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Park County Search and Rescue has a core team of 25 to 30 volunteers, but the organization is constantly on the lookout for local expertise that could prove helpful in an emergency.
Right now, …
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Park County Search and Rescue has a core team of 25 to 30 volunteers, but the organization is constantly on the lookout for local expertise that could prove helpful in an emergency.
Right now, the search and rescue group is specifically hoping to find people familiar with recreational caving, also known as spelunking.
“Park County has many caves, some of which are frequented by recreational cavers,” the Park County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees search and rescue, said in a recent news release. “This has been identified as a potential venue requiring a response where Park County Search and Rescue has limited training and exposure to. They are seeking any local knowledge in this field.”
It’s not just cavers who could prove valuable, either. The search and rescue team is looking for any folks with “special skills that have been honed over years of loving and enjoying the many outdoor activities that Park County has to offer.”
“The wide expanse of training that the team is exposed to makes for a team of responders that can be utilized in a variety of rescue operations,” the sheriff’s office explained.
For instance, during a recent effort to evacuate an injured ice climber from the Broken Heart ice flow on the South Fork, search and rescue responders and EMTs were assisted by several recreational ice climbers who were in the area.
“These are exactly the experts that Park County Search and Rescue wants to know about,” the sheriff’s office said in its
release.
The sheriff’s office is encouraging people to contact search and rescue coordinator Bill Brown at 307-527-8718 or bbrown@parkcountysheriff.net if they “have a specialty skill that could be a valuable resource in the event of an emergency response.”
Such specialists are not part of the formal search and rescue team and do not have to meet the training and/or meeting requirements of the team members; they would only be called upon in the event of an emergency.
Putting together potential resources before there’s a crisis is part of the search and rescue team’s efforts to be not only reactive but also proactive.
