SILT HAPPENS #04-6
Writer Bego Gerhart (1T836) --- HTML by Barbara Fincham (1T810) using Microsoft FrontPage
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04- 61 11- 5- 04 Heart Pains Hells Revenge Trail
Guy in jeep calls 911 to report heart troubles and that he’s taken
a nitro pill. He requested a helo and gave us GPS coordinates. He called his doctor in Washington
who told him to take another nitro and an aspirin. All this while sitting in his jeep out past the
Abyss.
We responded. John took Jeff in his Samuri. Lee and Jon took Cindy and Teri in the Rangers.
He was flown to Grand Jct and was still on telemetry that evening.
Responders: Bego, Jon, Lee, Sam, Nancy, John, Matt
EMTs: Jeff, Cindy, Teri
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04- 62 11- 10- 04 Overdue Biker Kokopelli Trail on Polar Mesa
Overdue biker cuz he started out too late in the day, didn’t do much homework about the route,
took nothing for emergencies like the cold and didn’t turn around when his friends did.
His friends called 911 at 11 pm. 802 started out uphill from his 95 heading in the direction
our subject went. The rest of us brought the Broncos and ATVs up to the Onion Creek Road which was
to be the end of his ride. 802 sloshed around in deep mud on North
Beaver Mesa and Polar Mesa. Sam Bronco and Dan Jeep started up Onion Creek to meet 1 T 8 and then
continue on uphill.
After a while, 802 found our subject. He had made it almost to Fisher Valley where a sign
would have told him where to go. Nope. He turned around and started back uphill. He had tried to
start a fire but fuels were too wet so he continued walking in the dark. Said he had a crappy map.
802 found him up by Cowhead Hill: 0659370 x 4284264.
Responders: Frank, Bego, Sam, Dave, Lee, Matt, Dan
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04- 63 11- 24- 04 Fallen Hiker
This guy and his dog were hiking in the Arches NP Campground area. He put down his day pack
and went scrambling over some rock fins. He tried to slide down a short cliff and landed sideways
on his ankle. He yelled for help.
Luckily, some other campers were hiking by and heard him. They tried to assist him out but
couldn’t so they called for help.
Jim Braggs, Canyonlands 146, and Mark were first there, then the ambulance peoples, then a
whole mob of Rangers and GCSAR folks. We carried him out to the ambulance.
Responders: Frank, Sam, Nancy, Dave, Bego, Barbara, Lee, Margy
NPS: Jim Braggs, Mark, Jason, Mark Pita, Jeff, Murray,
Paul "That’s why I’m in management" Cowan
EMTs: Jeff and John
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OPERATIONS NOTES
* The Hypothermia kits should live ON the Rangers during the cold season: Oct--> Apr
* We purchased a DVD camera that should be taken into the field to record what we do.
It is a training tool. None of it will be released to the press.
No need for victim "face shots."
* The new Ranger, on its new trailer, is in the bus barn and the Seadoos in the EOC building.
* We now have a NEXTEL cell phone. To go out with the Satellite. 220- 0170
* Snowmobiles soon- and the necessary training from Tony White
* There will soon be a locker in the shed containing all the stuff the OIC needs to take--
Satellite & cell phone, map computer, chargers, map case, GPS and more stuff:
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<http://www.imsaru.org> has a great newsletter and some really good trainings.
<http://www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com> and <http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/kids>
A new thing in backcountry water purification: <http://www.miox.com>
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04- 64 12- 5- 04 Stuck in the Snow Castleton-Gateway Road
In the afternoon, Party A (local Elk hunters) got stuck in the snow. Party B, hours later,
went looking for party A. At some point even later Charlie Harrison was called to tow them all
out. When he wasn’t home by 10 pm, his wife called. It took him awhile to tow out one vehicle.
The other was still stuck farther along.
1 T 8 and 802 made it up to Fisher Valley overlook at 2:30 am.
Sam went up with the Bronco. He chained all 4 tires and put in
the lockers. 1 T 8 jumped in.
At 3:00 am, Frank called me to get Evan and the Forest Service
snowmobiles in case the Bronco
couldn’t get there. We were 10-22d cuz the Bronco made it.
