Mori Point Search

On Saturday, March 24th BAMRU was requested for a delayed callout Sunday at Mori Point.

The goal of the operational period was to search some sections of beach that had been inaccessible during previous efforts. A very low tide was predicted for 0705 and we had a very narrow window to accomplish our goals. Volunteer Marines had pointed to a sea cave that they felt should be investigated.

We decided to build a personal rope system to provide access.  Members rappelled into the cove and searched the bottom, but found nothing of interest.

After a short debrief, most members drove to Huddart Park to support the mock search that was the conclusion of BAMRU SAR Basic training weekend.

BASARC Training

Over the weekends of February 11 - 12 and 18 - 19, 2012, four BAMRU
members attended and successfully completed Bay Area Search and Rescue Council's (BASARC) Managing the Lost Person Incident (MLPI) course.  One BAMRU member assisted with instruction.

The course discussed search management, particularly the
section chief roles, in all phases of a search from the initial
decision to initiate a call out, through hasty and multiple operational
periods, and through successful finds, suspension decisions,
demobilization, and continued search efforts in the event that a
subject is not found. 


All BAMRU members gained greater knowledge of
the BASARC standard of search management and experience working with
other Bay Area teams in a management capacity.  We extend our thanks to
BASARC for the invitation for us to attend and providing the
opportunity to learn from our search and rescue colleagues.

Additional Promotions of early 2012

We've had such a great start to the year that it's been hard to keep up!

Ranger Gibbs at rock skills training.

Kurt instructing comms to new recruits.

In addition to the members in the previous post, BAMRU also promoted Kurt Gross early this year from trainee to field member.  Kurt is an EMT and spent several seasons as a back country ranger in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park.  Kurt is one of two experienced NPS Rangers on our team, the second being John Gibbs who joined us towards the end of 2011.

Ed Daley kicked off 2012 as another one of our newest Field Members.  If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend that you sit down with him sometime and ask him about his pilot days and about his experience working with NASA....or climbing with Chouinard.

Ed on Andesite ridge in January.

Last but not least, this year we also welcomed John Lissoway onto the team as a trainee.  John is an M.D. who has come the Bay Area to complete a fellowship at Stanford in wilderness medicine.

John L. trying his hand at placing pickets.

Congrats and welcome!  BAMRU is honored to have such a breadth of experience on the team.

Time Flies When You're Searching and Rescuing

Where has the time gone?!  Below is a belated summary of 2011, another banner year for BAMRU, and a brief update on 2012 thus far.  Now if we could just get a little snow!

Emilie on the summit of Mt. Kosciusko
post surgery!  

Recent promotions and team accomplishments:

• Emilie Cortes has moved from Support member to Trainee member after facing a long ACL surgery recovery which is still in progress. Congrats Emilie, so glad to see you on the mend!
• Blake Gleason received his Technical Rock skills endorsement.
• Chris Kantarjiev received his Technical Rock and Snow and Ice skills endorsements.

These are two of three endorsements that team members can earn towards becoming a technical member of the team (the third being in Navigation and Wilderness Search).  Earning an endorsement in any of these disciplines means that the individual has a depth of experience with the extensive set of skills in each category that allows them to confidently and safely use them in the field.  Congratulations Chris and Blake!

Blake in his element as litter attendant ~1,000ft. from the
valley floor!

Chris on Mt. Rainier, a successful summit day! 14,411ft. 

Skyline Blvd., Clouds Rest Search

At 0254 on Sunday February 12th, BAMRU was paged for an in county search off of Skyline Blvd.

The subjects were two teenagers who had gone for a walk at 2300 hrs. They had subsequently called their parents to alert them that they had become disoriented and estimated themselves to be about 1 mile from the trail head.

Command Post was set up in the back of a truck at the Vista Point trail head on Skyline Blvd by the San Mateo County SAR team. Reports from the subjects' last phone call indicated that they had walked about 200ft from the trail entrance, turned 90 degrees to the right and taken the trail about a mile or so before becoming disoriented and lost. BAMRU team members followed the description of the route in an attempt to find the point last seen and see if they might be hunkered down somewhere nearby. Searchers also searched the area between Skyline and the trail, and along the entire network of trails in the direction which the subjects had traveled. Dog teams were also on scene.

The fog was incredibly dense and it was cold, windy, muddy and wet. Hypothermia was definitely a concern for potentially under-prepared subjects. After searching for approximately two hours with no significant clues or responses to voice calls, we returned to CP. While waiting for the next search assignments, a call came in over the radio that they had been located alive and well. They were at the end of the Alder Spring Trail where they had sought shelter for the night.

We are very happy that the two were uninjured and returned home safe.