On August 2nd, the Snohomish County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) honored Bill Quistorf with the following release: A huge congratulations and thank you to Chief Pilot Bill Quistorf for 20 years of dedicated service to the residents and visitors of Snohomish County. He has flown hundreds of life-saving rescue missions in the backcountry. We are very grateful to have such an experienced and knowledgeable pilot on our Search and Rescue team! Please join us in honoring Chief Pilot Quistorf for his 20 years of service to our community!

Yesterday afternoon Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue’s units respond to a call for help at Mount Pilchuck for an injured hiker. SCVSAR volunteers along with help from King County ESAR and Skagit SAR volunteers were able to carry the person out by wheeled litter from this rugged and very rocky trail. SCVSAR is always looking for dedicated volunteers. You can go to our web page at https://scvsar.org/volunteer for details about joining.

Originally shared on Facebook In 2020, our Search and Rescue (SAR) unit had 457 total missions and 8 recoveries (fatalities), which was a 38% increase from 2019 when SAR had 331 total missions and 1 recovery (fatality). Just this past weekend, SAR had a dozen incident responses. As a reminder, please know your limits, check trail conditions online before you leave, have a plan and tell a trusted person when you are expected to return, and ALWAYS pack the 10 essentials, even for a day hike! Friday, May 28: SAR responded to Barlow Pass for an overdue hiker. His vehicle was located at the trailhead unoccupied and he was reported as possibly missing for six days. Due to it being dark, search teams arranged for the helo to launch at daylight. Saturday, May 29: The following morning, SnoHawk10 was launched to help locate the missing hiker. While searching for the missing hiker, SnoHawk10 diverted to Coal Lake for two teenagers who fell through ice and into the lake. The crew checked and assessed both subjects after they were able to self-rescue. SnoHawk10 returned to Barlow Pass to continue searching for the missing hiker. Eventually, the subject was located when he […]

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.”

Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue 2020 Annual Terry Tibke Memorial Award Honoree Edwin Prada Of the previous well deserving 43 annual Tibke Honorees, it would be very hard to find one that epitomizes the spirit of Terry Tibke more than Edwin Prada. Within SAR, there is no one who is more “always there, getting tasks done, and never noticed” than Edwin. Edwin first joined the Snohomish Unit in 1997 and was always a frequent responder. Three years later, he joined the Helicopter Rescue Team and is currently the longest serving Rescue Technician and longtime Assistant Coordinator for the team. He also became a member of Everett Mountain Rescue Unit in 2004 and is one of the longest serving members there as well. While those are important contributions in themselves, what is truly special about Edwin is what you do not see. If you try to point out his contributions that you notice, he will always say “I prefer to stay invisible”. He does not need, and especially does not want to receive recognition. He just likes to quietly do his thing without the distraction of being noticed or praised. Some examples of his behind-the-scenes work have touched us all. […]

At the recent Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s 2020 annual awards ceremony, our Helicopter Response Team was honored with Life Saving Awards and Medals. The award was for helping to save the life of a badly injured hiker on Table Mountain last August. The on duty team members that day are pictured left to right, starting from the second person on the left are Crew Chief Randy Wilkins, Recue Technician Yana Radenska, Flight Medic Richard Duncan, Pilot Jennifer Stollwerck, and Pilot-in-Command Steve Klett. Also pictured on each end are the presenting Sheriff’s Office command staff including Sheriff Adam Fortney on the far right.

How do you sum up the life of a man who meant so much to so many? The fact is…you can’t. A man’s life is more than the sum of his accomplishments. The legacy we each leave consists of the lives we have touched and changed along the way. This biography is an ongoing project. Year to year it will change and grow as those of you who knew Terry add stories and memories to those contained here. In this way the memory of Terry Tibke, and all that he meant to Search and Rescue in Snohomish County, will be kept alive. “That Others May Live” The Life of Terry Tibke Originally compiled by Matt Condon Revision September 2003**                 The neighbors must have wondered what was going on when they saw the young boy sleeping out in the rain. He had no tent. A ground cloth, a sleeping bag, and a small tarp were the only things between him and the elements. The neighbors, however, weren’t seeing the result of some cruel punishment, but the beginnings of what would become a very determined young man. One day Terry had announced to his mother that he was going to sleep […]

On the 7th Anniversary of the Oso Landslide, we would like to take some time to reflect: The Oso landslide on March 22, 2014 was, and remains, the deadliest single landslide event in United States history, claiming 43 lives in our local community. The mud, soil and rock debris left from the slide covered an area 1,500 ft (5 football fields) long, 4,400 ft (14.7 football fields) wide and deposited debris 30 ft (2 stories) to 70 ft (5 stories) deep. For Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue (SCVSAR), the Oso landslide was one mission, lasting 38 days: 130 SCVSAR personnel made 697 responses for a total of 8,455 volunteer hours: more volunteer hours than we normally would have in an entire year of missions. Our Operations Support Unit (OSU) and our Helicopter Rescue Team (HRT) were activated for the entire 38 days.  They were tasked with supporting the airspace in and nearby the slide area as well as maintaining a hoist-capable helicopter with an EMT and/or Paramedic ready to support the hundreds of onsite workers at the Slide Area. Our K-9 Team, Swiftwater Rescue, 4×4 and Ground Teams also provided significant support throughout the 38-day mission. SCVSAR currently has over 200 active […]