It’s safe to say that Santa Barbara County’s Search and
Rescue Team is a generous group.
The team, which includes 32 members from around the county and four from the Santa Ynez Valley, responded to more than 125 calls in 2008, one
of the highest incident totals in recent years. In comparison, the team
responded to about 70 calls in 2007.
President Jennifer Beyer, a Santa Ynez Valley resident, said
the time commitment and specialized skill sets involved make the team a select
group. Its members range in age from 21 to 60 and are mostly men.
Just three women currently are involved.
“The people are awesome,” said Beyer, who had no
experience with law enforcement or any similar activity when she joined the
team six years ago. “Every day, when the pager goes off, I know we’re going to
do something good for somebody.”
You don’t have to be in law enforcement or even spend
your free time rappelling up mountains to make the team.
You do have to pass a rigorous background check — the
same type law enforcement candidates undergo, and make it through a three to
six month training academy.
The length varies depending on the size of the class.
Among the skills learned are navigation with a map,
compass and GPS; tracking by footprints or broken bush; rigging for high- and
low-angle rescues off cliffs or slopes; rappelling; locating electronic locator
transmitter frequencies to find downed aircrafts; packaging patients for
transport by stretcher; and medical skills.
Most of the team members also are EMT certified through
programs such as those available at Allan Hancock Community College.
It’s hard work, but worth it, said team member Bryon
Bass, an archeologist and photographer.
He said his time on the team was immediately fulfilling
after helping to find a lost child in Lompoc while out on his first official
call.
“Without search and rescue, it’s not clear there would
be anyone out there to do this stuff,” Bass said. Anytime an incident goes “off
pavement,” it’s likely team members will be involved.
Team members must have flexible schedules to be able to
leave their jobs if needed and respond to a call.
Incident command rotates between seven people who divide
up the month, each taking a few days where they are responsible for whatever
911 dispatches might come in.
The most common incidents the team responds to include
lost hikers, followed by recoveries for vehicles that go over the side on roads
like San Marcos Pass and Harris Grade near Lompoc.
During the recent Tea Fire in Santa Barbara, the team
was a major part of evacuating at-risk residents from homes.
They also recover the bodies of people who commit
suicide by jumping off the Cold Spring Arch Bridge on the pass.
The team has taken a neutral position on the proposed
suicide barrier.
Some of Beyer’s most rewarding moments as a team member
have been when lost hikers or hunters are found.
“It’s so nice to be able to bring somebody back to their
family,” she said.
The team does all its own fundraising for equipment,
training and expenses, and new members typically spend between $500 and $1,000
for the backpack and other gear they need, Beyer said.
In 2009, the team will be working to raise more than
$35,000 for new radios with tracking devices that automatically transmit a team
member’s location back to the command post.
The technology is new and will help keep team members
safe.
Recruitment of new members takes place all year long,
with monthly informational meetings.
Training academies begin in January.
For more information about the Santa Barbara County
Search and Rescue team, visit www.sbcsar.org.
Reach Leah Etling at letling@syvjournal.com.