The unit was contacted by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management on Sat Sept 25^th. The Park Rangers at Olympic National Park had ask for our assistance in searching for a lost 18-year-old hiker in the Appleton Pass area.

Eric Romano of Olympia had been missing since the previous Tuesday. He had been last seen in the Appleton pass when he parted from his companion to hike alone to the Boulder creek trail head in the Elwha Valley.

The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management on Sunday the 17th contacted the unit at 5:30 P.M. We were called to back up the Fire Department to rescue a man who had fallen twenty feet from the top of a waterfall in the Pack Forest Experimental station.

Eight team members responded they were Fran Mcfarland, Mike Mixon, Tom Miner, Gary Dunn, Brain Paterik, Joe Rushinko and Chris Berryman. Because of the emergency nature of the call they were asked to report directly to the accident site. Fran went to the cache to bring the rescue truck to the scene. The first team members on the scene were Mike and Ken they were ask to set up a belay system as the fire Department was already in the process of raising the subject up a 30-degree 200 foot slope. After setting up the belay again farther up the slope they reached the trail and helped carry the subject out to a waiting helicopter.

As it became darker and the directions the unit had been given to the accident scene were fairly vague. A number of our members had trouble finding the scene. By the time our full team was on the scene the subject had been retrieved and they were turned around. Some members met at Aaron's Ark restaurant in Etonville to discuss the mission the rest returned home.

Convened 19:35

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Alan Givotovsky, Bill Weber, Connie Crum, Ken Capron, Chris Berryman, Fran McFarland, Russ Brinton, and Gus Bush.

OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT: Lee Tegner, Mike Mixon, Jim Andrues, Rick Wire, and Phil Fortier.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Larry Crum (absent)

• No report.

KIT REPORT: Chris Berryman for Tracy Berryman

• $3130.00 in August sales.
• $756.00 in September sales.

OPERATIONS REPORT: Gus Bush

• See September rucksack for mission reports.
• Missions in Olympic National Park require that you wear a nomex flight suit and a flight helmet when flying on the helicopter.

TRAINING REPORT: Russ Brinton

• The September training was survival training and took place on Saturday September 11^th at McChord Air Force base. Seven members attended and they enjoyed making and drinking a cup of ant tea. The instructor was Mike Miller from McChord Air Force base.
• The survival training was scheduled at the last minute and plan B was a rigging training scenario. It was suggested that this could possibly be a December training.
• Alan, Gus, and Russ recently met to discuss scenarios for the Bates training with Pat Steele.
• Russ has formulated a preliminary training schedule for 2000 and is currently getting feedback from members.
• Russ is also working on a data base that keeps track of training s', and missions that members have attended.

EQUIPMENT REPORT: Ken Capron

• Ken has ordered the two 2" rescue pulleys.
• Ken plans to take the truck home and clean it on the weekend of October 3^rd & 4^Th
• The locks have not been changed. The plan is to complete this at the next general meeting.
• The equipment check out form is completed and should be in use at the next mission.
• Ken is checking into labels for the equipment.
• Ear plugs are needed for the truck. It was thought that we had a supply in the cache but these could not be located on the shelves.

COMMUNICATIONS REPORT: Stan Kartes (absent)

• No report.

SAFETY AND EDUCATION REPORT: Phil Pletcher (absent)

• No report.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Chris Berryman

• Chris is currently reviewing two applications.

FINANCE REPORT: Bill Weber

• No activity.

AIR OPERATIONS REPORT: Jeff Sharp (absent), Fran McFarland reported

• SAR council has decided to dissolve the $21,000 helicopter fund. $17,000 of this money will be made available to the eight SAR teams. The next SAR meeting is October 8^th. The board agreed to give Fran and Alan authority to decide on a final proposal.

SAR COUNCIL MEETING REPORT: Fran McFarland

• SAR will be paying for half of the cost for the hepatitis shots.

SARVAC

• The next meeting is October 23^rd and they will be reviewing a draft form for SARVAC standards.

MAST:

• No activity.

OLD BUSINESS:

• Jim Andrues reviewed a grant application form from REI that could possibly be used for obtaining the gear for the MRNP gear cache. He asked the board members for input for a draft proposal.
• Bill Weber suggested using a septic tank to store the gear in at the two high camps.
• The septic tank at the cache has not been pumped. Bill will contact Hemly regarding this.
• Gus asked the board for names for the treasurer and secretary. The question was asked if board members need to be active members.
• WMRA training was September 26^th and 27^th . Chris reported it was a good productive training and was very organized.

NEW BUSINESS:

• There was a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of whole body vacuum splints.
  Advantages: Very good immobilization, Easy to clean
  Disadvantages: Heavy to carry, Expensive
• Fran is checking into getting a soft litter to replace the one that has been missing since an August mission.
• We are missing a spare battery from one of the new radios. Is it possible that a member with a personal radio harness may have it?
• The annual banquet will be November 17^th at the Mountaineers Clubhouse. It will be a potluck and the speaker will be Mike Gauthier. He will have his new guide book for sale and autographs. Tracy will organize the party preparations and Ken will provide the drinks.
• Alan commented on the problem of board members being absent from the board meetings and not notifying him or someone else. Therefore he requested that at the next board meeting all board members provide to him a name of an alternate for their position who can report when they are absent.
• The purchase of nitrile gloves was discussed. Nitrile gloves are more puncture resistant. Ken will order two boxes each of small and large gloves.

