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DEM #97-1541 |
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The unit was contacted at 12:03 A.M. on the 25th of Aug. by the Pierce County Department of Emergency management. The Lewis County Sheriff had requested our help in the search for David Wells, a lost 13 year old Boy Scout in the Goat Rocks Wilderness near White Pass. David along with his father and about 50 other Scouts had been hiking the Pacific Crest trail. The group had split into two groups, a fast one and a slow one. David was hiking alone between the groups when he came to a fork in the trail and took the wrong one. When the rest of the scout troop reached the Walupt Lake Campground young David was discovered missing and a search was started.
Seven members of the Unit responded they were: Chris Berryman, Fran McFarland, Rick Wire, John Miner, Ed Hrivnak, Eric Hrivnak and Bill Weber. While Chris, Fran, Rick , John and Bill met at the Cache at 4:00 A.M. to drive to the search area in the rescue truck, Ed and Eric went to Rainier 1, the county rescue helicopter, to fly to the area. The rescue truck arrived at the search base at 6:00 A.M. and the team proceeded to establish a landing zone for the helicopter. Due to fog and weather the helicopter did not arrive until 10:00 A.M. A four person team consisting of John and Fran and two members of the Central Mountain Rescue Unit were flown in to replace a team of five sheriff deputies. They had found David's tracks and had trailed him until nightfall the previous night. After inserting the team the helicopter proceeded to conduct an air search with Ed as crew chief and Chris and Rick as searchers. Eric and Bill remained at search base.
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About 5 minutes into the air search Ed spotted something blue
being waved. David had wandered into a hunters camp and had found
a cache of food. He was now waving the blue tarp that covered
the food cache. The helicopter tried to land across a small creek
from him, but had to abort that landing and land a quarter mile
upstream from David. Chris and Rick then hiked through ankle
to knee deep marshy terrain to reach David and then returned with
him to the helo. The scout got his first ever helicopter ride
on the way back to search base. After extracting the four person
team inserted earlier they all returned to a heart felt thanks
from the boys father and mother. Everyone returned to the cache
around 6:00 P.M.
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DEM #97-1628 |
Members of the Unit participated as crew members of the Pierce
county SAR helicopter during this search. Due to the deadline
for the rucksack and the accident, I will have to wait till next
month to write a report on this mission. Editor
IN MEMORIAM
but whose noble soul its fear subdues, and bravely dares the danger to help another. |
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Just another day, just another rappel, no big deal, done it dozens
of times before. At least once in the last week. Rappels are the
basics, the easy stuff when it comes to rescue work.
We meet at the helo for a briefing on the days mission. It's going
to be a simple demonstration of our skills, we've done it before,
nothing new.
We suit up - Nomex flight suit, flight helmets, boots, OOPS! Forgot
the boots in my haste to leave this morning. Oh well, I have some
low top work shoes that will work just fine. Gloves, doubled to
prevent burning of the hands on the planned 100 foot rappel. Harness,
checked and safety checked. Figure 8, my personal ascender, an
aluminum recreational 8, not one of those big steel rescue 8's.
Mine gives me more friction, I'm comfortable with it. I decline
to borrow someone else's. I'm comfortable and don't want to use
a new piece of gear.
We load up, I'm in the right rappel position and Dave is in the
left. We buckle in and connect to communications. We start her
up and head for the end of the field to stage. We make two dry
runs so the crew and pilots can get a feel for the proper set
up and timing. Third time is the charm.
We fly the length of the runway at Clover Park. My thoughts are
on the people watching. A father who stops his car and brings
his young child out to watch, the school students and workers,
half a dozen or so watching. I think "Boy, on Saturday there
will be hundreds if not thousands watching." Gotta make it
look good I think about the procedures in my mind. I'm set, I
check the time, I'm already 30 minutes late for another task,
one of several that day. I'm squeezing this in between a number
of other responsibilities. Oh well they will wait for me, can'
t start without me.
