Volunteer Memorial Dedication Ceremony

The Sheriff Department’s Search and Rescue Council, which is comprised of members from each search and rescue unit, coordinated the design and purchase of a memorial to recognize those volunteers who lost their lives in the line of duty.  This memorial is dedicated to all volunteers within the Department, not just search and rescue.  

It is with sadness that we will be adding two more names to this memorial.  Walt Peterson, a Wrightwood Search and Rescue member died while recovering Sheriff’s Department equipment from the side of Mt. Whitney on June 23, 2000.  Gary Card was a search and rescue volunteer with the Morongo Basin Search and Rescue team and he died while serving during a Search & Rescue mission on April 26, 2010.  Both of these volunteers gave the ultimate sacrifice and died doing what they loved; helping others.

A dedication ceremony will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at Sheriff’s Headquarters, 655 East 3rd Street in San Bernardino.  There will be a reception in the 2nd Floor Main Conference room from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. with the ceremony beginning promptly at 3:00 p.m.  We will begin by remembering these two remarkable men and their valuable service to the Department.  The ceremony will conclude with an unveiling of their names on the Volunteer Memorial.

This ceremony is open to all employees, volunteers and their families. Please read the flyer for more info.

The Sheriff Department’s Search and Rescue Council, which is comprised of members from each search and rescue unit, coordinated the design and purchase of a memorial to recognize those volunteers who lost their lives in the line of duty.   This memorial is dedicated to all volunteers within the Department, not just search and rescue. 

It is with sadness that we will be adding two more names to this memorial.  Walt Peterson, a Wrightwood Search and Rescue member died while recovering Sheriff’s Department equipment from the side of Mt Whitney on June 23, 2000.  Gary Card was a search and rescue volunteer with the Morongo Basin Search and Rescue team and he died while serving during a Search & Rescue mission on April 26, 2010.  Both of these volunteers gave the ultimate sacrifice and died doing what they loved; helping others.

A dedication ceremony will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at Sheriff’s Headquarters, 655 East 3^rd Street in San Bernardino.  There will be a reception in the 2^nd Floor Main Conference room from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. with the ceremony beginning promptly at 3:00 p.m.  We will begin by remembering these two remarkable men and their valuable service to the Department.  The ceremony will conclude with an unveiling of their names on the Volunteer Memorial.

This ceremony is open to all employees, volunteers and their families. 

BMC is Coming!

The Basic Mountaineering Course is just around the corner. The lectures are Nov 20-21, and the field portion is in January. Please see the previous post for information on prerequisites and how to sign up.

Check out the flyer for more information on the class.

California State SAR Memorial Challenge Coin

Challenge coins are being sold to raise funds for the California State Search and Rescue Memorial. The coins are available pre-order for $15.00 each.

Check out the flyer for an image of the coin and further information.

Please make checks payable to:

Inland Empire Search & Rescue Council
C/O San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Volunteer Forces Unit
655 East Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415

If you have questions please send email to tpaterson@sbcsd.org

Boots on the Trail Nov 6, 2010

The next "Boots on the Trail" hike is in the Mt. Baldy area. There is a trail from Manker flats that goes up to the ski area (Baldy Notch) and then across the Devils Backbone to Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) this is the first leg. For the second leg we will take the North Devils Backbone and hit three more peaks, Dawson Peak, Pine Mountain and Wright Mountain and head down Acorn Trail into Wrightwood. 

View Boots on the Trail 11/6/2010 in a larger map

The first leg is 6.8, second leg is 7.8 for a total of 14.6 miles. For those wanting to do the first leg only they will turn around at the summit of Mt. San Antonio for a round trip of 13.6. For those wanting to go the full route we will have a car shuttle once we get to Wrightwood to bring us back to the Mt. Baldy side of the mountain. The full route is a lot of elevation gain and loss with 4 peaks, so only 1 mile longer but much harder. 

