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Show SatSunMonTues, March 27-30, 2004 The Park Record A-5 COUNTY SEAT COUNTY EDITOR: Patrick Parkinson 649-9014 ext.1 12 countynewsparkrecord.com Search and Rescue grabs first place Summit County volunteers fastest at competition By PATRICK PARKINSON Of the Record staff Last Saturday, volunteers with the Summit County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team found one avalanche victim using probes, saved another with avalanche beacons bea-cons and administered first aid to a third. The victims were, however, mannequins. But Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said search-and-rescue training like last week's near Reaver Mountain ski area in Cache County, is critical for keeping keep-ing searchers' skills honed. "There's always a decision riiade, 'is this area safe enough for us to go into,'" Edmunds said, about how the search team evaluates evalu-ates a scene. "Those are the types of decisions that really you can only make after obtaining enough experience and being in the situations." situa-tions." And searchers in Summit County are some of the fastest in the state. Edmunds and six search team members placed first in all timed events at last week's search-and-rescue competition in Logan Canyon. "I was absolutely blown away by the skill level that our people have," Edmunds said, adding that the event was "extremely competitive." competi-tive." "'Ilicir level of skill on those snowmobiles is just absolutely incredible." Searchers from eight programs throughout Utah participated in the training. "I'd always been on scene, but I'd never actually gone into the field with them on a sled because it's so dangerous," Edmunds said. "I've got guys on search and rescue that have been sledding for over 30 years ... their proficiency and their skill level, it's unmatched." One two-man. Summit County team was especially successful during dur-ing one simulation. "We actually had one of our teams that found ... the man- - .'"-i- ' .V , . - .- J8 i SCOTT SINER4RK RECORD Volunteers with the Summit County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team took first place in timed rescue events at a search-and-rescue competition in Cache County last Saturday. The team's base is pictured here at a search for two hikers lost in the Uinta Mountains last fall. nequin within 40 seconds." Edmunds said. "It was staggering." Don LaFay. Lance Livingston, Curt Sweeten. Kevan Todd, Shaun Rice and Trent Handsaker were the search team members from Summit County that participated in the event. "We fielded the most teams out of any other search and rescue and we also won it for the second year in a row," Edmunds said. Teams used global positioning system (GPS) coordinates to locate the area where the mannequin man-nequin and beacon were buried. "They were showing us how you can go about trying to attempt to forecast where a slide area might be," Edmunds said. "If you dig down and then cut away the snow you can see where every snowstorm has laid down a new bed of snow ... that's exactly how it slides." . Todd, a Kamas resident, has volunteered with Summit County : Search and Rescue for 14 years and said this was the team's fourth year at this event. "Say we go up in the Uintas. we pretty much know every little nook and cranny what's so valuable, is when we go out of the county," Todd said. The ability to recognize dangerous dan-gerous avalanche conditions is critical for searchers' safety. "Ultimately it's about saving lives or helping some stranded individual and response time is critical, especially in an avalanche," ava-lanche," Todd said. "The number one thing is scene safety, and safety for everybody else." A recent body recovery effort in Empire Canyon in Park City could have been much worse when untrained citizens attempted attempt-ed to rescue an avalanche victim in unstable conditions, he adds. "The scenario could have been totally different," Todd said, adding that the victim had likely expired several minutes before people entered .the canyon and had there been another slide the body count could have increased. But along with their skills, searchers also enhance their reputation rep-utation winning these types of competitions. "You want to be fast, so you have bragging rights." Todd said. He praised Edmunds for his support, calling the sheriff, "a great asset to search and rescue." "I've seen search and rescue progress and get to where we are now. and 1 never did see former Sheriff Fred Eley." Todd said. Edmunds said Salt Lake County, (irand County and Summit County have the busiest search and rescue teams in the state. "It's a good training exercise for us." Todd said. 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