By Adam Garica
On March 7 BAMRU members woke up in beautiful Joshua Tree National Park to participate in this year's Technical Rock reaccreditation. Hosted by Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, the location, weather, and problems couldn't have been better.
A morning briefing let
everyone get the last bit of drowsiness out of their system, and before BAMRU
knew it we were on our way to the first problem. Our subject was located on the
top of one side of a ravine, and while in otherwise good health, a lower leg
injury required their evacuation to the ravine floor and out to the trailhead.
An advance team quickly made their way to the subject to assess medical
condition, and to come up with a rigging plan while the remaining team members
unloaded the required gear.
The decision was made to
rig a guiding line, which would allow BAMRU to lower the subject and litter
attendant to the ravine floor while keeping them suspended above the rock for
an easier descent. A rope was strung across the ravine, many anchors were built
and double-checked for strength and safety, and after a couple hours the system
was moving. The subject and attendant were safely lowered and the litter was
then carried out by waiting BAMRU members. From the time we opened our problem
envelope to the moment our two proctors called the end of the scenario took
four hours, almost to the second.
The team took a quick
moment to eat, repack gear, and get ready for the second (and final) problem,
and then we were off! The second problem consisted of a stranded climber who
had dislodged a rock while rappelling and injured their ankle. When we arrived
at the bottom of the cliff we discovered a second party who had been struck by
the falling boulder. Priority was given to the injured party on the ground due to
the nature of their injuries and their medical condition, and after quickly
packaging the subject they were carried to the road by hand, while three BAMRU
members made their way to the cliff above the stranded climber to execute a
pick-off. One BAMRU member was lowered to the climber, where they tied the
climber into their rescue system, and then lowered to the ground without
incident.
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