0 members (),
27
guests, and
19
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Some perspective on rescues
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 108
admin
|
OP
admin
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 108 |
Posted by Ken, 10-22-05
This was posted on the PCT-l listserver, in response to a poster's complaint of response by SAR. I thought it was enlightening.
--------------- L-Rod,
I can understand your frustration, however, in California, state law mandates that Law Enforcement are responsible for talking a report for each and every reported missing person and '601' runaway juvenile.
During my four years with a small city police department close to the PCT in California I took literally hundreds of missing person and '601' reports. Despite having a staff of only 100 or so people, the department had to have one full time person whose sole function was to handle the administration (not the investigation or search and rescue, just the paperwork) of reported missing people.
I can guarantee that when working a shift on a Friday evening or Saturday morning, most of my time would be taken up with the taking of 'runaway' reports often the same ones each week when a kid doesn't come home from school and stays out all night.
For many 'average' cops, another missing person report is simply a paperwork chore in the absence of any evidence to support accident or foul play. It is for this reason that if you are concerned for the safety and well being of another hiker, use the 911 system. Be prepared to provide some explanation for your concerns and if possible something tangible to support your concerns. Clearly if many calls result in a full scale search and rescue activation while the subject of the search is sat in a nearby pizza place warming wet feet reports will not be taken seriously. The majorities of missing persons are voluntary and not in any trouble at all. Most do not want to be reported missing, but in order that nothing falls though the cracks, the taking of reports by law enforcement is mandated and not discretionary.
It is beholden on thru-hikers who distribute an itinerary to make appropriate notifications if they voluntarily substantially deviate from that itinerary.
If at all possible, no-one should be missing for weeks before being reported. I don't know the circumstances of John's disappearance, and you subsequently reporting him missing. A lone thru-hiker, like any wilderness adventurer should ideally be planning to report in periodically. Three weeks is too long to be unreported. The area that could be covered by an experienced hiker in three weeks would likely be covered by many of jurisdictions. Even a day-hiker should have a planned return time, so that their absence can be noted, and necessary action taken. Anyone who wants to be 'missing' for three weeks in the wildness needs to be aware of the risks and as such cannot expect conventional support during that time. The longer the period of time out of contact, the progressively harder it is for search and rescue activities to coordinate. It is possible that someone has been lying on the first ten miles for three weeks, or three hundred miles away for just a few hours - or somewhere in between. It is made worse when the hiker leaves the track, either accidentally or deliberately. In three weeks, someone could literally be anywhere in the world.
As I posted earlier - if you believe that someone is lost and potentially in a life threatening situation - call 911. Do not try to determine jurisdiction yourself. Jurisdiction (in California) is with the law enforcement agency - County Sheriff's Department or City Police Department where you are. It is their job to determine how to proceed from there.
You cite that law enforcement didn't take the disappearance of an individual seriously. Remember that this is probably the third, fourth, or even the ten such report that day! Many, many people are reported missing every day. Very few reports result in SAR activation. That decision will largely be based upon the information being provided by the reporting party.
I would be interested to know what exactly you reported and what response you got. (perhaps you would be kind enough to share more detail with me privately) I would be interested to know what you expected to be done (for this man, and the other being reported all over the USA every day). Bear in mind that there are probably more missing people reported each week than there are SAR personnel.
In my own county, Shasta (through which the PCT passes), there are probably around 100 activations of the Sheriff's SAR team each year. The members are largely volunteers who activate at the request of the SAR coordinator. They are responding in their own time, often taking time off paid employment. As an example of their determination, they responded when my neighbor's juvenile son went missing. He was reported missing in PCT country within a few hours of being last seen, dozens of volunteers searched for days, on foot, on horseback, using 4x4s, on ski's and snowmobiles (it snowed the night he went missing), using dive teams and dog teams and from the air. The search was called off after a week, at which time it was presumed that the child had not survived. Three weeks later another week long search was made after the child's shoes were found. A third search was made when the snow receded in the spring using cadaver dogs. No trace of the child has ever been found.
Now imagine responding to a report that an adult may be somewhere in similar wilderness, may have been missing for three weeks, and could actually be anywhere in the world. How many people do you ask to take off work to look for him? Now multiply that dozens of times?
The Shasta County section of the PCT probably covers some fifty miles of the total trail, or about 2% of the trail, and while passing through Shasta County, those fifty miles are covered by two differently staffed rural Sherriff's stations. The PCT is not widely promoted or signed in the area, and I doubt that many offices posted to the Burney or Shingletown stations have any knowledge of the PCT. Perhaps the PCTA could produce a public safety information brochure which could be distributed to those who ultimately get called upon to assist thru-hikers and day users on the trail. Ultimately, much of the responsibility lies with the PCT users themselves.
Perhaps one solution is to have a solution like many sailing and flying clubs operate. The member files an itinerary and is responsible for periodically reporting in. This requires and organized and reliable administration (inherently with a cost involved). If they then fail to report in, the search can be limited to their last known location. Another is to mandate (seeing as they are available to be carried voluntarily) personal emergency location beacons. (I can already hear cries telling me how many ounces that will add to a pack). Ideally, each individual should have another (family member or friend) monitoring their progress and safety from off the trail.
Like most things in life there are risks, there are costs and there are consequences. Part of planning a trip is the balancing of the risks, costs and consequences. Part of any wilderness adventure is the knowledge that help is not two minutes away like it is when we are at home.
The recent events on the south coast indicate that no amount of emergency planning can anticipate a catastrophe. I watched a British rescue team (of which I am a former member) wait ten days for permission to respond to Louisiana (it never came), yet in under twenty four hours they were pulling survivors from collapsed buildings in Pakistan the next month.
Over the past thirty years I have enjoyed periods of wilderness adventure in a number of places around the world, finally being fortunate enough to emigrate from the UK to now reside close to the PCT in Northern California. During the same period I have held professional and voluntary positions, in law enforcement, fire fighting and emergency pre-hospital care, and in disaster management, search and rescue. I can empathize with both sides, and would encourage trail users to work with and educate professional rescuers in their interests and particularly their safety needs.
Drew ---------------
1130030400 . 24444
|
|
|
|
|