L-R: D. Whitten, S. Elliott, D. Laver, J. Lehman, D. Newlin, F. Hester, B. Gattas, M. Kinsey

If you are interested in broken gear, and a series of differential equations that can explain the dynamic events that lead up to the breaking of the gear, then ITRS is for you. For three days in November each year, rope rescue practitioners from around the world converge in a conference room to present, argue, and discuss the finer points of rope rescue. While much of the audience is involved in wilderness rescue, representatives from many organizations and jurisdictions fill the room.

This year topics included a test of “V” thread vs. “A” thread ice anchors, the use of parallel paquettes in rescue systems, and fossil rescue. Each year I am amazed at the  diversity of topics.

You may wonder where the Rope Rescue Oversight Committee comes up with many of the guidelines that are in place in the county. Some of the material that is presented at ITRS often finds its way into county practice, as the testing data is made available and results duplicated. The strength of this conference is the emphasis on testing. Without objective data, rescue techniques should not be adopted, and this conference provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of these results.

So, the next time that you hear that there is a change in how we do something, keep in mind that the change was not initiated on a whim. It probably started with a discussion that began at ITRS, followed by a few folks in subsequent years with some testing, and finally a discussion in the Rope Rescue Oversight Committee.

Rope rescue is a dynamic discipline. Each year, new equipment and better data allow us to enter the backcountry with lighter packs, and a better understanding of our craft. ITRS plays a key role in helping to maintainin San Bernardino County SAR’s rope rescue readiness.

The initial plan for the weekend was to complete our Personal Vertical Skills (PVS) and Basic Rope Technician (BRT) check-offs on Saturday and complete a land navigation exercise on Sunday. We thought that we were going to have additional SAR members from other teams coming to the check-off so we rigged a boat-load of ropes. When those folks didn’t arrive, we were able to check-off our team in only a few hours. This allowed us to complete both the land navigation exercise and BRT check-off in a single day and late night. We did have one little diversion when some passing mountain bikers told us that they passed a child’s bicycle on the trail near a drop-off without any nearby children. We called it in to the local PD and told them that we would investigate. Three team members made their way down the trail to check things out and found a family on a bike ride. The family said that one of their kids had left his bike by the trail, and they had recently gone back to get it. All was OK, so we canceled with the PD.

The map below is our land navigation exercise. The red track (~ 6 miles) is the route that Mark Kinsey and I took when we set the course. The other icons were locations of the 5 teams during the exercise. We set up a command post and used the time to work on radio use, map and compass, and GPS technique. At each control, the team must call in to get a set of coordinates for their next location. At that time, they are told whether they are to use a GPS or compass to get to the next location. It looks like Team #4 had some navigation issues.

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The Cave Team trained in the Mt. San Jacinto area on Saturday, August 15. The plan was a search scenario followed by personal vertical skills practice. Toward the end of the search scenario, we were approached by the San Jacinto State Park rangers to assist in the rescue of a dehydrated hiker on the Cactus to Clouds Trail. After a quick call to Dan Whitten to get the OK, we hit the trail.

Mark Kinsey, Dave Bullock, John Norman, and Robert Hill made their way down the trail toward the patient while Mark Peterson, and I stayed at the top to maintain cell coverage if needed. I also spent the time tracking down Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit to advise them of the situation. The Park said that they requested them, but I called just to make sure and to coordinate with them should they respond. We were out of county, and I wanted to make sure that they knew everything that we did.

The decision was made to hydrate the hiker and hike him out to the top. This trail is very steep, and under normal conditions the hike from his location would take about an hour and a half. In all the mission took about 6 hours to complete. Everybody exited safely and without incident.

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At approximately 15:30 on August 6 the Cave Team was called to search for a missing 76 year old Fontana woman suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other health concerns. Shortly after the team responded to the command post on the corner of Valley Blvd and Cedar, the missing person was located at a hospital in Riverside.

We had a motivated crew of 20 students for the most recent OCR. It was great fun, and we appreciated the enthusiasm.

OCR 2009 Schedule

The Orientation to Cave Rescue Course will be held at the sheriff’s instructional facility at Glen Helen North.
From the 215:

• Exit Palm
• Head west across the railroad tracks. This becomes Institution Rd.
• Continue west until you reach the end of the road (there is a detention center there)
• Turn right (north) on Verdemont Ranch Rd.
• Continue on Verdemont. This road will make a 90 degree turn to the left (west) right at the entrance to the motocross track.
• Continue on the road through the small pass until you arrive at the instructional facility. Bear left as you enter the facility, and park in the dirt parking lot south of the buildings.

Map to Glen Helen North

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