President’s Message Saving lives is not easy work. And yes, mountain rescue is about saving lives. You all know the difficulties- the anxious call outs, the search before the rescue, the long approaches, operating technical systems in the dark, the blood, and sometimes worse. Then there is paperwork, training, recruitment, equipment maintenance, the budget
Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A mountain rescue team brought their skills deep into an elevator shaft to rescue stranded passengers. On the night of October 23, 2022, an elevator at Grand Canyon Caverns suffered a malfunction, stranding several people 21 stories below the surface. According to the Coconino
ICAR MEDCOM 2022, Montreux, Switzerland Report to MRA Dr. Alison Sheets, Dr. Christopher VanTilburg ICAR 2022 was the first in-person conference since the Covid-19 epidemic and generated a great turn out with around 500 attendees. All commissions had great participation and the venue in Montreux was excellent. The MEDCOM activities began with a pre-conference
Presented by Dr. Alec Ritchie, North Shore SAR team member and medical director. As one of Canada’s busiest SAR teams, North Shore SAR reviewed occupational accidents of the all-volunteer SAR team. They found that 59% were sustained during training, 96% were traumatic injuries although most minor. There were 24 fatalities in the line of duty
Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief This year Apple introduced new features for its new smartphone and that caught the eyes of many. IPhone 14 series users could now use an Emergency SOS feature to call for emergency services even when outside of cell phone range. The system uses a satellite connection to
Letter from the Editor We’ve all been the “new guy” a few times in our lives. All of us were the newest members on the team when we joined and we had to learn a new set of skills with a new group of people. Every now and then, we get to be the
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: Yeti Meridian sponsors cover the range of the outdoor gear world. Some companies build the gear we depend on to
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
