Just a Friendly Reminder

[minneola24]

If you put your feet down it is with the intention to stop yourself. It will work. You feet may become caught up by rocks or other subsurface debris and your feet will stop... but your torso is another story. You will probably casue significant damage to your legs (including breaking) but it won't matter, becsue the force of the water will likely push your torso under water while your feet anchor you... thereby drowning you. Feet up, dointed downstream and tehn we use ferry angles to swim or simply float our way out. if you get a chance to ever do Swiftwater Rescue Classes I highly recommend them for nothing more than the fun times.

Yeah that would probably be a good idea to take those classes. Although the only rivers we have here in San Diego are either completely dry or dripping water after it rains. But we definently have high angle rescue in the summer when alot of people are at the beach.

Notice the high cliffs at the beach, they have had some rescues on the cliffs before. Our city has a 100ft ladder truck even thoe the tallest building in the city is 3 stories. One of the guys told me if they need to they can go above on the top of the cliffs, extend the ladder outward over the cliff and then repell someone down, that to me is very smart.

Do you guys get any high angle rescues in the Sierras? I would assume you guys do because of all the mountains.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

High angle, hell ya. Remember we are just norht of yosemite. Many of teh same geologic features that dot the valley are similar to what we have... only a little less exptreme.

As far as swiftwater goes... we are not just talking river... we are also talking canals, rivers, aquaducts, and flood planes

From the new SAR team Manual I am writing:

“Swiftwater” is broadly defined as “any natural or artificial watercourse that is at least 1 foot deep and flowing down any gradient at speeds in excess of 3mph”, which isn’t very deep or fast. This includes all rivers, creeks, canals, and aqueducts. This term has also recently expanded to encompassed flood conditions as many of the same dynamics and hazards that exist on swiftwater calls exist in flood planes.

 

[minneola24]

High angle, hell ya. Remember we are just norht of yosemite. Many of teh same geologic features that dot the valley are similar to what we have... only a little less exptreme.

As far as swiftwater goes... we are not just talking river... we are also talking canals, rivers, aquaducts, and flood planes

From the new SAR team Manual I am writing:

“Swiftwater” is broadly defined as “any natural or artificial watercourse that is at least 1 foot deep and flowing down any gradient at speeds in excess of 3mph”, which isn’t very deep or fast. This includes all rivers, creeks, canals, and aqueducts. This term has also recently expanded to encompassed flood conditions as many of the same dynamics and hazards that exist on swiftwater calls exist in flood planes.

Oh okay, cool. Is this SAR Manual I hear you talking about going to be published and released to the public? I would like to have a look at it.

Yeah yosemite's geological features are incredible, a bunch of tourists as well. I don't like how its become a place where everyone goes with cameras around their necks saying oooohhhh ahhhh when really if you go outside Yosemite it is just as beautiful. Whenever I go to Yosemite it is very crowded, reminds me more like Disneyland then a forest.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

No, the new SAR Manual, if i ever get to finish it will be for new team members to orient themselves to what we do. It will replace an older one that needs to be burned. It will include orienteation to sar, navigation, search tacitics and theory, swiftwater orientation, a comprehensive rope rescue section, a basic medical orientation, atv orientation, nordic survival skills, helo operations, canine orientation, horse orientation, and the like.

A far as Yosemite goes, yes it is a tourist trap. The Stanislaus national Forest and the Emigrant Wilderness are in my backyard and back up to the park and are much better for scenery and seclusion.

 

[minneola24]

No, the new SAR Manual, if i ever get to finish it will be for new team members to orient themselves to what we do. It will replace an older one that needs to be burned. It will include orienteation to sar, navigation, search tacitics and theory, swiftwater orientation, a comprehensive rope rescue section, a basic medical orientation, atv orientation, nordic survival skills, helo operations, canine orientation, horse orientation, and the like.

A far as Yosemite goes, yes it is a tourist trap. The Stanislaus national Forest and the Emigrant Wilderness are in my backyard and back up to the park and are much better for scenery and seclusion.

Oh okay, good luck on the book!

I have a question about water rescue.

1. When you guys get calls, how do you get them? Usually in the mountains phone reception doesn't work.

2. Do people usually survive the rough waters? I was thinking if it takes about an hour to get to them how do they survive that?

3. Have you ever used a helicopter for water rescue?

Sorry for all the questions but the sierras have always fascinated me. ^_^

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Oh okay, good luck on the book!

I have a question about water rescue.

1. When you guys get calls, how do you get them? Usually in the mountains phone reception doesn't work.

2. Do people usually survive the rough waters? I was thinking if it takes about an hour to get to them how do they survive that?

3. Have you ever used a helicopter for water rescue?

Sorry for all the questions but the sierras have always fascinated me. ^_^

1. We are dispatched via 1. alpha numeric pagers through the sheriffs office and 2. via text message that is sent out to every phone by computers in dispatch. How disptch gets notified is anyones guess. Sometimes they drive to the closest ranger station or fire station... and sometimes they just get lucky.

2. No. We do more recoveries than rescues in the higher elevations. By the time we get dispatched they are usually already dead, but we still respond with all haste. We also get flash floodin at teh lower elevations, to which we may actually rescue some kid or idiot in a car that tried to ford a river.

3. We can. But heres a phrase you should know: Reach, throw, row, go, helo. Meaning that we do not enter teh water (go) when we can stay safe and simply reach for the victim, or throw a rope bag, or row a boat. Helo is at the end of that. Helo rescues are dangerous and should only be used when all else fails. And we will not risk so many lives for a simple body recovery... even if taht means returning latter in the year to recover remains. but as I said before, the founder of modern swiftwater rescue was also a founding member of our team. Our team has been generally viewed as experts in swiftwater and technical rescue... some of our team members helped construct state and federal disaster response plans.

 

[minneola24]

1. We are dispatched via 1. alpha numeric pagers through the sheriffs office and 2. via text message that is sent out to every phone by computers in dispatch. How disptch gets notified is anyones guess. Sometimes they drive to the closest ranger station or fire station... and sometimes they just get lucky.

2. No. We do more recoveries than rescues in the higher elevations. By the time we get dispatched they are usually already dead, but we still respond with all haste. We also get flash floodin at teh lower elevations, to which we may actually rescue some kid or idiot in a car that tried to ford a river.

3. We can. But heres a phrase you should know: Reach, throw, row, go, helo. Meaning that we do not enter teh water (go) when we can stay safe and simply reach for the victim, or throw a rope bag, or row a boat. Helo is at the end of that. Helo rescues are dangerous and should only be used when all else fails. And we will not risk so many lives for a simple body recovery... even if taht means returning latter in the year to recover remains. but as I said before, the founder of modern swiftwater rescue was also a founding member of our team. Our team has been generally viewed as experts in swiftwater and technical rescue... some of our team members helped construct state and federal disaster response plans.

Thanks for the response, appreciate it.

 

[Seaglass]

Why the hell would anyone want to be anywhere near 43 degree water to begin with?

I used to go whitewater kayaking in the winter, as long as there wasn't ice. It really isn't that cold, since you're moving so much and wearing a lot of gear. (Unless something bad happens, of course.) I'd still be going if I had a river nearby.

My club was headed by a river guide who insisted we know a good deal about rope rescue and water hazards before he turned us loose. We did have some close calls, which hammered home just how valuable that training was. When I get back to an area with whitewater, I intend to take some official swiftwater rescue classes. In some of the prettier areas where I used to paddle, it wasn't that uncommon to hear of kayakers and rafters pulling drunk idiots with cameras out of the rapids.