OK signal comes to disconnect. I unplug comm. and unclip the seat
belt. I check my rappel connection and step onto the skid. I watch
the crew chief as Rob deploys the rope. I check the rope, its
on the ground, 100 feet below, a long ways but today height is
not a problem been here done this, got the t shirt
Rob signals to go and I make eye contact with Dave. We lean back
and invert. We come feet free and start down. For a bit we're
even. I look down and the ground is a long way off. I check up
and the helo looks good. Dave is little higher than me, no big
deal, I look down, getting close, signal with my feet that I am
10 feet and BAM! I hit before I am ready or realize I am there.
There is
stunned surprise, no pain, but I know that my leg is broken. Without
looking I know. There was never a moment or any sensation that
anything was wrong until I hit. Then I knew I was too darned fast!
I roll back onto my back thinking, Gotta disconnect, I roll forward
to unclip the figure 8 and I see my right foot. God that's gonna
hurt! feet should not look like that. DAMN DAMN DAMN!!!
John's with me pushing me back and helps finish unclipping my
figure 8. I'm glad he's there. There is a friendly brotherly rivalry
that exists between us but he is solid in a crisis and it's nice
to know he's there.
Pat's there too. Thank god, I'm glad Pat is there, he's got my
foot, it's beginning to hurt, It should hurt a lot more. Pat say's,
"Lean back. Don't look, Tom. You don't want to look."
Too late, I already have.
My pride and ego take a big hit, thank god it's now and not Saturday
in front of the air show and a couple thousand onlookers.
I'm still giving orders while Pat is directing my medical treatment.
I have to make sure tonight's planned exercise goes on without
me, I must get hold of my wife and daughter, She's the one that
I am late in meeting. She won't know what has happened. I need
to take care of my car, my department equipment. I have to make
sure everything is handled. John tells me to relax, it will be
handled.
I hit the ground with my fist. I am so angry only Jay is in the
way, and I punch him out. Sorry Jay.
Lakewood Fire arrives I see more familiar faces. Nitrous and Morphine
Pain. is not too bad. Four minutes from the time of the accident
to aid on scene. 12 minutes to the ER. 4 hours to surgery. 3 and
a half hours of surgery, 2 weeks in bed, 2 months on crutches,
4 to 6 months to return to work.
So what went wrong ???
A lot of little things. Nothing big. All of them my fault. Lets
start with equipment. Better boots with ankle support might have
limited the damage. Pat said it would not have mattered. Boots
would not have prevented the break and would have been more difficult
to remove. Maybe so but I should have had on boots with ankle
support.
The Figure 8. I've tried both steel rescue 8s and my little aluminum
one. I guess I'll check them out again, I always felt more in
control with my little one.
Complacency ?
On two prior rappels I had what was described as rapid descents
with hard landings. Maybe this should have been a warning, it
was one that I paid little attention to.
I'm good, I know all this stuff, I can come and go to training
do my reps, do my time and then do this stuff with my eyes closed.
Training is what I do for other people. I don't need the basic
review. Got more important things to do. You see I fell into an
old trap. I thought I knew it all and I stopped paying attention
to little details. I stopped learning anything new about something
that I thought I was all knowing.
Fail to pay attention to details ?
My mind was wandering. I was in a hurry to be somewhere else.
I failed to perceive danger, I failed to perceive my excess speed.
I was too comfortable in a very dangerous situation. This is not
a game we play. It is deadly serious with serious consequences
for any mistake no matter how small. As I write this a tragedy
in the Olympics is unfolding involving rescuers and helicopters
that shows just how serious those consequences may be.
Prior injury ?
Surgery in the last year has left my right arm weaker and less
able to grip than before. This may be the cause of those fast
rappels. Maybe I was in too big a hurry to return to get back
into the thick of things. I felt good, felt ready, but this work
requires 110% effort and 100 % capability. 90% is not good enough
with all the other little things that piled on this day. I couldn't
compensate and I wasn't lucky this day.
