With the decision to
become an active part of Riverside Mountain Rescue
Unit (RMRU) come several factors that change ones
life to a greater or lesser degree. First, is the
desire to help persons lost, injured, stranded in
areas considered "Inaccessible" by the
media, et. al. This desire burns brightly in some
members, and it costs nothing in time, money, or
effort. The following factors do have costs:
Participation can be
hardest when a callout occurs and we must tear away
from work, family activities, warm bed, or our own
recreational backpacks. Callouts do not occur during
rare times we wish one would occur.
Money is a big factor
as we look at a number of expenditures necessary to
be well equipped and otherwise prepared to function
with RMRU:
Packs - need at least
two, cost $300,00 to $469.00 for good ones.
Sleeping bags - need two, cost $300.00 to $600.00
for good ones.
Tent - up to $600.00 to $800.00 for all-season,
models
Boots - for summer, $200.00 to $300.00, for winter,
up to over $500.00
Parka - shell, $300.00 and up, insulated, up to
$500.00 plus
Pants - $200.00 and up.
Flashlights - need several, big expenditure, plus
battery replacements.
Other items include sleeping pads, bivvy covers,
climbing gear, foods, stoves & fuel, cooking
utensils, knives, vehicle upkeep, and so on.
"Deals" are sometimes available.
Effort runs in the
realm of determination and motivation for physical
conditioning, not letting home projects lag,
familiarizing oneself with road heads and mountain
trails and topography, and generally staying abreast
with mountain rescue methodology.
Training is the
process that merges, integrates, and implements safe,
efficient, and successful missions through the above
factors and the actual in-the-field exercises to
learn and practice how mountain rescue is done,
performed and accomplished. So, what phases do we
work on? First aid (subject care); search methods;
map & compass & GPS; tracking; helicopter
operations; familiarization; technical rescue on
cliffs where anchors to the cliff, rigging with
ropes, pulleys, brake bars, various camming clamps,
ascending and descending devices, and carabineers are
utilized, having been backpacked to the scene. Of
course, there's Base Camp where our vans with
equipment are, along with vital communications
capability, record keeping, and directions from the
Operations Leader.
Normally, we conduct
one formal training a month, during a weekend. There
are frequent informal sessions as well. Consider,
over almost forty years or our existence, we've
conducted nearly 400 formal trainings- - they are
great - - always looked forward to with eager
anticipation.
Hopefully, this has
been an informative glimpse of who we are and what we
do.