- 100% bio-washed chino twill
- Six-panel, low-profile
- Pre-curved visor
- Adjustable self-fabric back with tri-glide buckle close
Friday, January 31, 2014
SAR GEAR: 'Search & Rescue' worn-look, embroidered, navy blue baseball hat
Frostbite—To Thaw or Not to Thaw, by Tod Schimelpfenig, NOLS Wilderness Medical Institute
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| Frostbitten toes. (Photo courtesy of Dr. S. Falz, WikiMedia.org) |
This is a practical and real question. Thirty-four years ago I spent a night in a tent with my toes frozen, then walked 6 miles and traveled another 25 to a hospital. I know this situation first hand, or first foot as it were.
As so often happens in medicine, there is no easy answer. At every step of the way there are risks and benefits. What do we need to consider when making this decision?
If your feet are frozen, there are often accompanying issues of hypothermia, exhaustion, and dehydration that make walking unlikely. If you thaw a frozen foot in the field it’s hard to imagine walking. If you thaw a frozen toe or toes, you might be able to walk. Let’s talk about this scenario.
The benefit to frozen toes is the ability to walk. The risk is that the longer tissue is frozen, the worse the injury. Medicine can't give an exact timeline to help with this decision.
Practically speaking, keeping toes frozen is a challenge. It's likely your toes will slowly thaw overnight, especially if you can get inside shelter with clothing, sleeping bag, warm food and drink.
The benefit to rapid thawing in warm water, the treatment of choice, is that it gives the best chance for saving tissue. However, thawed toes often hurt and swell, and you put your toes at risk for a freeze-thaw-freeze injury, which is very likely to increase tissue loss.
Rapid thawing in warm water is easy to talk about in a classroom, but difficult to do in the backcountry. If you think your toes will thaw slowly, it’s better to “get er done” quickly. Hopefully, if warm water immersion isn't practical, your companion will donate their armpits or belly, which can work for thawing fingers and toes.
We weigh all these considerations—some factors we’re sure of, others that are probable, but not certain—and we make the decision.
In my case, it was desperately cold (minus 30F). I did sit up all night, and I kept my toes cold as I read Bradford's Washburn's classic frostbite pamphlet. It wasn’t fun, but it worked. My frozen toes, which still fit in my boots, began to thaw as I hiked out the next morning, but they were essentially still frozen at arrival in the hospital.
I think I was lucky.
The Wilderness Medical Society has released a position paper on frostbite. One of the points they made refers to the decision of "to thaw or not to thaw." Partial or full-thickness injury is ideally thawed in a warm water bath at 99-102°F (37-39°C). However, in the backcountry, skin-to-skin contact might be most practical. If this is not possible, spontaneous or slow thawing may be unavoidable and should be allowed. Don't purposely keep tissue frozen for extended periods of time. Read the entire paper at:
"Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Frostbite," by Scott E. McIntosh, MD, MPH; Matthew Hamonko, MD, MPH; Luanne Freer, MD; Colin K. Grissom, MD; Paul S. Auerbach, MD, MS; George W. Rodway, PhD, APRN; Amalia Cochran, MD; Gordon Giesbrecht, MD; Marion McDevitt, DO; Christopher H. Imray, MD; Eric Johnson, MD; Jennifer Dow, MD; and Peter H. Hackett, MD. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Volume 22, Issue 2), Pages 156-166, June 2011.
Source: This article was adapted from Frostbite—To Thaw or Not to Thaw, by Tod Schimelpfenig, EMT, FAWM, Curriculum Director, Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI), National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Copyright © 2014 by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Lander, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission. To learn more about WMI and NOLS, point your Internet browser here.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
How to use your compass to get around an obstacle blocking your intended route, by Emergency Management Australia
There may be occasions when it will be necessary to alter the direction of travel in order to avoid a major obstacle.This is best done by traveling around the obstacle by a series of right angles.
To carry out this maneuver with most compasses it necessitates altering the compass setting by 90° each time a change in direction is required.
With the orienteering compass this can be done without any alterations to the original compass setting simply by taking advantage of the right angles of the compass plate as illustrated.