Responders: Frank, Sam, Bego and Evan Stevens from the La Sal Avalanche Forecast Center.
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Winter Rescue Team ......and the first Ski Swap
Quite successful and fun. Alot of stuff and a few sweet deals. Next year it will be a fund
raiser for the Avalanche Forecast Center.
Afterwards we had a Winter Rescue Team meeting with a dozen of the top skiers and 3 GCSAR
members. So, this winter we have snowmobiles from the Forest Service, State Parks and GCSAR is
scheduled to get 2 of them soon. WRT will be training in early January.
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04- 65 12- 23- 04 "My Mom is going to Kill Me." Moab Rim domes
"My Mom is going to kill me." This guy’s Mom told him 3 things to not do and three things TO
do. Things like "Don’t climb up steep stuff" and "Always take a coat." Guess what? The proverbial
"Are you talking to me?" deal with your kids.
From Frank, 1 T 802, OIC: "Two young men from Washington state used a cell phone to call 911
after becoming stranded on a ledge overlooking the top of the tram on the Moab Rim.
GCSAR drove several ATV’s up the Moab Rim Trail, located the subjects, and completed a
moonlight technical rescue which involved lowering both of them down an approximately
40-foot vertical wall. It took a while to access the victims, who had scrambled up and over a very
steep, snow-covered section of exposed slickrock…then discovered, as many of us know,
that going up is often easier than getting down. We delivered them to family members in the rim
trail parking lot sometime after midnight." End quote.
Some other details: No jackets to keep warm. The slickrock climbing was rated at 5.5
difficulty, no protection and it was icy.
Responders: Rex, Frank, Sam, TBerry, John, Matt, Jim, Aug, Jon, Mike
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On Leadership -- based on a presentation by Steve Dad TBerry Young Outward Bound is a nautical term. It is used by a shipmaster to describe leaving the safety of a harbor out into the open sea, into the unknown, where we face challenges ... The motto of Outward Bound is "To serve, to strive and not to yield." To be a part of Outward Bound means to be involved in a process of constant movement, exploration and challenge. This is our lifestyle. This means to open up our potential and help others reveal theirs and strive for more humane world. The organization "Outward Bound": It came into the world thanks to the efforts of British ship-magnate Sir Lawrence Holt and German pedagogue innovator Kurt Hahn. At the beginning of World War II Sir Lawrence Holt noticed the following paradox: when the Germans sank English commercial ships, more elderly sailors survived. Most of the drowned sailors were young. Lawrence shared his observations with James Hogan- a well-known pedagogue at that time. They discovered that the young sailors had perished primarily because they tried to save themselves alone, relying only on their own strength, whereas older sailors joined their efforts and succeeded in waiting for rescuers to come or reaching shore. These observations stimulated the three to create a program to help English sailors survive. Holt named the program using the sea-term "Outward Bound". Thus in 1941 Sir Lawrence Holt, Kurt Hahn and James Hogan opened the first Outward Bound school, situated in Aberdovy, Wales. Good leadership depends on equally good followership-- so the group as a whole listed these things: Qualities of Leaders Qualities of Followers experienced confident respect for followers observant good decision makers adaptable flexible willing to learn knowledgeable team player communication attitude listener patience confident listener humor communication respected as leader respect for leadership position sees big picture knowledgeable ability to delegate follows directions proactive reliable detail oriented accountable at personal level people skills detail oriented analytical skills spontaneous Generally speaking, these two columns are quite similar. The leader needs to have the larger picture in mind (experienced and knowledgeable) but everyone needs to be a confident, flexible, communicative team player. Leadership depends on perspective: accomplish task, bring social change, make people feel better, work better as a group, power over people or resources........ on and on Management creates consistancy and order. Leadership has more flexibility, more about the alignment of people, inspiring......... If there is friction, focus on the action, not the person. Leadership / Followership / Team Player Hey Bego- Nancy and I were talking on the way back from the Arches call. Seems like sometimes (not on that call, but some other times) certain SAR folks want to jump in and be the hero rather than looking out for each other and working as a team. I told her that Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound wanted "to train citizens who would not shirk from leadership and who could, if called upon, make independent decisions, put right action before expediency, and the common cause before personal ambition." Nancy liked that quotation, and suggested that I send it to you, maybe to put in SILT sometime. Margy Baker LEADERSHIP- James McGregor Burns Burns distinguishes between transformational and transactional leadership in a way not unrelated to his namesake, Tom Burns, who distinguishes between organic and mechanistic organizations. It has a moral dimension. Transactional leadership is what we would recognize as good, effective and proper management based upon the techniques of management developed over the last 50 years. It recognizes the need for and implements such processes as performance appraisal, performance related pay, job descriptions, management by objectives (MbO), organizational process analysis and clarification and job grading. It also recognizes and uses praise, recognition and the delegation of responsibility. One might argue that such leadership is rare enough. Indeed, if more companies practiced transactional leadership, the world would be a better, happier and more productive place. However, he argues that beyond this is transformational leadership. Transactional leadership is still top down. It is fair, process oriented, system driven, as objective as it can be but the decisions on goals and rewards are still made at the top and cascaded down. The ultimate aim of management by objectives, for example, would be that the objectives for every person and department in an organization can be logically deduced from the objectives of the organization as a whole. No such logical tree of objectives has ever existed but that is the thinking behind MbO. James Burns view of transformational leadership is less about management by objectives and more about management by vision. * Management by Command = Unsophisticated management in which subordinates are told what to do and have little say in what and when. * Management by Objectives = Process management in which subordinates are given goals and decide how to achieve them. * Management by Communication = Sophisticated organizations in which skilled subordinates deduce their own goals by learning about the needs of the organization. * Management by Vision = In which management is about inspiring people to achieve what only they know they can achieve by concentrating on what is (just) possible. Transformational leadership is about hearts and minds, about empowering people not controlling them. The word transformation means change and transformational leadership is about empowering everyone in the organization to learn, seek change and improvement, never to be satisfied with what is done today. It is based upon trusting skilled, dedicated, intelligent people to do what they have learned is best, to take responsibility immediately (indeed to seize it) and to share leadership throughout the organization. The leader's job is to facilitate increased learning, trust and understanding. James McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland. The Working Manager Ltd. - Copyright © 2004 --------------- Glen Canyon/Lake Powell Update 02 Dec 2004 RiverWire Operations - High-Flow Experiment On Sunday November 21, 2004, releases from Glen Canyon Dam were increased for a high-flow experiment. Releases were increased to powerplant capacity (26,000 cubic feet per second [cfs]) the morning of November 21, 2004. At 7:00 a.m. on November 21, releases greater than powerplant capacity began through the river bypass tubes. Releases from the bypass tubes were increased incrementally for 21 hours until the four river bypass tubes were operating at a combined capacity of 15,000 cfs. At that time (November 22, 2004, at 4:00 a.m.), the total release from Glen Canyon Dam was approximately 41,000 cfs. The 41,000 cfs release was maintained for 60 hours. Releases were then reduced by 1,500 cfs per hour until a release of 8,000 cfs was achieved. Releases remained constant at 8,000 cfs for the remainder of November to facilitate further data collection and monitoring of the Grand Canyon by scientists from the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center and other agencies. The high-flow experiment does not alter the total volume of water released from Lake Powell in water year 2005. The 2005 Colorado River Annual Operating Plan calls for an annual release of 8.23 million