The Unit was contacted by the Pierce county Department of Emergency Management at 8:55 PM on the 21^st of March. They requested a high angle rescue team to back up the Enumclaw Fire Department's rescue team. A Ford Bronco with 4 people in it had run off Forest Road 70 at the Pyramid Creek Sno Park, east of Greenwater Wa.. Nine members responded: Mike Mixon, Jeff Sharp, Fran McFarland, Chris Berryman, Ed Hrivnak, Rob Lutz, Stan and Angela Kartes, Dave Treber and Steve Stowall. An hour later at 9:56PM the Unit was told to turn around, that the fire department team was at the scene and no further help was needed. Mike Mixon continued on up to the scene; what follows is an email message I received from him.

Gus,

I went on up to FS 70 on Saturday nite. There, in full bunker gear, was every fire-fighter east of Bonney Lake! They had one person loaded in an ambulance and were loading the others when I got there. I talked briefly with one of the guys there, who said that one or two of them had serious injuries. They were prepping the LZ at Greenwater FD when I went by.

The guy said a full size Bronco went over the bank, down 150' rolling several times and ended up n a stream. I thought the full bunker gear was GREAT! It wasn't snowing, but was still cold.

In Western Washington the unofficial start of the climbing season is the Memorial Day weekend. Mountaineering is a physically demanding sport and a lot of our members are going to be out climbing this summer. Here are a couple of tips to help you plan your climb.

Before you leave home you should have a mental picture of your planned climb. Here are some questions that you might want to consider:

1. WHAT IS YOUR GOAL ?
   
   
   1. Did you leave some detailed information about your plan with a responsible individual?
      
      
   2. What is the glacier and high altitude experience level of the group? You may be exposed to several hazards such as altitude, weather, physical and sometimes psychological distress. The effects of these hazards may cause physical and/or behavioral problems. To prevent such occurrences, climbers should be fully aware of these hazards and their possible effects, know and observe the necessary precautions, and act accordingly.
      
      
   3. What are the technical, objective and subjective difficulties of the climb?
      
      
   4. What is the length of time you will spend on the mountain? How about for the hike in, the climb itself, the descent and the hike out?
   
   
2. WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED CONDITIONS DURING THE CLIMB?
   
   
   1. What are the current and long-range weather and avalanche forecasts? Call the NW Avalanche Center at (206) 526-6677.
      
      
   2. What potential medical conditions might you encounter? Let's face it, climbing at altitude can be hazardous to your health. The stress on your body trying to work with less than its usual oxygen supply is considerable.
   
   MOST ALTITUDE RELATED MEDICAL PROBLEMS ARE CAUSED BY GOING TOO HIGH TOO FAST.
   
   
3. WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED?
   
   
   1. Food.
      
      
   2. Technical climbing gear.
      
      
   3. Group camping and commissary gear.
      
      
   4. Personal equipment.
   
   
4. WHAT IS YOUR INTENDED ROUTE?
   
   
   1. What information is available from:
      
      
      (1) Maps
      
      (2) Guide Books
      
      (3) Information from other climbers.
      
      (4) Personal equipment.
   
   
5. IS THIS INFORMATION RELIABLE??
   
   Map your route from the parking lot up the mountain and back to the parking lot. Make a mental picture of your entire climb.
   
   
   1. Locate all potential objective hazards.
      
      
   2. What is the terrain like--can you navigate from the terrain?
      
      
   3. What is your expected time on the mountain? Allow about one hour for every 500 to 750 feet elevation gain. If you belay any section figure twice as long. The idea is to pick out several identifiable points along your climb and gauge your progress. If you're ahead of schedule, good; if you're behind you may want to consider an alternate plan.
      
      
   4. Where will you place your camps?
   
   
6. WHAT IS YOUR CONTINGENCY PLAN(S)?

What is your contingency plan if an emergency occurs? If you have difficulty in developing a good emergency plan, please consult someone who has climbed your intended route before. Make sure all climbers in your party know your plan. The time you spend in preparing a good plan may just save your life.



Finally remember GET IN SHAPE!! prior to your trip. The better physical condition you are in,the better you will probably do at altitude.

* Safety is Above All.

* The Victim is the reason for our existence.

* Excellence in SAR Skills is the standard.

* All educational activities will be performed in a professional manner.

* We will conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity.

* Compassion and confidentiality are essential.

* Membership will not be used for personal gain.

On nearly all of our missions there will be representatives of the responsible authority present who will take care of media relations. In the rare event where we operate independently, here are some suggestions for handling such contacts.

During some of our operations there may be significant media interest. Usually the media are aware of the event, but if not, when to notify the media is normally decided by the operation spokesperson. It is desirable to initiate contact with the media rather than having the story "discovered". Once sheriff or local agencies are informed of the emergency, media contact should not be delayed.

From a public relations point of view, the objective is to have a one-day story and avoid a series of headlines dragged on over several days. To this end, we should provide the media with as much detail as possible and ideally postpone contact until the operation is completed and next-of-kin have been notified. The press will want to know.