Assume that a user wishes to avoid an obstacle by travelling around it to the right.
- For his first right hand turn he would simply alter the position of the compass in his hand and, maintaining the same setting, sight along the back edge of the compass plate from the left corner to the right corner. The user would then move along the new course for the required number of paces to avoid the obstacle.
- For the second turn (to the left) the user would hold the compass in the normal way and walk far enough to clear the obstacle.
- For the third turn (again to the left) the user would maintain the same setting but sight along the back edge of the compass plate from the right corner to the left corner. By travelling the same number of paces as for the first turn it should place the user back on line with the initial direction of travel.
- For the final turn (to the right) simply orient the compass with the direction arrow pointing directly ahead.
Source: This article was adapted from Map Reading and Navigation, Second Edition, (Part IV, Manual 7), by Emergency Management Australia, Attorney-General’s Department; Dickson, Australian Central Territory, Australia. Copyright © 2001. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
How to use the T-Method to calculate forces in a mechanical-advantage system, by CMC Rescue, Inc.
The T-Method is used to calculate the forces in a system. Only moving pulleys create mechanical advantage. Step 1: Start at the input end of the haul line, the end where the haul team will be pulling on the rope. The unit of tension at this end will be 1.
Step 2: This unit of 1 follows along the rope until the first pulley is reached. If 1 unit enters the pulley, 1 unit must exit. Like the pulley in the example, the addition of both units (in and out) will produce a force of 2 units at the top of the pulley, which in this example is the Prusik Hitch connection to the load line.
Step 3: Continuing out of the pulley, the rope next enters and leaves a fixed pulley. Since this pulley does not move, no units of force are added to the mechanical advantage. Therefore the 1 unit comes out of the pulley and moves down to where the Prusik Hitch is attached.
Step 4: The moving pulley is where the mechanical advantage is gained. The 1 unit coming out of the change-of-direction pulley and the 2 units at the Prusik Hitch add together, yielding a total of 3 units of tension applied to the load. When comparing the 3 units of tension at the output end to the 1 unit of tension at the input end, a 3:1 M/A is produced.
Source: This article was adapted from The CMC Rope Rescue Field Guide, Revised Fourth Edition, by CMC Rescue, Inc., of Santa Barbara, California. Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission.
To purchase a copy of this handy, 133-page, spiral-bound, pocket-sized field guide, or schedule technical rescue training, point your Internet browser here.
For more than 30 years, CMC Rescue has been developing innovative tools and techniques used by professionals in the fire service, USAR, wilderness rescue, tactical, rigging, and work-at-height industries.
Today, an employee-owned company, the CMC Rescue brand is synonymous with technical rescue and rescue training around the world.
CMC Rescue still manufactures its harnesses and sewn products at its headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA.
The company’s complete line of rescue equipment can be purchased from authorized dealers in more than 40 countries worldwide.
• Visit CMC Rescue's Web site
• Follow CMC Rescue on Facebook
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
2014 NASAR Awards—Nomination submissions due by March 22nd, 2014
It is the continuing policy of NASAR to encourage public recognition of those agencies, organizations and individuals who, through outstanding service or achievements, make a substantial contribution in the search and rescue field. A direct benefit of the nomination process is the recognition inherent in that effort alone. The contention is, of course, that those nominated (but not selected - as the award delegate), are winners in their own right.
Recognition continues to be a powerful motivational force and those two magic words—THANK YOU—spoken publicly, still force the emotions and function as the motivation for continued good work.
Award categories
There are 6 official NASAR award categories:
- NASAR's Bob Wright Award
- NASAR's Hal Foss Award
- NASAR's Lois Clark McCoy Service Award
- NASAR's State/Canadian Province Award
- NASAR's Valor Award
- NASAR's Instructor of the Year Award
Guidelines for preparation and submission of nominations for all NASAR awards
- All nominations shall follow the guidelines for preparing NASAR Awards nominations.
- Nominations shall be considered only for the year in which the nomination is received. To be reconsidered for a subsequent year, an unsuccessful nomination will have to be resubmitted. The only exception to this is the Hal Foss Award where nominations meeting applicable criteria remain eligible for up to three years.