What we do is hard work, it's dangerous, exciting, rewarding and
it's fun. But it takes commitment and concentration as well as
desire and dedication to succeed
I was lucky. A 100 foot near freefall and all I get is one broken
leg that will mend. What if this had been on a real mission, in
the back country with a real victim's life in jeopardy I hate
to think of how different it could have turned out under different
circumstances.
What have I learned ?
Things happen very suddenly and without warning that can change
our lives dramatically. Just that week officer Lowrey dies in
a shootout, two days later Princess Di dies in a car wreck, and
this week three are dead in a helicopter accident during a rescue.
Makes my incident pale by comparison. The point is they were all
unanticipated, sudden and dramatic. We must be realistic and recognize
the hazards we face.
We are never too old or too experienced to learn ?
It validates our training program. It validates the need for standards
and demonstrated competency for SAR volunteers. We must maintain
and demonstrate our skills on a regular basis. Past performance
is not necessarily a valid measure of current ability. Our standards
need to be high and we need to be held to those standards across
the board.
We must maintain our skills both as rescuers and as first aid
providers. We may be called upon suddenly to use those skills
on one of our own. We expect the best.
Attention to detail is important
If you question the wisdom of someone's actions no matter how
small, question them If you're concerned or see a problem, ensure
that the other person sees the same problem. I was blind to my
weakness and to my vulnerability and chose to ignore common safety
practices, i.e. proper foot wear
I have now had two unique opportunities to be a victim. Jeff,
Ed, John and Pat may begin to find reasons not to climb with me
since they have been my rescuers both times. As a victim you are
in need of support and care. I got both in great quantity and
quality from my rescuers.
The professionalism showed in the rapid, efficient and careful
evacuation and treatment. Emotions were high but did not hinder
the process in either situation. I knew there was a quiet concerned
urgency among my friends and I had total confidence in their ability
because I knew how well trained they all are. They were the best
I could get.
I had the advantage of knowing what was happening. Someone else, a normal victim, would not have that advantage They need compassion, reassurance, comfort. They need explanations of what has happened, what is going to happen and what to expect. A victim's view is limited to the sky above. Not much else. They need to know what is happening around them. Their concerns
for family and other affairs is important to them. Help them deal
with those issues, listen to their concerns and answer their questions
honestly. You lose control when you are injured like this and
a victim has to trust the responder and feel confidant in the
final outcome or anxiety will heighten the fear.
Everyone who works in the rescue world should experience the incident
from the victims perspective. It is a learning experience. Though
l do not recommend these extreme measures to gather this experience.
Thank you one and all who were there, who assisted in any way
and to all those who called or sent well wishes, it was well received
and much appreciated. And yes this was just a test, and you all
passed.
Thanks,
Thomas Miner
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The Cache Hotline is expanding. There will be three extensions now.
If you would like to have an event or meeting posted call Tracy
Berryman at (253)5816614.
Keep the following form to remember
the information needed.
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EVENT MESSAGE REQUEST call Tracy (253) 581-6614 WHAT(bbq, party, climb, etc.)______________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ WHERE(address, trail, etc.)________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ BRING(Gear, food, tools, requirements, etc.)_______________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ WHO(to respond to or get more info from)___________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ List update weekly unless requested otherwise______________ ___________________________________________________________ |
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August 27, 1997 |
Call to order: 19:52 hrs.
Board members in attendance:
| Ed Hrivnak Alan Givotosky Chris Berryman Jim Howe Jim Andrues |
Rob Lutz Jeff Sharp Bill Weber Rick Wire Mike Mixon. |
| Gus Bush Stan and Angela Kartes. |
Respectfully submitted,
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The following members attended the kit party on Sep 3, 1997:
| Shorty Williams John Simac Bill Weber Jim Andrues |
Gus Bush Fran Mcfarland Bob Renz Stan and Angela Kartes |
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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