For those wanting something a little shorter there is the option to take the ski lift up to Baldy Notch then hike over to Mt. San Antonio and back to the ski lift for a round trip of 6.4 miles. 

This one is going to take a little more planning with a different exit point so let me know as soon as possible if you are wanting to go, that gives me time to set it all up.

See you on the Mountain 

             John         



SAR Mission Near Fairview Valley

On Saturday October 9, 2010 the Victor Valley SAR team conducted their annual 24 hr. training, which, this year, was directed at BSAR Skills certification.The team met at a campsite in the Stoddard Valley area, located north of Apple Valley between HWY 15 and HWY 247. The day started with the unit meeting followed by members transitioning from one test area to another. During the lunch break a few of us were discussing past overnights and how we seem to always end up in a "for real" situation.

The testing was completed by 1700 and dinner was completed by 1900. A night ATV certification ride was started at about 2000, traveling from the campsite to Slash X Ranch following Stoddard Valley Road and Powerline Road (about 16 miles). An emergency communication (2130) from our Commander indicated than Reserve/SAR Jim Andrews had monitored a dispatch that indicated that there was a missing (4 hours) female motorcycle rider in the Fairview Valley area and that deputies were being sent. He immediately called dispatch and requested that the Watch Commander contact him concerning the missing person. After a brief discussion (we were already in night search mode), a hasty team consisting of members that were in camp (BSAR staff, ground members, and additional ATV riders) proceeded to the search area (approx 2230) and the ATV team was recalled to refuel and get an update.

View Fairview Valley SAR Mission in a larger map

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Volunteer of the Quarter

The Volunteer Forces Division has been looking for ways to recognize volunteers for their exemplary contributions to not only the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, but the community as a whole. After considerable thought, the division decided to initiate a Volunteer of the Quarter award. Stations and divisions within the Department would nominate a volunteer, based on certain criteria, and the staff at Volunteer Forces would then determine who would receive the distinction. One of these volunteers would then be chosen as Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers of the Quarter and the Volunteer of the Year would be recognized at the end of the year.

The first recipient of Volunteer of the Quarter is Todd Petersen, a volunteer with the Sheriff's Dive Team. Todd was recognized on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at the Command Staff meeting in Big Bear Lake. By reviewing the contributions Todd has made to the Sheriff’s Department and the County of San Bernardino, it is not difficult to see why he was chosen.The Volunteer Forces Division has been looking for ways to recognize volunteers for theirexemplary contributions to not only the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department butthe community as a whole. After considerable thought, the division decided to initiate a Volunteer of the Quarter award. Stations and divisions within the Department would nominate a volunteer, based on certain criteria, and the staff at Volunteer Forces would then determine who would receive the distinction. One of these volunteers would then be chosenas Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers of the Quarter and the Volunteer of the Year would berecognized at the end of the year.The first recipient of Volunteer of the Quarter is Todd Petersen, a volunteer with the Sheriff's Dive Team. Todd was recognized on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at the Command Staffmeeting in Big Bear Lake. By reviewing the contributions Todd has made to the Sheriff’sDepartment and the County of San Bernardino, it is not difficult to see why he was chosen.

Continue to read the full article

Search for a Missing Skydiver

This was a new one for me. I have been on countless searches in my years in SAR, but I have never searched for somebody who may have fallen from the sky. Vladimir Frolov, a visitor from Russia,  was reported missing by the Perris Skydiving Center when his car was discovered in the parking lot at closing time. Nobody has seen him since he registered for a solo jump on Saturday, September 25. A mutual aid request was made by Riverside County to assist in the search of a nearby field. Members of the Cave and Technical Rescue Team, Rim SAR, SB Mountain SAR, and West Valley SAR participated in the search accompanied by Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, Riverside Desert SAR, San Diego Mountain Rescue Team, and a number of Riverside County mounted folks.