- Most award nominations can be submitted by any person familiar with the contributions of the individual or unit being nominated.
- Nominations for the State/Canadian Province Award and the NASAR Valor Award are required to include at least two wholly independent endorsements in support of the nomination unless the nomination is submitted by a NASAR-recognized government or volunteer organization involved in search and rescue.
- The NASAR Valor Award requires that the action on which the nomination is based must have occurred during the twelve month period prior to the date that the nomination is due.
- Current Association officers, directors, trustees and employees are not eligible for any of these official NASAR awards while preforming a task for the Association. Additionally, former Association employees are not eligible for the NASAR Lois Clark McCoy Service Award where their nomination would be based on contributions considered to be in the scope of responsibilities for which they were employed by the Association.
- Nominations shall be submitted to NASAR Headquarters. Nominations mailed or received after the specified dates will not be considered. The review and certification of candidates nominated shall be completed by the Executive Director and then submitted to the Board of Directors for voting. To submit via email send to the Executive Director.
- Award winners are recognized at the annual conference immediately following the balloting procedures.
The All Terrain Ax (ATAX)
Developed by Ron Hood and manufactured by TOPS Knives, the ATAX is available from Hoods Woods.
What is it...
- An ax
- A knife
- A skinner
- A wire cutter
- A range finder
- A compass
- An inclinometer
- A clock
- A wrench
- A hammer
- A rescue tool
- A survival kit holder
- A fire bow bearing
- An arrow launcher
- A field level
The specs...
- LOA: 5.5 inches
- Width: 4.5 Inches
- Thickness: 1/4 inch
- Steel: 1095 tool steel
- Weight: 16 oz
- Handle: Linen Micarta
- Sheath: Kydex (Reversible for left or right hand use)
More info...
To learn more about the ATAX, or order one, point your Internet browser here.
Source: Dane Remy via Deep Woods Survival and Bushcraft Group Page
Monday, January 27, 2014
How to calculate critical searcher separation for a specific search area using the 'Northumberland Rain Dance', by Robert "Skip" Stoffel
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| Average distances from object in rain dance to determine Critical Separation |
Searchers are said to be at Critical Separation when the visual horizon for each searcher falls at roughly the middle of the measured distance between any two searchers. (In other words, an individual searcher's visual horizon would neither overlap nor fall short of the visual horizon of the team member to his or her left or right.) The measurement is said to be elastic because it will vary with "purposeful wandering" and the difficulty of the terrain as the searchers pass through the segment.
Critical Separation is determined by a simple procedure called the Rain Dance. In the past decade, there has been a lot of speculation about just how this procedure is conducted. An object is placed on the ground that is similar in size and color to the object being sought. For many purposes a rucksack is a suitable, easily available object. This could be anything from a rucksack to a bag the size of a body or an actual person.
Eight to ten searchers are stationed around the object or person at a distance beyond where they can see the object or person being sought. Each searcher then walks slowly in a circle around the object for a few meters all going in the same direction. They then turn 90 degrees and walk toward the object until they can clearly see it. This procedure was designed to simulate that the searchers really didn't know where the object was.
At the point where the object is visible, each of the searchers then paces off the distance from "detection" to the object. All of the distances are then averaged. Twice the average distance is what is called Critical Separation. Commonly the configuration of the circle will be ellipsoidal and the developers of the tactic (Perkins and Roberts—1989) advocate that the differences between the maximum and minimum distances will be an indication of the amount of purposeful wandering that will be needed in a particular segment.
When searchers are spaced at a distance equal to Critical Separation (CS=1) the theoretical POD (Probability of Detection) was supposed to be right around 50%. However, during field trials of the procedure when trained teams are "purposefully wandering" through an area, PODS have proven to be consistently closer to 80%. Because of this, it has been postulated that a trained group searching with spacing equal to Critical Separation can be a very efficient use of search manpower.
An important responsibility of the overhead management team is to try, to the extent possible, to ensure that the terrain in any segment is as uniform as possible. This negates the requirement to be continually carrying out the rain dance procedure as visual conditions and terrain change.
