News From The Rope Rescue Oversight Committee

The Rope Rescue Oversight Committee (RROC) is comprised of two members from each technical rope rescue certified team in San Bernardino County. This committee is responsible for setting rope rescue guidelines in the county as well as conducting team certifications. Recently a few changes have been made to the guidelines and to the team certification procedure.

There are two additional individual rope certifications: Basic Rigging Specialist and Intermediate Rigging Specialist. These certifications are identical to the Basic Rope Technician and Intermediate Rope Technician certifications except that they require a modified Personal Vertical Skills (PVS) check-off. The "specialist" categories do not require the ascending/descending portions of the PVS check-off. Details of these categories can be found in Rope Rescue and the Wilderness SAR Card.

All "basic" rope certifications and PVS are valid for 3 years. All "intermediate" rope certifications are valid for 4 years.

All rope-certified teams are evaluated by the Rope Rescue Oversight Committee every 3 years. There is an exception for MRA, rope-certified teams, as they are evaluated every 3 years by the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). As of Jan 1, 2010 the team re-certification process has changed, and is the same for all teams. Every 18 months, each rope-certified team must prepare a Periodic Performance Review. The details of this report can be found in the Rope Team Periodic Performance Review. Each rope-certified team must be re-certified every 3 years, and can choose either the RROC or the MRA as their accrediting body.

All of the documents referenced above can be found at sbsar.org/documents. Scroll down the page to the "RROC" section. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact Dan Whitten at dwhitten@sbsar.org

Google Makes Haiti Post-Earthquake GeoEye Imagery Available

Download the Google Earth KML file here. You will need Google Earth to view it. The widespread destruction is readily visible after a bit of scrolling. These images were taken on Jan 13, 2010. Google will continually update the images. You will only need to download the file once, however.

SAR Can Be Complicated: Keep a Checklist

While I have been a member of SBSAR for more than 13 years, the last few years have taught me two things. First, all operations need a person dedicated to running the operation. This person cannot be directly involved, and must remove himself from any hands-on portion of the activity. Second, regardless of how often I complete complex tasks, I still follow a checklist. Using a checklist is not a reflection of insufficient preparation, but a prudent measure to make sure that everything is done properly.  In my weekly reading, I came across this interesting article that refers to the book, The Checklist Manifesto. It seems that I am not alone in my penchant for checklists. Fortunately, the article is available online so it is easily shared.

Richardson Search: Malibu Creek State Park

Members of West Valley SAR, SB Mountain SAR, Cave Team, and the Dog Team spent Saturday, January 9th searching for Mitrice Richardson. The folks from San Bernardino County were divided into two teams. My team, Team G-16, was tasked with clearing an area off Mulholland Drive. The search area consisted of a few drainages and heavy brush.We further divided into 3 teams to more effectively cover our area.

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Update on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 10:14 by Jeff Lehman

The LA Times is reporting a sighting of Mitrice Richardson in Las Vegas. Read the article

Update on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 22:20 by Jeff Lehman

The LA Times has reported that remains located in Malibu Canyon are those of Mitrice Richardson.

The National Map: USGS's Digital Initiative

Did you know that virtually every California 7.5' USGS topographical map is available for download? These maps are available in the GEOpdf format, which is a geo-referenced format that allows you to mark-up the map, and make measurements. Moreover, there is a free Adobe Acrobat plug-in that allows you to interact with these maps. In addition, the plug-in interacts with Google Maps, so that  a single click on the pdf will take you to that position in Google Maps.

MapTech and Topo! are still better tools for use during missions, but these maps with the plug-in functionality are still useful for planning and for those who don't have other programs available. If you have access to large format printer or plotter, then you can even make your own map copies.

Currently the plug-in is only available for the Windows platform.

Upcoming Search in Malibu Canyon

A bit of background on the upcoming Malibu Canyon search can be found at

http://malibusurfsidenews.com/stories/201001/201001070001.html

Take the County-Wide Communication Survey

We are interested in gathering some information about how your team communicates. Please take a few minutes to answer a few questions. Login to your sbsar.org email account to access the survey. It is in your inbox. It can also be accessed at this location. If you do not know your login information, then please contact your team commander for your credentials. All SAR members in the county have accounts.

Lt. Grabiec to Move to Rancho Cucamonga Station

Greetings All! 

By now, many of you may have heard that starting February, I will be assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga Station.  This date will mark almost 5 years here in the Volunteer Forces Unit for me and leaving is bittersweet!  While this move will mean a new challenge for me and I will be learning new things, having the opportunity to represent you has certainly been one of the highlights of my career.

I have really enjoyed working with all of the SAR teams in the county.  I know that our teams are some of the finest in the state, if not the nation.  Your dedication to the mission is extraordinary and a credit to the profession of search and rescue.  I have been privileged to work with such a fine group and will miss all of you.  Keep up the good work!

Thank You for All That You Do!

Glenn Grabiec, Lieutenant
Emergency Operations Division/Volunteer Forces
ggrabiec@sbcsd.org

Director's Dialogue January 2010

Just over two years ago Sgt. Jeff Morgan of Volunteer Forces, on behalf of the department, approached the IESARC with a proposed project. It was requested that the IESARC spearhead a program to have a “Civilian Volunteer Memorial” constructed to honor any of our volunteers who may have paid the ultimate sacrifice while on duty with the department. This was not to be a memorial for search and rescue personnel only, but for all volunteer personnel who have or do serve the department. We gladly accepted.

Click to read more ...

Baldy Rescue 12/23/2009

A hiker lost her footing and tumbled down much of the Baldy Bowl this evening. West Valley SAR responded for the evacuation down the Sierra Hut Trail. A hoist was attempted by a Los Angeles County helicopter, but the hoist malfunctioned, and a second helicopter was summoned. In the meantime, members of West Valley SAR, Wrightwood SAR, Rim SAR, SB Mountain SAR, and the Cave & Technical Rescue Team responded to assist in the litter carry. The second helicopter arrived on scene and was able to hoist the hiker somewhere along the trail as SAR members continued the litter evacuation.

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