Normally if we encounter heavy brush on a search we look for signs that somebody had entered the thicket. The tell-tale footprint, or broken limbs are indicators of such activity. What happens when the person enters the thicket from the sky? There is no peripheral evidence in such cases, and every thicket must be searched regardless of what things look like from the outside. Tracking? Forget it. None of the usual tools apply in such cases. Once a likely area is determined, about the only thing that works is a grid search. In the heavy brush, the searchers need to be at arms length to get any reasonable POD. As you know, this is painstaking work.

The search managers assigned us to teams of 4 or so, but we actually searched as part of a large team made up of 3 or 4 of these 4-person teams. I thought this was an efficient way to do such things. That way, if you needed to send a group of searchers to another area, or give them a different task, you already had the sub-groups determined. I'll keep that in mind for the next time. Below is my track for the day. It is amazing how little foliage is shown from the aerial image.

Riverside County press release on the missing skydiver, Vladimir Frolov

Update on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 19:20 by Jeff Lehman

Farmer finds human remains southeast of Perris Valley Airport. Authorities suspect that this is the missing skydiver, Vladimir Forlov.

Read the Press-Enterprise article.

Below is the approximate area as described in the Press-Enterprise article.

View Frolov in a larger map

Search Underway for Hiker in Joshua Tree NP

Currently teams are working a search for a missing hiker in the Black Rock Campground area of Joshua Tree NP. Members of the following teams are on scene at the search: Bear Valley SAR, San Bernardino Mountain SAR, Morongo Basin SAR, Morongo Basin Mounted SAR, Rim SAR, Wrightwood Phelan SAR, San Gorgonio SAR, Cave & Technical Rescue Team

 
View Rosenthal Search in a larger map

National Park Service Press Release

Article on missing hiker's activities in Downtown Los Angeles

LA Times article on missing hiker

Update on Friday, October 1, 2010 at 8:23 by Jeff Lehman

After 5 days of searching, and a tenacious tracking effort, Ed Rosenthal was located in Joshua Tree National Park. Based upon the tracking evidence, resources were deployed near where Rosenthal was eventually located. After inserting a team, the airship was searching a nearby location and saw Rosenthal waving his trekking pole. After an appropriate LZ was located, the aircrew assisted Mr. Rosenthal to the airship for evacuation.

The map has been updated with Mr. Rosensthal's location.

BMC Teaching Evaluators Wanted

BMC needs HELP! Yes, ASSISTANCE!! We are in desperate need of professional educators to critically evaluate our new, improved course. No previous SAR experience is needed. We are looking for two or three individuals who are expert in the educational system. They would attend the BMC on November 20-21, 2010 and observe. The goal is to give constructive criticism of the instructors and the course in preparation for the 2011-12 course. Please ask fellow SAR members, family and friends if they are interested. Contact Sonny Lawrence at email address: “slawrence AT sbsar DOT org” or call at 951 DASH 315 DASH 5449.

Rescue Near Monkeyface Falls

View Monkeyface Falls Rescue in a larger map

Two hikers were attempting a climb of San Bernardino Peak via a ridgeline between Frustration Creek and Monkeyface Falls. One of the hikers fell several feet into some dense brush, and his partner hiked two hours out to summon help. The RP could not identify the exact location of the fall, so in the afternoon of September 13th members of San Gorgonio SAR and Valley of the Falls SAR (Team 1) were inserted at the 6800' level to begin a search downhill. Later that evening additional SAR teams responded to assist in the search, and a second team (Team 2) composed of members of the Cave & Technical Rescue Team began the climb up the hillside from Highway 38.

After an arduous climb, uphill through the heavy brush, Team 2 made voice contact with the missing hiker, and arrived on scene about one minute before Team 1, to find the missing hiker alert, but injured. A litter was ordered, and the teams began the search for an LZ for evacuation. At approximately midnight, the hiker was moved to the LZ making use of a number of tree belays. Team 2 spent the night with the hiker, and assisted in the helicopter evacuation at approximately 0700 hrs that morning. Rather than waiting an hour for the helicopter to return, they decided to hike the 40 minutes back to the highway.