By Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright 2007 The Salt Lake Tribune
All Rights Reserved
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Life-threatening situations can occur in the outdoors, and with little warning.
A storm comes up on a reservoir and swamps a boat with cold water. An avalanche buries a snowmobiler. A hiker breaks a leg and is stranded on a cliff. A four-wheeler takes a nasty spill.
In situations like these, a local sheriff is usually called. The sheriff’s office, in turn, contacts volunteer search-and-rescue teams organized in all of Utah’s 29 counties.
Few of us realize that, for the most part, search-and-rescue teams provide their services on a volunteer basis with little help from taxpayers.
“It’s an all-volunteer organization,” said Todd Bonner, who oversees the Wasatch County Sheriff’s office’s 34 highly trained search-and-rescue members. “They pay for their own trucks, four-wheelers and snowmobiles. The only thing we cover for each member is fuel or help if they damage a boat, snowmobile or four-wheeler while working on an incident. Their hours are all donated.”
Their services are doubly valuable in rural counties, such as Wasatch, where populations double and triple on busy summer weekends with boaters, golfers, campers, anglers and hikers.
“A volunteer search-and-rescue team is a life-saver for the county sheriff’s department, especially in rural areas, where there can be so much area to cover,” said Brent Gardner, executive director of the Utah Association of Counties. “To have so much added support and people who are willing to commit to this without being paid is great to see.”
Bonner sees the cooperation among various counties often with Wasatch County looking to nearby Summit, Duchesne and Utah county search-and-rescue teams for help in a major situation.
“You can call anyone in the state in reference to a search and anyone would drop what they were doing to come to help, from Washington [County] to Wasatch County,” Bonner said. “They want to help.”
Search-and-rescue volunteers aren’t just guys off the street who go out and help people. They train hard.
“It doesn’t take much for our whole 34-member search-and-rescue team to be activated,” Bonner said. “Our goal is to assist the general public anytime, anywhere and under any circumstances. Each of our members specializes in a skill such as map reading, diving, first aid or other skills that will help us to be prepared for whatever circumstances we may be faced with and give victims the best possible chance for survival and recovery.”
As the Memorial Day weekend ushers in the summer recreation season, Bonner, a veteran of many difficult search-and-rescue situations, has good advice for outdoor enthusiasts.
The most important thing is not to be in such a hurry to get to the fun that you forget basics, like putting life jackets on everyone, picking the best and safest route for a hike or a four-wheel drive adventure, and being prepared for the worst.
“Common sense is everything,” Bonner said. “Take the time to make sure everything is right. A lot of times, that can save a lot of lives.”
If you do make a mistake, chances are the dedicated volunteers who make up Utah’s search-and-rescue teams will be there to help you out.