Category: Public Education

TIME IS GROWING SHORT – SIGN UP NOW! If you have not signed up for any of the pre-conference classes, please contact the instructors to check on space to attend. K-9 Pre-Conference Classes K-9 HRD Land and Water – Contact – Roy Pesc rspescador@gmail.com K-9 Trailing – Contact –  Jennifer Hall searchdog-iz@comcast.net K-9 Air Scent – Contact – Chris Terpstra cpt@treefrog.org SAR Management Pre-Conference Classes SAR Management – Contact – Long, Chris (MIL) chris.long@mil.wa.gov) We have a great list of classes we are planning to offer.  Our SAR Management, Medical, K-9, and Volunteer Management and Leadership tracks are excellent with many new classes that we have not offered before.  Take a few minutes to go to WASARCON.org and check out the list of potential classes. This year’s Washington State SAR Conference is fast approaching. It’s being held June 17-23, 2019 at Central Washington University (CWU) and the Kittitas Valley Events Center (KVEC) in Ellensburg. The conference web site is http://www.wasarcon.org/. There is an excellent line up of both pre-conference courses and conference classes focused on SAR incident management, search planning, and SAR leadership. See the conference web site for full descriptions, more class offerings, and registration.

Beginning in late 2017, SCVSAR started to assemble a new team to enable the use of drones, which are more formally known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), as a new tool to help with searches and other missions supported by SCVSAR. The new team has been structured to follow policies that have been put in place by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on the use of UAV’s, and SCVSAR received an official go ahead to begin utilizing UAV’s on missions in March of this year. Part of the policy that was put in place requires that the individuals who will be piloting the UAV’s be compliant with FAA regulations, which require that they pass an FAA-mandated test in addition to passing both a written and a flight test within SCVSAR. To date, SCVSAR has approved seven individuals through the pilot approval process and these are known as Remote Pilots in Command or RPIC’s. SCVSAR has deployed UAV’s on over nine missions so far this year, and on each of these missions the UAV’s are showing significant value by enabling the search of areas too difficult or too hazardous for members of our ground teams to search. In addition, we are […]

Sgt. John Q. Adams has been with the Snohomish County Sheriff since he left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996. John served 10 years as a patrol deputy in South Snohomish County and was promoted to Master Patrol Deputy while there. He has served in Property Crimes, as a member of SWAT and as a Dive Team member. He is also a member of Everett Mountain Rescue. John has a strong interest in the wilderness of Snohomish County and began preparing to apply for the SAR Sargent position before it was open. He went on a few missions to get to know how SAR operated, learn policies and be ready when the job opened. This year our SAR Sargent for the last 22+ years, Sgt. Danny Wikstrom, retired. Sgt. Adams was ready and applied for the position. He received his appointment to SAR Sargent in February and is ready just in time for the 2018 rescue season. We look forward to working with Sgt. Adams!

  Rikki King, Everett Herald SNOHOMISH — Children go straight for the buttons and levers. “It’s amazing to see their eyes and the expression when they’re at the controls,” said Bill Quistorf, the chief pilot for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. “They’re in another world. They’re flying a helicopter.” The sheriff’s office frequently sends its helicopters to fairs, parades and festivals. Children line up to climb through the cabin while parents snap pictures. An exciting new attraction is coming in the form of a refurbished vintage helicopter… read more at the Everett Herald by clicking here.

On a mild Saturday afternoon in May of 2016, a group of teens embarked on a day-hike to Blanca Lake, in the remote Cascade Mountains.  As they hiked up the steep trail they had no way of knowing that one of them would soon be lost and in peril. They had no way of knowing that their plans would dramatically alter the Mother’s Day plans of Search and Rescue volunteers from across seven counties. They had no way of knowing how many strangers would sacrifice their time to search hazardous mountain terrain for someone they had never met. As the teens worked their way up the arduous trail, they encountered snow above 3000 feet, making the trail slippery and hard to follow.  Soon, one member of the group, an 18 year old female, decided she did not want to continue.  She informed her friends that she would hike back down alone and meet them at the trailhead. Late in the afternoon, when the group returned to the trail head their friend was not there.  After waiting some time and trying to find her they called 911 at 9PM that night.  Local Sheriff Deputies responded and were unable to reach her […]

  Whether you consider yourself a hard-core outdoor enthusiast or just an occasional backcountry explorer, learn more about when you should call Search and Rescue, what information you should provide, how long a typical response takes, and more.   QUESTION: How do I call Search and Rescue? ANSWER: The only way to get in touch with Search and Rescue in Snohomish County is to call 911. The initial call may be handled by King County, Washington State Patrol or other dispatch agencies depending on where you are. Explain the nature of your emergency and, if you are in the backcountry, where you are and the trailhead you accessed. 911 will need this information in case you need to get transferred to SNOPAC for the Snohomish County Sheriff. They will have someone from Search and Rescue call you. QUESTION: What if I don’t have cell service? ANSWER: You can try texting 911 regardless of if you have cellular phone services available at your location. You may be instructed to turn off the phone to conserve battery life, and turn it on at scheduled intervals to text 911 and update them on the patient’s status. (Click here for more information about Text […]