(a) What happened

(b) Where it happened

(c) When it happened

(d) Who was involved -- names and personal data on the injured and the rescuers. The press will respect withholding of a victim's name pending notification of next-of-kin.

Do not deny that an event did in fact happen. Make accurate and full disclosure of the facts and cooperate with the media. Also, rather than having a "canned" story, have a written list of key points for reference and tell the story in your own words. Refrain from speculation. Assure equal access to all reporters. Correct erroneous reporting as soon as possible. Call it to the attention of the reporter -- rather than his /her superior -- and provide correct information. Ensure the corrected information is published.

Call to order 19:35.

BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Ed Hrivnak, Alan Givotosky, Chris Berryman, Jeff Sharp, Stan Kartes, Rob Lutz, Bill Weber.

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Mike Mixon, Ken Capron, Wayne Walls, Dave Treber.

The February minutes were accepted as read.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Larry Crum No Report.

• Ed asked to please minimize requests of Larry as he is new to this position and there are a lot of tasks to learn.
• Ed, also, emphasized the need for the unit to enforce the dues deadline of December 31^st.
• A donation was made from The Boeing Co. recognizing Mike Mixon as "Volunteer of the Month".
• Also, received was a donation in memory of George Cashman.

OPERATIONS REPORT: Rob Lutz

• Callout on Saturday 3/21 for a "car over an edge." (Story - earlier in Rucksack).
• Chris emphasized the need to let newer members know to bring ALL their gear on a callout as missions can change midstream.

TRAINING: Jim Andrues

• Navigation training had over 40 members attend on Wednesday and 24 at the Saturday training.
• Upcoming training includes ELT, Hydraulic Winch and Communications.

EQUIPMENT:Pat Lillie

• No report.

COMMUNICATIONS: Stan Kartes

• Stan has printed instructions for the new pagers and also the software program"WINBEEP" for alphanumeric paging.
• Stan is also working on adapter cables for radio/aircraft communication from flight helmets.

SAFETY AND EDUCATION: Chris Berryman

• Members who assisted Chris in teaching The Mountaineers Basic Class at Irish Cabin included: John Kirkman, Ken Capron and Fran McFarland.

MEMBERSHIP: Chris Berryman

• 6 new applications! The following new members were voted in at Field Support:
  Robert Hicks
  Alan Beard
  Juan Ridout
  Daniel Cherry
  Tony O'Brien
  Marie Level
• Chris has a new and updated roster. If you have an e-mail address let him know--253-581-6614.

FINANCE: Bill Weber

• No report

AIR OPERATIONS: Jeff Sharp

• A new fiscal year is in place for the helicopter program budget - May 11th-December 31.

OLD BUSINESS:

• NMRA Conference at Mt. Hood - Mike Mixon has the agenda for the conference if anyone would like it.
• Ed Hrivnak emphasized the North Face Pro-deal is exclusive to members and to not mention it when shopping for North Face items at stores or abuse this policy.
• Jeff Sharp was appointed by the President as official Air Operations Coordinator. Jeff's position includes responsibility for the day to day management of Air Operations. Also, during missions, he will coordinate all air operations. If Jeff is unavailable for a mission, than a crew chief will be assigned to that position. Ed has looked into the situation of existing board members sitting on the board for more than 7 years. The TMRU by-laws state that a member can sit on the board for no longer than 7 consecutive years. Changes will be made accordingly.
• Rob Lutz will be TMRU's representative for M.A.S.T.
• Alan received information on a new copier and will pass it on to Gus Bush.

NEW BUSINESS:

• A brochure for the helicopter seminar in October has been created. Pass the word to
• all individuals involved with search and rescue. This is a fund-raiser for the helicopter program.
• Ed reported from the M.A.S.T. committee meeting that their resources are strapped right now due to involvement in foreign countries.

Adjourn 21:00

Respectfully submitted,



Fran McFarland, Secretary

What follows is a email response I received from George Sainsbury:

George was a contemporary of George Cashman and was present as a member of the Mountain Rescue team that responded to the accident that I mentioned in my memorial to George Cashman.

He updated some of the facts that I got wrong. What follows is the text of his email message to me:

WMRA wasn't formed until after Hal Foss came on the staff at the State Division of Emergency Services - about 1966 or 1967 I believe. Hal thought it would make his job easier. There had been strong resistance

There will be two kit parties this summer one on the first Wednesday of June and one on the first Wednesday of August. There will be no kit parties in May or July. Any Questions call Shorty Williams at 564-0581

To those of you who have read the Rucksack over the last five years, and have good memories I apologize. I have been going to school the last couple of months and haven't had time to write original articles. The articles that appear in this issue and last month's actually first appeared in the Rucksack in 1993 and 1994. Hopefully I'll have time to write before the June Issue

Gus.

©Copyright 1998 Tacoma Mountain Rescue