Tuesday, February 23, 2010

BAMRU Welcomes New Member to Team!

At last night's meeting, BAMRU welcomed Kurt Gross to the team as a new trainee member! Kurt has an extensive wilderness and mountaineering background, and 5 years experience with the National Park Service (NPS) as a backcountry ranger in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.

BAMRU welcomes Kurt back to the bay area, excited about his commitment to continued service to the community.

--BAMRU is currently in its recruitment period. For more information please visit our website at www.bamru.org. There is an upcoming open house and general meeting open to guests at 7:00 p.m. on March 15, 2010.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Rogue Wave at Mavericks

BAMRU supports San Mateo county during the annual Mavericks surf contest.  Typical duties include routine medical assistance and crowd control.

But yesterday, the routine was broken by a rogue wave that swept thru the viewing area.



A BAMRU member was hit by the wave, swept 30'-40', and suffered bruises, abrasions, a lost shoe and cellphone.  Among the crowd, there were broken bones, numerous cuts and abrasions.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Evacuation of Injured Ice Climber

On February 6, 2009, during a non-BAMRU related event at Eagle Creek in Tahoe, CA, BAMRU members Jeremy Rahe and Ryan Walton witnessed an ice climber fall 35 feet. The lead ice climber was pulled to the ground by his follower, who took a fall mid-way through the pitch.

A medical response and evacuation was organized. The evacuation team met local emergency response authorities near the entrance of the trail head--approximately 1.5 miles away. The response included the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and El Dorado County Search and Rescue (SAR). El Dorado SAR was conveniently conducting a winter training nearby and able to arrive quickly.
After treatment at the local hospital, the climber called to thank the BAMRU members for the assistance. It was reported that the lead climber sustained a broken rib and a small laceration to his face. The minimal injuries may have been due to the recent snowfall in the Tahoe area, cushioning the climbers' fall.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and El Dorado SAR are commended for their timely and professional response.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Avalanche Control

Funny clip that shows avalanche control operations using a rocket launcher and helicopter.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Iridium Communications Supports BAMRU

In 2009, Iridium Communications (http://iridium.com/) generously donated an Iridium 9505A (http://iridium.com/products/product.php?linx=0001) satellite phone and service to BAMRU. Because of this donation BAMRU was able to maintian vital communication on multiple high-profile searches in areas of California where all other outside forms of communication failed. Iridium Communications recently announced that it would be continuing donated phone service to BAMRU through 2010. BAMRU is very grateful to Iridium for the continued support of search and rescue.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Technical Rescue Training on Alcatraz



Last weekend, Ethan Frantz of BAMRU coordinated a technical rescue rigging training on Alcatraz with the NPS and CoCo SAR. For the training two rescue systems were set up atop the Alcatraz cellhouse. The training was led by BAMRU's Dan Herman and Ben Yaffe, with additional instruction from BAMRU members John Chang and Colin Little.

The training provided a great learning experience for all who attended.

Thank you to the NPS for the great venue, and to CoCo SAR for their support. It was another exceptional day assisting the NPS on Alcatraz.