Once the Critical Separation has been determined, the party starts to search. The members wander along in a purposeful manner, stopping regularly to look all around. Should a marked change in conditions occur or it is desired to search a small area for small clues, the Rain Dance may be easily redone.
Source: This article was adapted from The Textbook for Managing Land Search Operations, by Robert C. "Skip" Stoffel of Emergency Response International, Inc., in Cashmere, Washington. Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission.
To purchase a copy of this massive, 540-page, spiral-bound manual, or schedule search-and-rescue training or a survival course, point your Internet browser here.
Skip Stoffel is the President and founder of Emergency Response International, Inc.,
(ERI), formally known as Emergency Response Institute, Inc.
The company was formed in 1978 to provide information and courses in Search & Rescue Management, Survival Education, and Emergency Response to private, corporate, and government organizations.
Skip's experience includes:
- service as a USAF Rescue/Survival Technician during the Vietnam era,
- running a professional guide business for five years,
- working in the Washington State SAR Coordination Center for five years,
- and running a successful training and consulting business for over twenty-years.
Skip has authored three-dozen books on SAR Management and Survival Education, His most notable book—Survival Sense for Pilots and Passengers—has been used extensively in general and corporate aviation.
Skip is trained as a:
- USAF Survival Instructor,
- EMT,
- SCUBA diver,
- and glider pilot.
As the company's lead instructor and consultant, Skip continues to build innovative courses and support material for ERI's programs throughout he world. Learn more about ERI here.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
How to tie the toggle hitch, by Alan Halcon
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| The Toggle Hitch |
However, there is a very simple, fast, and easy alternative that meets the more bushcrafty aura: the toggle hitch.
Similar, but different than a Marlin spike, the toggle hitch is extremely fast and secure; moreover, when tension is slackened, a few quick shakes of the line will release the toggle, freeing it… perfect for those times when you are too lazy to walk back to the opposite tree to undo the knot.
To tie this hitch, only two things are needed, a loop tied in one end and a piece of a twig, pencil, pen, etc.
Following the series of pictures below, one can see how easy this hitch is to tie...
This hitch will stay firmly and securely in place, so long as tension is kept on the running end. This is easy enough, as one will be tying it off under tension on the other end to hang the tarp. Once ready to undo, simply pull the pin out, or untie the other side and shake the line and it will release the pin, freeing it from the tree.
NOTE: Before anyone gets the wise idea and thinks, “Oh Great! I can apply this to a rappelling rig so I can retrieve the line from the bottom”, let me say… this is not intended for that.
Source: This article was adapted from Ridgeline Toggle Hitch, by Alan Halcon, owner and operator of Outdoor Self Reliance (OSR) Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft Training in Southern California. Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission. To learn more about Outdoor Self Reliance, or sign up for a class, point your Internet browser here.
Author Alan Halcon, in his own words: Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved the outdoors. My dad was an avid outdoorsman and always taking the family camping, fishing and hunting.
Alan Halcon, owner and operator of Southern California's
Outdoor Self Reliance (OSR) Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft Training.
I reckon I must have been about 10 or 12 (circa 80s) when I went to Segovia, Spain and spent a summer there. While my parents wanted to go sight seeing, I was more interested in staying back and playing with my friends. I spent a lot of time in the outdoors with my friends, learning Survival skills, though at the time to me it was just goofing off in the wilderness. Oh how my mom hated me hanging out with them. But try as she may, I didn’t listen and was always running around with my friends. I reckon she had good reason to keep me away from those kids… They were Gypsies! Oh but how I learned some skills.
Those Gypsy kids were the ones that taught me how to poison fish with plants, hand magfishing, and bird trapping with a substance called “Liga” or birdlime—A sticky substance smeared on branches that would cause the birds to stick when they landed on the branches. This Liga was made from the bark of a tree through a pretty drawn out process. It was during that time I also bought my first survival book, in Spanish, no less. I also very much recall heading to the hills for some wildcrafting with my aunts and Grandmother. My Grandmother was always gathering medicinal herbs and I also learned how to make wood ash soap from my grandmother.