GOOD OF THE ORDER:

·Chris is checking into purchasing a litter bridle.

Adjourn 21:15

Respectfully submitted

Connie Crum
Secretary

The following article was sent to me by former TMRU member Bert Brown he asked that I included it in the Rucksack. Editor

Tacoma is not the only mountain rescue unit to lose a former president recently Harold Pinsch, chairman of Olympic Mountain Rescue 1967-71 died of cancer at 82 on August 30. A memorial service was held in Bremerton on Sept. 3.

Harold was known for a great sense of humor and for his teaching ability. A Bremerton outdoor writer dubbed him "Bluejeans Pinsch", because in climbing classes at Olympic College he led a crusade against wearing Jeans on climbs due to their wicking property and subsequent loss of insulation. He called jeans "disaster sticks."

Pinsch climbed extensively in the northwest, especially in the Olympics. In 1971 he was in a party that explored a little-known range SW of Mt. Olympus, and was instrumental in naming the ridge "Valhalla" and the peaks after gods of Norse mythology. On Rainier he was on an early climb of Ptarmigan Ridge in 1966; and he occasionally went to other western ranges such as the Tetons and Idaho Sawtooth. Following retirement from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard he traveled extensively with his wife Lois, and one of his last 'climbs' was Ayers Rock in Australia.

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from a costumer for a local Seattle production company. She was helping put together a commercial in which a mountain rescue team was resting in the lodge after a big search. She wanted to know how Mountain SAR teams dress. I posted this question on the Mountain Rescue email Lister and received this humorous reply from Andy Jenkins from the Central Washington Mountain Rescue team. Please read it with your sense of humor engaged. Editor

I have some costume advice for the production company wanting to know what mountain rescuers look like after the search:
For the Mountain Rescue Team, tell the costume/props person to line up 6 actor's ages 18 to 70. Dress them up in $800 worth of Gortex and polypropylene. Buy them really expensive packs. Wake them up on Monday morning at 3:30 A.M. Keep them awake until late Thursday afternoon.
Do not feed them anything except one 7-11 prepackaged microwave burrito and two Hershey bars each (do not heat the burrito). Now drag them by their feet (packs and all) down 12 miles of really bad road. Patch up any holes with duct tape that a cat could walk through. Patch up their clothes too. Give them the rope they were dragged by.

On the day of the "after the search shot" have the actors stare a lot. Tell them to laugh at not-so-funny things like a search dog being stung by angry yellow jackets. Instruct them to say the word "friggin'" at least twice in every sentence as in "This friggin' Red Cross baloney sandwich is the best friggin' sandwich I've ever had in my friggin' life!" (if in Canada they should pronounce it "fricken' eh").

At the Command Center there should be at least one tall, law enforcement type in a smokey-the-bear hat who talks a lot. Be sure the actors ignore anything he says. The Incident Commander should be a bearded paunchy guy in camo pants carrying around a radio and quart-sized plastic commuter cup bearing a slogan like "Worlds Greatest Mom" or "Speed week '84." Be sure the searchers ignore him too.

Lastly and most importantly, keep them WET and COLD! Be sure that the mountain rescue actors are never dry in any scene. (Note: If they stop shivering they will doze off.) Don't be alarmed at their frequent and bold urination habits, it's normal. If any of the actors finish this "after the search" scene, have them fill out an MRA application.

Andy Jenkins
CWMR

COME ONE - COME ALL - DON'T MISS THIS!!!

The units' Annual Banquet will be held on Wednesday, November 17th.

We have a GREAT speaker for the night - Mt. Rainier National Park Lead Climbing Ranger, Mike Gauthier (better known to us as 'Gator'). Mike recently wrote a book about Mt. Rainier and has a terrific slide show for us.

We'll be cooking up spaghetti and meatballs for everyone! Please bring a dish (appetizer, salad, bread, hot dish or dessert). Dinner will start at 6:00 P.M. The awards program and Mike's presentation will begin at 7:00 P.M.

Please feel free to bring family, friends or potential new members! The banquet is a great way to meet or touch base with lots of members you may not usually see during the year. If you have any photo's or letters you would like included in the unit archive please bring them to the banquet.

Please RSVP to Tracy Berryman and let her know what you plan to bring. 253-581-6614.

The following members attended the Kit Party on October 6:

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 Gena Williams at 564-0581.

On 10/20 at the Kit & Pizza Party,

The next Kit Component & Pizza Party will be at the Cache, Dec 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m. We need your help.

Congratulations, John Kirkman was elected unit secretary at the last membership meeting. He will serve for two years starting in January.

©Copyright 1999 Tacoma Mountain Rescue