one laying out the search areas and dispatching the teams for a hasty search before bad weather sets in etc etc

As to staying with the vehicle, I don't know...after 9 days, you might think that option wasn't working so well.

[A.Member]

As to staying with the vehicle, I don't know...after 9 days, you might think that option wasn't working so well.

Agreed.  Which is why this is such an important learning opportunity.  We know the outcome.  If he would've stayed with  the vehicle, the story would have a different ending.

[floridacyclist]

And if he had gone the other direction (toward the lodge), things would have been different too. We can't sit here and second-guess him with the advantage of hindsight and Google Earth and criticize him for making decisions that we now know to be wrong.

Even the rest of his family wasn't found until they left the car...so who's to say that  the car itself would have ever been found in time otherwise? We'll never know.

I find it interesting that the car wasn't spotted even when they were burning the tires...I take it that was at night otherwise you could have seen that plume of black smoke from miles away.

[shorning]

We can't sit here and second-guess him with the advantage of hindsight and Google Earth and criticize him for making decisions that we now know to be wrong.

Hmmm...sounds familiar...

[MidwaySix]

...here's my two cents:

On CAPblog: The Search for James Kim and his Family
http://capblog.typepad.com/capblog/2006/12/cnncom_anderson.html

[Chris Jacobs]

personally no one would have ever seen the smoke from those little tires.  The search area at the time was so huge that it would have been random luck for some one to see the smoke.  And on top of that there was really bad weather.  They were stuck in an area that we refer to as the coast range.  All the incoming pacific storms bank up against and in those mountains so the weather was really bad in the area for most of the initial search.  I don't think that the smoke would have been seen unless there was a search team either really close or an airplane within a few miles.

[A.Member]

And if he had gone the other direction (toward the lodge), things would have been different too. We can't sit here and second-guess him with the advantage of hindsight and Google Earth and criticize him for making decisions that we now know to be wrong.

Even the rest of his family wasn't found until they left the car...so who's to say that  the car itself would have ever been found in time otherwise? We'll never know.

I find it interesting that the car wasn't spotted even when they were burning the tires...I take it that was at night otherwise you could have seen that plume of black smoke from miles away.

It's not second guessing his decision nor is it an attempt at Monday morning quarterbacking.  It's debriefing/analyzing the incident to learn from it.  It's looking at facts, not what if's. 

We know for a fact that rescuers eventually did find his wife and 2 children alive near the car (they continued to use it as shelter).  We know that the family  put up a valiant effort to be discovered.  We know that the weather wasn't favorable.  We know that at some point the decision was made to leave the vehicle and seek assistance alone and this unfortunately resulted in a loss of life.  I'm not implying that these were easy decisions to make.  I believe quite the opposite actually - I'm sure it would be a very difficult decision.  That's why it's important to learn from this incident.  It's simply another example that confirms what has long been said - stay with the vehicle, it provides the best chance for surviving such a scenario.

[Pumbaa]

Now another way to look at this is from the point of the "Kims" of this world.

You are traveling during the winter, what are the best things to have in your vehical?

For years since I traveled extensivly in New England during the winter I had a backpack containing most things that would help me survive in the winter should I be stranded.  I traveled in a 300 mile plus radius from Mass.  Now I am in Western NY and travel the backroads.. easy to get lost in the hills.

Partial list: I had (and still have) some MRE's, crackers, water in packets, water filter pump, 100 hour candles, the silverized space blankets in packets (4), toilet paper, fishing line and tackle, survival knife, signal mirror, strobe light, bandaids and other medical gear, waterproof matches, flashlight and batteries, pens, paper, extra gloves, and wool caps, wool socks, wool blanket... etc..  all this fit in one backpack.

Oh yeah I also have a handheld Garmin GPS.  I think anyone driving any distance would do well to have one in their kit.

So again turn this around.. how can CAP educate not only it's members, but the public?  Perhaps having an open house, invite the local police, polititians, etc... having a seminar on winter driving/ survival?  Free classes etc...

CAP needs to be proactive in many things, by offering classes we increase our exposure to the public and AUTHORITIES!  So now, we are giving some winter tips, and the local PDs, state police etc know about us.. they become aware of what we can do, and might call us next time.

Perhaps....

Oh yeah... CAP is America's best kept secret... How do you keep a secret?  You keep your mouth shut!  In other words the only reason CAP is a secret is WE don't open our mouths!

Get some CAPabilitiy brochures, mail them to the local authorities, talk to the local cops, get those PSA's to the radio stations, get press releases out to the papers and TV stations... talk about CAP!

[floridacyclist]

There is still no guarantee that she would have been found had she stayed with the car, and after 9 days with no signs of pending rescue, I certainly do not fault the man for thinking it is time to try to get help.......for all he knew, they weren't even being looked for. Had neither of them left the car, the headlines could have easily read "Family of Four Found Dead in Oregon Wilderness" as the car itself was still not found until after she and the kids were; we don't know how far away they were from the car at the time or if the car itself would have been seen as it might have even been under bushes.

As for local Sheriffs learning, we recently had two events in Santa Rosa Co that confirmed the value of this. A couple of weeks ago, a 90yo alzheimer's patient went missing and the SO tried to find him for 7 days before asking us for help. While we did not spot the patient, the air activity over a local's property led the local to check his property out and he found the body under some trees (in his car I might add). 2 weeks later, a 73yo went missing and the SO called us within a few hours; fortunately this guy was found alive before we took off, but the SO obiously learned his lesson and was sufficiently impressed by our reaction the first time to call us again.

We were talking last night about inviting a couple of deputies to our next Ranger Training Exercise since our local Medevac chopper says they prefer to have someone to talk to on the ground and have comm with SO and EMS.