While I got older and had different interests, my passion for the outdoors remained. It must have been maybe in 1995 I met Christopher Nyerges and Dude McLean. We all quickly became friends. Sometime in the late nineties or early two thousands, I began writing for Wilderness Way Magazine, of which Christopher was the editor.
A lot has gone on since that time. I’ve been featured in Ron Hood’s video series (Number 15 of the Woodsmaster series). I currently hold the record at getting a handdrill coal (2 seconds). I’ve written for a couple of other magazines and have ghost written sections of other books and I’ve traveled the country teaching outdoor self reliance.
Along with Christopher Nyerges and Dude McLean, I own Dirttime.com. I’ve made a lot of friends because of it. In fact, we have a yearly event that reunites instructors and students for a week long family oriented shindig in the outdoors.
I don’t consider myself an expert, never will. I will forever be a perpetual student of the outdoors. I do enjoy sharing my experience and teaching others skills that will help them become more self-reliant and proficient in the outdoors. I run workshops year round, and I am still rewarded every time a student accomplishes their first coal, or sets their first trap.
My discipline is more Wilderness Living, than it is running around in a panic when one gets disoriented. Woodcraft/Bushcraft are the foundation of what I do and it is what I try to instill in my students by helping them grow their woodsmanship skills
One of Alan's favorite quotes....This panic stricken craze and sense of fear so prevalent in the survival community is the antithesis of the accomplished woodsman. For it is he or she who looks upon such circumstances as minor annoyances, at best, and more often as opportunities.—Anonymous
• Alan's OSR Web site; Follow OSR on Facebook
• Alan's Dirttime Web site; Follow Dirttime on Facebook
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
The K-9 handler's arch nemesis—distractions: How to deal with noises and objects that spook or attract a working K-9, by Jeff Schettler
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| The
author working K-9 Anvak through tractor/trailer engine-noise fear. |
I have often heard handlers tell me that their dog has a certain attraction or fear reaction to a certain "thing," and they take it for granted that it is a problem. Rather than trying to fix it, they attempt to avoid the problem or let the problem shut the dog down.
This is a bad habit and does nothing more than reinforce the reaction in the dog. If the dog realizes that the handler will give in to an attraction or give up when the dog encounters something about which he is nervous, the distraction becomes stronger each and every time this happens.
There will come a point at which the handler may not be able to correct it. As with the kitty, the attraction or phobic response should be dealt with immediately and never be reinforced by allowance.
The only way I learn about a dog's attraction or phobic response to an animal or object is through his body language. There is no other way, because the dog cannot speak to me. I am charged with the duty to be cognizant of what affects the dog. My job is that of an interpreter, motivator, and leader.
Ronin was my first dog, and he was wonderful for me because he provided the basis for everything I did then and for what I am now. I am now intensely watchful of any dog's body language at all times that I am with him. If the dog is for work, I am doubly watchful.
The only way I learn about a dog's attraction or phobic response to an animal or object is through his body language. There is no other way, because the dog cannot speak to me. I am charged with the duty to be cognizant of what affects the dog. My job is that of an interpreter, motivator, and leader.
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| Training a police K-9 puppy to not be concerned with gunshots. |
- First, I needed to make my dog realize that I was not afraid. I am the perceived leader, and if the dog thinks that I am afraid based on my odor or physical reaction, his reaction will be equal to or exceed my own.
With my behavior, I affect what and how my dog responds to situations. If I am a rock in a stormy sea of stimuli, my dog will be easier to deal with. I showed Ronin that I was not afraid; I approached the truck confidently and with no hesitation. - Second, I used motivation and reward (food) to coax him in close. This took time, but I got Ronin to the point that he could trail right past a trash truck and not give it a second glance. The reward can be anything the dog likes such as a ball, tug, or praise. Ronin was a walking stomach, and food was the key to everything.
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| Training a police K-9 puppy to not be concerned with gunshots. |
What I mean by coddling is, when the dog shows a fear reaction, the handler reaches down and pets and fawns over him, cooing sweet nothings into his ear.
This behavior reinforces the fear because, in reality, the petting and cooing are telling the dog that he is right to be afraid of what he is balking at.
Dogs are not children, and they do not rationalize things the way people do; stroking and "rewarding" fear behavior tells the dog that his fear behavior is well founded.