acre-feet from Lake Powell in water year 2005. While the high-flow experiment lowered the level of Lake Powell by about three feet in November, monthly release volumes from Glen Canyon Dam will be adjusted downward over the course of the next 8 months such that the elevation of Lake Powell in the summer of 2005 will be the same, regardless of whether the high flow experiment had taken place. Releases from Glen Canyon Dam in December will average about 9,800 cfs with a total of 600,000 acre-feet scheduled to be released. Daily fluctuations due to load following will likely vary between a low of about 6,000 cfs (during late evening and early morning off-peak hours) to a high of about 12,000 cfs (during late afternoon and early evening on-peak hours) on all days of the week. Upper Colorado River Basin Hydrology Water year 2005 began on October 1, 2004. The Colorado River Basin has now completed 5 consecutive years of drought. In the summer of 1999 Lake Powell was essentially full, with reservoir storage at 97 percent of capacity. Since that time, inflow volumes have been below average for 5 consecutive water years. Total unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in water year 2004 was only 51 percent of average. Unregulated inflow in water years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 was 62, 59, 25, and 51 percent of average, respectively. Inflow in water year 2002 was the lowest ever observed since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. A favorable trend emerged in September and October 2004 in the Colorado River Basin. Precipitation in both months was significantly above average. Basinwide precipitation in September was 165 percent of average, with October precipitation at 155 percent of average. Final numbers have not yet been compiled, but November precipitation in the Colorado River Basin will be near average. As of December 2, 2004, basinwide snowpack in the Colorado River Basin is currently 121 percent of average. Unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in November was 558,000 acre-feet, or 102 percent of average. This is the first month with above average inflow to Lake Powell since September 1999. Inflow, as a percentage of average, has been increasing since the summer in response to the precipitation events this fall. Unregulated inflow was extremely low this past summer (only 35 and 29 percent of average in July and August, respectively), but increased to 68 percent of average in September and 92 percent of average in October. The fall precipitation has improved soil moisture conditions in the basin. This will favor a more efficient runoff next spring with more snowmelt going to the rivers instead of into the soils as has been the case the past few years. However, drought conditions continue to prevail in the Colorado River Basin. To "break" the drought will require a pattern of above-average precipitation through the winter and into next spring. Water year 2005 is off to a good start, but it is too early to celebrate. As of December 1, 2004, observed inflow to Lake Powell is 7,000 cfs, about 75 percent of what is normally seen in early December. Cold weather has now settled into the basin. Because of this, inflows are now gradually decreasing. Low inflows over the past 5 years have reduced water storage in Lake Powell. As of December 1, 2004, the current elevation of Lake Powell is 3,567.2 feet (132.8 feet from full pool). Current storage is 8.9 million acre-feet (37 percent of live capacity). --------------- "Maps encourage boldness. They are like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible." Mark Jennings- To Timbuktu On the Grand Canyon "artificial flood:" "It’ll move sediment around but the erosion process will continue." "The people that are off center are the most successful." "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogma." "Predictability is still safely out of reach." --------------- 1 T 1 Christmas Party-- 12- 10- 04 @ The Stagecoach Grill Certificates of Appreciation: Rena in Dispatch, John and Tammy Shafer, Art Hines and Louis Manson for being extra-credit deputies, Joann the jail cook, Veronica Bullock for being a factotem, Paul and Aggie Evans of Tesoro for donating 1000 gallons of gas to Search and Rescue each year, and Steve White for "his contributions in the child sex abuse area."