2011 Year End Summary

2011 Year End Summary:

In 2011 BAMRU participated in 28 missions, logged 2352 human-hours on missions , and 6120 human-hours  (1769 more than last year!) on training, in addition to countless hours which each member logged to enhance personal skills, knowledge, and abilities. We also saw seven membership promotions and reluctantly but proudly let other members go to pursue their dreams.

The team was also able to make a good dent in our fundraising goals thanks to Cal Hoagland and the fundraising committee. We hope to continue this trend in 2012 in order to maintain our readiness which relies on team equipment and skills for our members.  If you would like to help us in this endeavor, you can donate here:  http://www.bamru.info/donate 


Looking forward to a safe and happy 2012!   

Fall Training Summary

It's been a busy fall for the Bamruvians.

We kicked off the season of change with a succesful North Peak summit in September; the final in a series of summer alpine trainings which brought us to Mt. Abbot, Laurel and Conness.

In October, we held our medical training in Redwood City. This two day course was designed for SAR volunteers and presented by Tom Lass (Firefighter Paramedic) and Dr. John Lissoway of Stanford.  We covered patient care issues encountered in outdoor and high altitude emergencies, basic patient assessment, triage in the wilderness, wilderness emergency scenarios and use of various search and rescue equipment. 

For November's training we found ourselves hanging over a rocky ledge in a Berekeley park as we reviewed and refined skills from triangulating to building and running technical rope hauling systems.  Our skills training day  is an opportunity for team and field members to get important, hands on skills practice in any area.

This past weekend, we took the opportunity to stay local once again before the snow hits, and we practiced setting up the field antenna with our beloved truck "Baby Blue".  The field antenna can be set up to extend well above the height of the truck and provides us with a better radio range for vital communications on searches.

This month, members of BAMRU will be digging out their snowshoes, crampons and ice axes as we say goodbye to the fall and prepare for the winter season.  This winter our team will be readying ourselves for participation in the Mountain Rescue Association's snow and ice re-cert on March 3rd, 2012 in June Lake.         

Give the Gift of Someone Being Found!

If you're a snowboarder, skier, hiker, climber, or a person who ever leaves the house, there is a chance that someday you or someone you know may require the help of search and rescue.  This holiday season, consider helping our team to continue to operate by making an online donation.  Donations of $25 or more will receive a  BAMRU t-shirt in return.  Wishing everyone safe and happy holidays from BAMRU!

To redeem your t-shirt, send your donation confirmation with shirt size, color, and shipping information to jamescutsinger at yahoo.com     click here to donate

Thankfully, search and rescue call outs don't always come pouring in.  When we aren't training or participating in an operation, BAMRU team members can be found volunteering at events all over our local community.  Here are some of the things we've been up to this fall. 

Urban Shield:
Over the weekend of October 15 - 17, BAMRU was requested to provide staff at the annual Urban Shield SWAT exercise. During the weekend, SWAT teams from around the world converged on the Bay Area to compete, with each team not sleeping for more than a few hours the entire weekend and performing tasks from rappelling off the Bay Bridge to taking a building back from terrorists.  Over 75 law enforcement  agencies took part in one form or another and over 3,000 persons were involved in the event as participants, role players, or volunteers.  The exercise was operated by the Alameda County Sheriff, with BAMRU operating on behalf of the San Mateo County Sheriff.

We extend our thanks and congratulations to the teams who participated and look forward to helping with other trainings in the future.

Halfmoon Bay Pumpkin Festival:
The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Fest is the biggest coastside art & music festival of the year; the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (and BAMRU) provided traffic control and crowd services.  A BAMRU team memebr was on site to help with logistics, crowd control and traffic control at several locations, and returned three lost children to their mothers.

Hug-a-Tree:
Hug-a-tree is a community outreach program for which we periodically perform presentations on behalf of the Sheriff's Office. The program teaches kids (and parents) some basic and vital survival principles to use if they ever get lost.  We have performed this for schools, youth groups, Boy & Girl Scouts, friends and family groups. It promotes good practices for kids (and adults) when going into the back country and can have applications for urban environments as well.

Coming up- Storm Watch:
The rainy season is upon us.  Although we welcome the needed water, sometimes we get too much of a good thing.  When the weather results in dangerous conditions you can expect to see BAMRU members out in the community assisting the San Mateo County Sheriff's office with their Storm Watch program.  'Storm Watch' is an emergency response procedure that the San Mateo Sheriff's Office uses for the Santa Cruz mountains and San Mateo coast.

Free Topo Maps

BAMRU is a heavy user of GPS and Mapping tools, and has deep experience with a variety of products. Having quick access to current maps is critical for our team.

One of our members has developed CalTopo, a website with printable USGS topos for all of California. It's faster and more convenient than any service we've seen. CalTopo was created for search and rescue teams, and now for the first time it is available to the general public.

Give CalTopo a try, and if you like it, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to BAMRU. Learn More