The best way for a handler to correct his dog is to firmly say "no," confidently walk up to the "thing," inspect it with no fear, and then motivate his dog to come over. If it takes six months to fix this situation, so be it.
Source: This article was adapted from K-9 Trailing—The Straightest Path, by Jeff Schettler. Copyright © 2011 by Jeffrey Hampton Schettler. Alpine Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission. To order your copy of this book—which was written by a man-hunter for man-hunters— point your Internet browser to the Georgia K9 National Training Center.
Jeff Schettler is a retired police K9 handler who worked for the City of Alameda and County of Amador in California, and was attached to the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Teams’ K9 Assistance Program for two years. This program was designed to locate and apprehend high-risk fugitives on the run.
Jeff has worked hundreds of trailing cases across the USA and is a specialist in the area of tactical trailing applications. He and his police bloodhound, Ronin, made numerous successful finds during their 11-year career.
Jeff has trained under many well-known manhunters, including Jerry Yelk, Glenn Rimbey, Jerry Nichols, John Lutenberg, John Salem, and Doug Lowry.
Jeff is considered a law enforcement expert witness in the areas of scent evidence and trailing with bloodhounds. He has qualified as an expert in the counties of Santa Clara and Alameda in California. He has also corroborated other police K9 handlers in court with regard to their trailing training and experience.
After leaving the police force, Jeff founded TacticalTrackerTeams.com and later integrated it with the Georgia K9 National Training Center, LLC, with his partner Kelli Collins.
Georgia K9 National Training Center is a specialty K9 training company with nationally recognized dog trainers and clients across the country. GAK9 offers a variety of services, each tailored to fit the needs of civilian, law enforcement, and search & rescue dog owners and handlers.
Jeff rarely relaxes at his home/dog training facility in Canton, Georgia; there are just too many dogs running around.
He has recently expanded his K9 horizons and began training Basenjis to find narcotics and explosives. His series of nine articles called the “Hunter Basenji Chronicles,” covering the use of the Basenji for hunting and detector dog work, were published in the Basenji Magazine.
To schedule training, or learn more about the Georgia K9 National Training Center—which has offices in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia—point your Internet browser here.
• Follow Georgia K-9 on Facebook.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) finding: fatal fall during heli hoist operation was caused by improper harness attachment
The accident occurred approximately 30 miles east of Visalia, California, on 12 September 2013....read more here.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Standard belay devices and their loading-handling capabilities, by Richard Delaney
Notes: The "hand" applied tension was an attempt to apply a tension similar to what could normally be applied with one hand on the rope, and the other hand at one's side—as if behind a belay device when belaying/abseiling/rappelling. The"max" applied tension was an attempt to apply a tension similar to what could normally be applied holding the belay rope with two hands, standing behind the device with good footing. Richard also measured these subjective approximations and got 10kg for one hand, 10-20kg for two hands at the waist height behind a device, and 50kg for the max/two hands standing pulling out in front effort. He used 11mm Edelrid super static rope, says all "figures should be viewed as +/- 20kg or so," and described the test process as an "example of experimentation and interpretation."
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| The setup Richard used for this test. |
Source: This article was adapted from Standard belay devices and their loading-handling capabilities, by Richard Delaney, Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission. To learn more about rope access work, climbing, and rope rescue, visit Richard's Rope Test Lab.
Richard Delaney has worked professionally with ropes since 1992. Initially, this was as a multi-pitch, rock-climbing guide, but this soon morphed into specialized rescue instruction and rope access work.
He is currently an accredited Vertical Rescue Instructor/Assessor, a Level 3 Rope Access Technician, a Technical Director of the Australian Rope Access Association, and the administrator of the Rope Test Lab group on Facebook.
Understanding and teaching the Physics of Rigging is a core passion of Richard's, one based on his experience, and his prior professional life as a qualified engineer.
• To follow Richard on Facebook, 'like' the Rope Test Lab group page.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
RECALL: RescYou Crevasse Rescue Device recalled by Mammut
Monday, January 20, 2014
Montana SAR volunteer killed in a snowmobile accident during training
A Libby Search & Rescue volunteer [DTSAR Team Web site] was killed in a snowmobile accident Saturday morning southwest of Troy.