(the wording drew a chuckle). Divorce Papers were written up and served on Jim and Doug. Funny. Power point video and stills of various folks in situations by Veronica. Also very funny. GCSAR party goers: Rex and Penny, Jeff and Lauren, Nancy, Sam, Jon and Paula, John, Jim and Lou, Matt and Jennifer, Dave and Barb, Frank, TBerry and Eve (no Zane), Bego, Mike and Collette, Aug, Lee, Jennie, Margy, Dan and Diane, Dean and Janeen, Shawn and Tammy --------------- "Incident Commander 4.0" available from <http://www.sartechnology.ca > La Sal Mountain Avalanche Forecast Center: http://www.avalanche.org/~lsafc/ --------------- US & Canada Avalanche Accident Statistics Colorado Avalanche Information Center 2004-2005 USA Fatalities: 7 Canada Fatalities: 0 Date Place Summary 12- 11- 04 Trout Creek, UT 1 snowmobiler caught, buried, killed 12- 11- 04 Big Cottonwood, UT 2 snowshoers caught, buried; 1 killed, 1 missing 12- 11- 04 Bountiful Pk, UT 1 snowmobiler caught, buried, recovered alive w/transceiver 12- 10- 04 Big Cottonwood, UT 1 skier caught, buried, killed 10- 30- 04 Madison Range, MT 2 climbers caught, carried, killed 10- 24- 04 Mt Rainier, WA 2 climbers caught, buried, 1 killed HYPOTHERMIA- Is it hypothermia? Look for the "umbles:" stumble, fumble, mumble, grumble www.hypothermia.org/ /hypothermia.htm /protocol.htm www.hypothermia-ca.com/ /res-q-air.htm www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml Avalanche Safety-- YOU are the typical avalanche victim--6 decision making Mind Traps in backcountry snow folks: --Familiarity- If the geography is familiar, we tend to do the same things we did before, despite changing risk factors --Acceptance- A tendency to engage in activities that will get us liked or accepted --Commitment- Focusing on an objective to the exclusion of important hazard information --Expert Halo- Placing decision making and responsibility on a person perceived to be the most knowledgeable in the group even if the person isn’t a true expert --Tracks/Scarcity- If fresh, untracked powder is scarce, it is perceived to have more value and be worth the potential risk --Social Facilitation- People who believe they have good avalanche skills are more likely to take risks in the presence of other people; people who feel less skilled take fewer risks. "We live in a culture of go big or go home." 70% of avalanche victims survive the first 15 minutes. After that your chances of survival drop drastically. It is ‘usually’ the 4th or 5th skier that triggers the slide. --------------- CERT: Community Emergency Response Team-- CERT Coordinator is Saina 435-259-1377 Monthly first Tuesday meetings in the new EOC building, newsletter, training in rescue skills. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wxsafety Mission: "To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people while protecting yourself from being a victim." --------------- "It matters how much fun you have." Mason Pior, 8 John Steinbeck: (this applies to rescues also) "Once a journey is designed, equipped and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an expedition is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself, no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the-glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do frustrations fall away. In this, a journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it. I feel better now, having said this, although only those who have experienced it will understand it." --------------- 04- 66 12- 29- 04 Picture Brent Pace and his ride covered with mud Cisco Desert A family of folks turned off I-70 at the 221 exit to go north on the dirt road to a drill rig. It had been raining all day. They mired down in the mud. And called for help. The very Brent Pace responded. When He got stuck He had dispatch page GCSAR to bring the 6 wheelers. About that time, Shawn showed up in the GCSAR Bronco. By the time we got to the 221 exit, Brent, Shawn and the family had made it out to the pavement. Covered in mud. Totally covered. Nice moonrise as we left. Pictures were taken. Responders: Frank, Sam, Bego, Matt --------------- 04- 67 12- 30- 04 Two Drillers Lost Top of the Book Cliffs on Moon Ridge Pretty interesting. Where’s Moon Ridge??? Kent had the right idea so we found it on the computer then on a real map. The 1:100,000 scale maps were helpful this time to determine approach routes. Just south of the Uintah County Line. The two drillers were lost and stuck but had a cell phone. They were on a high point with cell service. Lucky. Not all high points have cell service. At the shed were Kent, Frank, Sam, Bego, James, and From Frank 1 T 802, OIC: "Two drill rig workers became stuck and stranded in a Book Cliffs snowstorm at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29. The wife of one of the workers called the Grand County Sheriff’s Office shortly after noon on Thursday. The men were trying to return to I-70 after completing some work on the rig, located on Moon Ridge, about 2.75 miles from the Uintah County line. The rig could