Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:11 am
In a lot of ways, the system we have in the US is the best system for the US. Local county Sheriffs are responsible for SAR, and they usually use teams of volunteers to perform the actual operations. This works well because the locals know the area and associated hazards better than a large agency would. The problem is that many Sheriffs are not good at running SAR and have no desire to learn. Handing the responsibility over to local fire departments could bring a much needed change in attitude and competence, but there could be complications with investigations and probably a few other things I can't think of.
It is frustrating that military resources have not been used when they could have made a difference, but those instances are rare. Helicopters are not needed in most SAR operations, and the helicopters that do get called can do the job most of the time. That said, I have seen occasions where the helicopter resource that did respond could not do the rescue or had a low attention span during a search. Clearly the best helo crews that responded to SARs in my experience were from the Navy. I can't say enough about the stuff those crews from Fallon did for folks here in the Eastern Sierra.
The CHP (highway patrol) helicopters have probably rescued more sick and injured people in the Eastern Sierra than any other responders. But they can't pull off some of the more difficult rescues, and they don't seem interested in searching for very long. That's where the military helos do a better job, but the response time from any base to the Sierra can be over an hour. You better have your wilderness medical skills training if there are serious injuries.
I have a lot of respect for those who believe in self rescue and have actually dragged themselves or a partner out. Yeah, I've done it too. But rescue teams love helping folks get out of a bad situation, and you are not considered weak or incompetent because you had to call for help. As Rick pointed out, many very experienced mountaineers have been rescued. The more time you spend in the mountains, the higher the chance that your shit will hit the fan some day.
It is frustrating that military resources have not been used when they could have made a difference, but those instances are rare. Helicopters are not needed in most SAR operations, and the helicopters that do get called can do the job most of the time. That said, I have seen occasions where the helicopter resource that did respond could not do the rescue or had a low attention span during a search. Clearly the best helo crews that responded to SARs in my experience were from the Navy. I can't say enough about the stuff those crews from Fallon did for folks here in the Eastern Sierra.
The CHP (highway patrol) helicopters have probably rescued more sick and injured people in the Eastern Sierra than any other responders. But they can't pull off some of the more difficult rescues, and they don't seem interested in searching for very long. That's where the military helos do a better job, but the response time from any base to the Sierra can be over an hour. You better have your wilderness medical skills training if there are serious injuries.
I have a lot of respect for those who believe in self rescue and have actually dragged themselves or a partner out. Yeah, I've done it too. But rescue teams love helping folks get out of a bad situation, and you are not considered weak or incompetent because you had to call for help. As Rick pointed out, many very experienced mountaineers have been rescued. The more time you spend in the mountains, the higher the chance that your shit will hit the fan some day.