On Saturday, January 18, 2014, members of David Thompson Search and Rescue and CANAM Search and Rescue were taking part in a joint avalanche preparedness training exercise in the Bear Mountain area up Keeler Creek, about 12 miles southwest of Troy, Montana. This joint training also involved members of search and rescue teams from Sanders County, Montana and Boundary County, Idaho, along with personnel from the U.S. Forest Service and other volunteer members of the community.
At about 9:50 AM, Troy Dispatch was advised of a snowmobile accident on the Keeler Creek road, with one male adult victim. Medically trained personnel already at the scene of the accident requested an air ambulance response and began CPR on the patient. The Alert Helicopter out of Kalispell was launched to respond. Troy Volunteer Ambulance (TVA) and Advance Life Support (ALS) personnel responded to the scene from Troy.
Upon arrival at the trailhead parking area, an ALS member was transported up the drainage by snowmobile to meet the patient. The patient, identified as Cameron Mitchell Goins, age 47, of Libby, was declared dead at 10:33 AM, shortly after ALS arrival. The helicopter response was cancelled.
The accident investigation revealed that Goins, along with a group of other snowmobilers, was riding his snowmobile alone up the Keeler Creek drainage toward the avalanche training area when, for an unknown reason, Goins drifted off the maintained snowmobile trail and struck a tree with his body. Goins was wearing a helmet.
Goins had been a member of David Thompson Search and Rescue for two years. He was an active member of the Snowmobile Unit, ATV Unit, and Mountain Unit.
“Cameron Goins was a dedicated community volunteer and will always be remembered and have a place within David Thompson Search and Rescue, and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his family.” - Sheriff Roby Bowe.
Sources: NBC Montana, JoCoSAR Blog
Free pocket-sized 'Track Card' for man-tracking field notes
Download and print this free Track Card—courtesy of Fernando Moreira, Professional Tracking Services, Reno, Nevada—here.
Source: This article was adapted from man-tracking course material provided by Fernando Moreira of Professional Tracking Services in Reno, Nevada. Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission.
Fernando Moreira has been involved in man-tracking for over 40 years. He learned the art of tracking in Portugal, from his father—a Portuguese Combat Tracker—as well as from African bushmen, the Rhodesian military, and his four years with the Portuguese Army, where he served as a combat tracker during the African wars in Mozambique, Guinea, and Angola.
Fernando is a long-time member of several search and rescue units, including the Washoe County Sheriff’s Hasty Team and Washoe County Search & Rescue, Inc. His certifications include PSD Diver, Swift Water Rescuer, Back Country, SAR Tech II, Technical Rope, and Mine Rescue. He has been a State of Nevada-certified tracking instructor since 1997, and is a Nevada State P.O.S.T.-certified investigative tracker and instructor.
In addition to working on over 15,000 man-tracking cases—the longest of which was 46 miles!—Fernando has assisted local law enforcement officers in numerous manhunts for felons and searches for critical evidence in several high-profile investigations, including bank robberies, child molestations, and murders, most notably, the case against Siaosi Vanisi, who brutally murdered campus police officer George Daniel Sullivan in 1997. Fernando has received numerous awards, citations, and letters of merit, including: two-time recipient of the American Red Cross Real Hero Award; Rescuer of the Year; Excellence in Search and Rescue Medal, etc. He was nominated twice for America’s Most Wanted All Star Award
As the founder of both the Tactical Tracking School and Professional Tracking Services in Reno, Nevada, Fernando has taught over 5,000 military combat man-trackers, law enforcement tactical man-trackers, and search-and-rescue man-trackers across the United States and the world. To learn more about Fernando's man-tracking career, read "America’s Most Wanted: Staying on Track and Learning from the Best," which appeared in the Spring, 2008 issue of the Forensic Examiner.
• Fernando's Tactical Tracking School: Web site
• Fernando's Professional Tracking Services: Web site; Facebook Page No 1, No. 2
• Follow Fernando on Facebook: Personal Page; Tactical Tracking Group Page
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