be accessed from Vernal or from I-70 via the Hay Canyon Road. A contractor from Vernal had been hired to clear the road to the rig site, and two road graders left Vernal at about 6 a.m. Thursday. We talked via cell phone with the stranded party, and he indicated he had seen the graders, but was unsure if they would reach him. 39º25.63’ x 109º20.2’ We contacted Terry Mercer with UHP, and he made arrangements for pilot Kent Harrison to fly down from the Provo area. As he was preparing to lift off, we again talked with the stranded men who stated that the graders were very close and they thought assistance from GCSAR might not be needed. Around 3:15, we were advised the graders and several other vehicles had reached them." Notes by Frank: "According to Mudman Pace, the Hay Cyn road would be in much better shape than the one he was on last night. So it appeared at least feasible that we could have gotten snowmobiles to snow…it was 27.5 miles to the Three Pines (not even one pine) Intersection (39º 24.96 x 109º 23.89) on the Hay Cyn Road…9.5 miles to a Y-split (39º 20.2 x 109º 30.77), another 10 miles to the rig (39º 25.63 x 109º 36.0). But since the road was being plowed from the Uintah side, it did make more sense to get Uintah County or a helicopter. 1T1 contacted Uintah County….and also authorized the helo. Pace offered snowmobiles…but we felt the helo was the best way to go given the time of day and the uncertainty about lower elevation road conditions. We had an ETA of 80 minutes on the helicopter." --------------- 04- 68 12- 31- 04 Stuck in the Mud North of Arches NP Car plus Mancos mud equals no GO TO. Jason A224 went out Salt Valley and turned east on Little Valley Road toward Yellow Cat to look for 2 Germans stuck in the mud. They had sleeping bags, no water. After 5 miles he decided to turn back rather than get stuck also. Bravo 62 was not far behind. Louis 1 T 9 went out to the I-70 Ranch Exit at mile 190 and headed south. Found the car, 9 miles from I-70. Took the folks out to Thompson Shell cuz their car was stuck big. 0623639 x 4299470 Responders: Frank and Bego --------------- Rock Rescue--- Arches NP Mark Pita, et. al. A mid-winter rock rescue day with Mark Pita, Jeff Webb, Jason Ramsdell and Andrew Fitzgerald. Out in the Petrified Dunes of Arches NP. Mostly overcast but not cold. The scenario: Black George fell into a canyon, broke his leg and is getting cold. So we rigged up to fix him and get him out. Black George said, "Smoothest ride ever." White George said "Mellowest edge management ever." GCSAR: Jim Gostlin, Bego, John Marshall, TBerry, Margy Baker, Matt Bedford NPS: Andrew Fitzgerald, Mark Pita, Jeff Webb, Jason Ramsdell, Bahia Mar, Craig Hauke State Parks: Jeff Arbon --> Film Crew: Chris Canon, Bruce Hucko and Lori Collins(sound engineer) filmed and recorded sound for the whole exercise. Profiling 7 of the Health Care Network: SAR, EMS, Fire, Tip, CERT, Hospital ER / CareFlight and Health Dept. Put together by Bruce Hucko and the Voices of Youth High School Class he mentors. "Sound Partners for Community Health" is Underwritten by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Benton Foundation. The class will produce Extreme Safety video and sound track narratives for PSAs, school classes, community classes and onward. --------------- Winter Rescue Team 1- 8- 05 And a bunch of other folks went to Geyser Pass for a class with Forecasters Evan and Max. Hours of beacon drills in the meadow just above the parking lot. Probing for items hidden in the snow. Then a drill, complete with buried Max and a probe line. Much discussion on the order of things in the rescue scene, what to look out for, and the necessity for finding avalanche subjects fast. Responders: TBerry, Jim, Matt, Bego & 15 other folks including Bill Foreman NPS, Paul Frank and Anne Clare, Don Oblak......... Thank you to all who contributed to this issue. |
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| "Silt Happens" Back Issues |
| #04-5
(September-October) --
Bikers fall, camper falls, and one person
picks up a snake #04-4 (July-August, 2004) -- Dehydration and falls #04-3 (May-June, 2004) -- Lost hikers, a fallen climber and a missing hitchhiker #02-6
(November-December, 2002)--Depressed people, a speeding semi and winter
warnings #01-5
(Sept-Dec, 2001) --
Three cheers
for Nancy, more fun on the rocks, broken bones #00-5 (Sept.-Oct. 2000)
--
Brad finds a son; a relatively quiet couple of months.
#99-5 (Sept-Dec99) --
The "Mari" incident, Westwater drowning, Jeeping off Gemini, Stuck on Fine Jade #98-6 (Nov-Dec 98) -- Thanks Yous;
Tramway and rescue plans; Cellular Phonefinder; Practice Safe Response; Pipeline Go BOOM #97-6 (Nov-Dec 97) |