Doctors agree that basic fears do exist, and they acknowledge that under stress man is at the mercy of the mind. These may well be responsible for more deaths than exposure, hunger, or any other danger. FEAR and IMAGINATION plague almost every person who is face-to-face with possible death. Fearfulness that can turn to blind panic may cause an experienced, knowledgeable person to injure or even kill himself in the intensity of his terror. Realizing that you will have fears and that these are normal emotions in unfamiliar situations, you will be aware of them and better able to cope with them as they appear. Fears can be expected in any survival situation in this order of importance:

The fear of being alone can be a very serious emotion, when you think that you may never hear a human voice again. No radio, no companion, nothing but you, alone, against the thousands of unseen things lurking beyond the light of your survival fire. In the realm of unfamiliar environments man is hopelessly at the mercy of the elements and terrain. Loneliness in such situations can become almost unbearable.

The fear of animals can be very real to a person in a strange, often foreboding environment. When all alone, let a twig snap in the darkness or a rustling occur in the brush nearby, and even the most experienced outdoorsman will be startled and uneasy. You may know that animals are generally afraid of humans, but add a little imagination to these strange sounds and this nagging, minor fear can turn into terror.

The fear of darkness is inherent in most humans. Darkness immobilizes us, blinds us, and hides all familiar things, regardless of the environment. Darkness stirs the imagination and may let it run rampant.

The fear of suffering and death are normal emotions and understandable. No one likes to face suffering, even for a very short time. And the mind and imagination can distort a situation until it can truly become insufferable and perhaps contribute to death.

Fear of society - Reprisal, loss of face, ridicule -- or the fear of inconveniencing or worrying others.

Give-up-itis - Several other aspects of mental attitude must be considered detrimental to humans in survival situations. Give-up-itis is a mental reaction that leads to a do-nothing attitude, which could be the surest way to terminate your life. It represents a complete loss of the will to live, and has occurred even in short-term survival situations.

Panic - The exact opposite of give-up-itis is panic, or the uncontrolled urge to hurry or run from the situation. Panic is triggered by the mind and imagination under stress. At the end of unchecked panic, when all available energy has been used, exhaustion and often death occur.

Knowing that fearfulness and imagination could be a great problem in any survival situation, you are forewarned and can take steps to limit their effect.

Besides fear and imagination there are three factors that are carried into the outdoor environment by the recreationist and their combined effect can help to deteriorate judgment and precipitate accidents.

Determination: A state of mind which allows long-sought desires to overrule good judgment. An example of determination is the desire to reach a long-sought, pre-set goal, whatever it may be, regardless of setbacks, storms, loss of equipment or danger to life. This attitude can push a person to use every ounce of energy to attain the goal, leaving none to sustain life during the return journey. Determination "to do or die" may be a figure of speech, but all too often outdoorsmen will subject their bodies to near impossible tasks under the most severe weather conditions to reach a destination today, when tomorrow or next week the task would be a simple, pleasurable journey.

Promises: This single word quite possibly endangers more lives in our modern society than any other: "Honey, I promise I'll be home in time." "Don't worry, Boss, I'll be to work on time." "I'll be there at 6 p.m., sharp." How often have you set yourself a seemingly possible time schedule, only to be delayed? Your promise now creates a stress situation which makes you hurry. "Haste makes waste." "The hurrier I go the behinder I get." These are sayings that have proven true in outdoor travel as well as on the highways. To keep promises people have been known to take dangerous shortcuts, run down slippery trails, push on in marginal weather, or travel in darkness. Even risk the lives of companions in an attempt to fulfill their promises.

Every person has responsibilities to himself and to others, and each person assumes obligations which govern his daily life. However, in outdoor travel away from civilization, a person's first and prime responsibility and obligation is to his body - its warmth, its energy and its protection.

Get-home-itis: Another stress factor which can spur a man to disregard the sound precepts of safe outdoor travel. This pressure may be caused by obligations, promises, or even responsibilities that he feels must be honored at all costs. In an attempt to honor them he often forsakes good judgment in his decisions in hopes he will be lucky and make it home to relieve these nagging pressures. In a sense his home pressures overrule the common sense actions necessary to sustain and protect his life while away from civilization and immediate help. Outdoorsmen should not underestimate the wrath of an irate loved one. But they must at times consider the worst of the two evils: being late and safely returning home, or pressing on in the face of a storm (instead of finding shelter) and never returning home.

The "challenge to stay alive" in hostile environments is a physical and a mental experience to a human. The brain becomes our greatest asset, or our most dangerous enemy in a survival situation where our life is endangered. When a human is forced to adjust quickly from a civilized environment, with all its comforts, to an existence much like that of a cave man, he often develops psychological problems. These are mental problems that can be detrimental to his situation of staying alive.

Call to order: 7:50 p.m.

BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Alan Givotosky, Ken Capron, Phil Pletcher, Stan Kartes, Mike Mixon, Jeff Sharp, Rob Lutz, Chris Berryman, Gus Bush, Jim Andrues Bill Weber, Larry Crum, Fran McFarland

OTHERS IN ATENDANCE:

Connie Crum, Lee Tegner, Kate Roberts, Terry Leeby, Cheryl Wells, Dave Treber

TREASURERS REPORT: Larry Crum

• The report was accepted as read.
• Larry found a new insurance company that has less expensive rates. The board decided to not put an advertisement in the Yellow Pages.

OPERATIONS REPORT: Gus Bush

• The unit was called to assist with the search for an 82 yr. old berry-picker lost in Skamania county. The person was found the following day. See the August Rucksack for details.

TRAINING REPORT: Jim Andrues

• 26 people attended the Wednesday systems training. 14 members attended the Saturday training.
• Bigfoot took place the weekend of the 26th. 7 members participated in the event. Jim Andrues emphasized the importance of this training as it gives lots of different groups the chance to work together. Ken Capron stated that he felt it was a good training experience.

EQUIPMENT REPORT: Ken Capron

• Ken and Stan Kartes reviewed the litter and rigging kits and will work to get them updated.
• Ken would like to add a few extra biners to the litter pack. Some items were missing from the med kit - Ken will replace.
• A new rope bag for the 200' rope is ordered.

COMMUNICATIONS REPORT: Stan Kartes

• The new radios are here, training will come as soon as they are programmed and the chargers come in. The Rescue Truck radio upgrade will be completed in a couple weeks. If a member would like a pager, please see Stan and do not go to the SAR council.
• A motion was put on the floor to deviate from the current policy of whose pagers the unit pays for. This motion was not passed. The review of this policy will not happen until January.

SAFETY & EDUCATION REPORT: Phil Pletcher

• On January 11^th, Chris will be teaching the Mountaineers Winter Travel Course.
• Gus Bush sold 3 kits at his company's safety fair.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Chris Berryman

• Cliff Lightfoot was voted in at Field Support, with a recommendation for formal alpine training.
• John Hill was voted in at Field Support.
• Timothy Duncan was voted in at Field Support.
• Callout training will be on October 16^th , 6:30 p.m. at the cache. See Chris for details.

FINANCE REPORT: Bill Weber

• The cans are on their way. We need to get a group of people together to help unload them. See Bill. Chris or Fran if you can help.
• A new shipment of rigging books is here.

AIR OPERATIONS REPORT: Jeff Sharp

• The latest meeting of the Oversight Committee was very positive towards the helicopter program. Jeff will keep us updated on the progress.

OLD BUSINESS:

• Jeff Sharp reported on the SAR council meeting. The 2 topics discussed were Bigfoot and CAP applying for membership.
• Jeff added to remember that the Rescue Truck is an essential piece of equipment and that we need to pay attention to the maintenance of the truck. Dave Treber volunteered to be in charge of truck maintenance. He'll be developing guidelines for the maintenance.
• Larry Crum reported that Ken Capron, Phil Pletcher, Dave Treber and John Miner will be added to the Drivers List for the truck.
• A motion was made to give Dale H. the printer. The motion was passed.
• A motion was made and passed that the purchasing of meals after a mission by the unit is at the discretion of the Operations Leader.

NEW BUSINESS:

• Mike Mixon donated his lawnmower to the unit saving us $200! Thanks Mike.
• Chris reported that the new recycle bin is here.
• Fran reported that Central Mountain Rescue is interested in doing a joint training with us. Alan will contact their president with our schedule.
• PRIORITY: We are still looking for a person or group of people to take over the kit operation from the Tegners. Please see Alan or Lee if you are interested.
• Gus read a letter of thanks from the Skamania County Sheriffs Department for our assistance in a search in September.
• Fran reported that she is in contact with the hotel where the banquet is being held. She will bring a sign-up sheet to the meeting on October 14^th. You must pre-register for the banquet. Phil has volunteered to get door prizes for the event. Kate Roberts and Terry Leeby will help with the decorations.
• A motion was made and passed to pay up to $200 for the expenses for a speaker at the banquet.

Adjourn 9:45

Respectfully submitted,


Fran McFarland, Secretary

The following members attended the Kit party on Oct 7, 1998,

Remember the kit party is 7:30 P.M. the first Wednesday of the month at 2905 Parkway Dr. W. If you need directions call Shorty Williams at 564-0581.

We need your help!

The TACOMA MOUNTAIN RESCUE UNIT invites former/present/future members, friends and interested people to their Fortieth Anniversary Banquet at the Best Western Executive Inn in Fife on Friday, Nov. 20, cash bar at 6:00, dinner at 7:00.

Besides our own surprise program, please bring your own war stories, lies, etc. about rescues, narrow escapes and screw-ups in the wild, with 35mm slides if available. Due to the occasion, the Unit is partially subsidizing the party, so the cost will be only $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12, although we won't refuse donations forced on us.

Reservations must be received by Nov. 11.
Mail to TMRU, P.O. Box 696, Tacoma, WA, 98401.

For further info, contact Alan Givotovsky, 206-463-3607 (work number).

©Copyright 1998 Tacoma Mountain Rescue