President’s message- I’m writing this after a busy 4th of July weekend and reflecting on my new role as president of the MRA. It is quite an honor to be in the position and I appreciate the support I have had from all of you on my journey here. Yesterday I was sweating and working
Rick Lindfors-Ackerman – Meridian Editor in Chief Mt. Hood, Ore. – Oregon’s Mt. Hood is one of the most popular peaks in the U.S., drawing climbers from across the world. But the mountain is a challenge for even experienced alpinists with its variable conditions and steep slopes. The teams that service the mountain, Portland
Justin Wheaton – Meridian Editor The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Volunteer Forces Unit puts on a Rope Rescue Operator course every year. This course is the most basic introduction to rope rescue systems and application. The class builds a solid foundation based on our mission profile to allow teams to integrate on assignments. Primarily, the
Richard Yocum, MD, San Diego Mountain Rescue Team and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit Frostbite is a painful condition often resulting in loss of tissue that is usually preventable. The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) published a 2019 update to their clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of frostbite1 , which serves as the primary
A couple things as we close out this edition of Meridian. First off, thank you for your continued reading and sharing of the publication. This marks two full years of Meridian under my editorial responsibilities, and the task has been quite fulfilling. I get to talk to MRA volunteers from across the U.S. and learn
Click here to view the full PDF version of the Winter 2024 Meridian in a beautiful, magazine-style layout. (Right click and select something like “Save Target As” to download the PDF for off-line viewing.) SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Meridian generates revenue for the Mountain Rescue Association by way of the sponsors you see in this publication. One of
Professionalism within our community What is professionalism and how does it apply to Mountain Rescue? This is a question that I’ve been pondering lately. I think we all would consider ourselves as experienced mountaineers, climbers and backcountry travelers. Likewise, I think we all consider ourselves skilled rescuers which is demonstrated and backed up by your
By Steve Larese – Meridian Editor Albuquerque, N.M. – At 0400 on January 1, 2022, Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council members were awakened by their callout tones and blinked blearily at their phones: “MSN #1. TRAM STUCK AT TOWER 2. 21 PATIENTS NEED SUPPLIES…NEED RESPONDERS ASAP.” “I assumed there was a typo in the
Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief At the start of the year 2022, my dog and I tested and received our certifications for search and rescue in Oregon. Training a search and rescue K9 was a unique, demanding and ultimately formative challenge for the both of us that brought us closer together and
As I’m writing this letter (mid April) there was just a healthy dose of snow on the Oregon Cascades, which made for an enjoyable weekend of snowboarding, my first since the 2020 closures. It was much needed. However, before going into the snowy weekend I had just finished reading over a series of briefings
Click here to view the full PDF version of the Winter 2023 Meridian in a beautiful, magazine-style layout. Tell us About Your Team Have an idea for a story or a noteworthy mission? Reach out to the Meridian Editor in Chief or your MRA region chair to submit an idea or report. You’ll receive guidelines on how
In the Spring of 2021, we created a Leadership and Relationship Development committee. This committee was created because leadership and relationship development are skills and like all skills they require development, training and practice in order to maintain and improve. In the corporate world I have had the opportunity to experience both good and bad
Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief Calabsas, Calif – David Katz knew something was up when a teammate on Malibu SAR called him. It was January 9th, 2020, and his teammate told him there was a call for a possible aircraft down near Malibu Creek State Park. Katz made a series of phone
This is a tool that was piloted in the Washington MRA region last winter; a gear and resource decision tree to support our operations both at command and in the field. The concept is a loose algorithm to guide gear and resources in prep and during the mission, so it’s a dynamic scheme to apply to conditions
The MRA DEI Committee is proud to introduce Jack Mitchell, a member of Atalaya Search and Rescue in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jack has been a member since September 2016. He attends the University of New Mexico, majoring in Emergency Medical Services. Jack doesn’t remember a time where he wasn’t outdoors. He has been
“Yeah, we’re getting OT for this.” “Oy! What’s one and a half times… zero?” Such is a common joke shared among rescuers during missions. I usually hear this one when the mud reaches a certain depth, a hill takes a certain incline or if our team has been out past zero dark thirty. Occasionally I’ll
Click here to view the full PDF version of the Summer 2023 Meridian in magazine-style layout. To download for off-line viewing, right click the image and select “Save Target As…” (or something similar, depending on your browser). Sponsor Spotlight: PatagoniaBesides making high-end technical wear, Patagonia was the center of one of the most positive pieces of
This year, my team, Rocky Mountain Rescue, celebrated our 75th year providing SAR services to the Boulder County, Colorado community and beyond. We had a weekend of festivities, and past members from all over the country came by. It was a great time, and I must have looked at more than 5,000 photos putting presentations
The subject was a 60-year-old female hiking down from the summit of Pikes Peak (14,109 ft) on a sunny, September day. She stepped on a rock and twisted her left ankle, resulting in lateral (outside) left ankle pain only and no other injuries. El Paso SAR (Colorado Springs) and Douglas County SAR (South of Denver)
Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief GLENDALE, Calif. – Intelligence gathering and quick thinking enabled rescuers to safely bring home a teenager who had gone missing in a park in Los Angeles County. The teen, who was autistic and nonverbal, presented a challenge in communication that serves as a lesson for other SAR teams.
