May 2021

Congratulations to new volunteer SCVSAR members who worked hard to pass the 3-day SAR Academy in Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue! We also congratulate existing members who were able to refresh some field core competencies and search techniques in a wilderness environment. The weekend’s training, augmented by prior online classes, included an unplanned bivouac and a mock search & rescue, with special focus on the following skills: GPS and Navigation with Compass Overnight shelter, with gear, as well as Alternate Shelter Identification Pack a Subject in a Litter for Transport to definitive care, as well as the transport activities Day and Night Grid Searches as well as an Evidence Search Average Range of Detection (AROD) search techniques Conduct GAR Assessments (Green/Amber/Red safety level for missions) Operate and Communicate on a SAR radio Bone Immobilization, and Glove Removal to manage blood borne pathogen safety. We send special thanks to the organizers and instructors who made this all possible. SCVSAR is welcoming new recruits who wish to join. The next SAR Academy will be held in Fall 2021, with online learning and orientation opportunities until then. Joining SAR is a great way to give back to the community while also learning […]

On Sunday night, 5-16-2021, at about 8:30pm, 911 was notified of an injured hiker on the Heather Lake trail on the Mountain Loop Highway. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue deputy was dispatched and quickly determined from the reporting friends that the person had a leg injury and was not able to walk. The deputy then called out Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue and 14 volunteers responded. The volunteers headed up the Heather Lake trail and found the injured person and 2 friends about 2 miles up trail. The volunteers then used their wheeled litter to carry the injured person back down to the trailhead; arriving there at about 4:30am to the subject’s waiting and very grateful family and friends. As always SAR encourages all hikers to carry the Ten Essentials and leave word with a responsible person of where you went and when you’ll be back. Yesterday started out as a beautiful day. But if you get disoriented, lost or injured and can’t move, what started out as a perfect day can become a very long and uncomfortable night. Thank you to our 14 volunteers for the quick response and successful overnight rescue mission. This would […]

On May 1st, Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue (SCVSAR) conducted a joint training session with our Operations Support Unit (OSU) and our K-9 Team. This training was developed in preparation for the 2021 search season, to ensure we are all working at our pinnacle skill set when finding those who are lost. The coordinators for this training session designed a common search scenario in the Snohomish County woods for missing hikers and helped develop a plan for the K-9 Team members to search for the subjects. The scenario ended with all subjects being found successfully. This was a full day of training with K-9s and their Dog Handers, Operations, and (to ensure a great turnout ) our Food Truck, that renewed skills after the winter lull, and reiterated our basic foundation that we build upon in SCVSAR. In the end, teamwork between command staff and searchers in the field collaborating together is essential to our goals. Interested in joining Search & Rescue? We’re always looking for motivated, dedicated people, who will train for and deploy on missions…“THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE.”