Umatilla County Search and Rescue Unit participates in joint winter rescue training

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, December 21, 2022

TOLLGATE — Two Eastern Oregon search and rescue teams conducted joint winter rescue training Saturday, Dec. 17, near Tollgate.

The Umatilla County Search and Rescue Unit and Union County Search and Rescue held the training near the Morning Creek Sno-Park about midway between Weston and Elgin.

Personnel from the two units often work together during search and rescue incidents, especially those occurring near their mutual boundary, such as the Tollgate area, according to a press release from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. Winter presents increased challenges to search and rescue operations. Personnel must be able to access remote locations in heavy snow and be able to extract injured persons in steep terrain while ensuring their own safety and effectiveness.

During the training, personnel practiced securing a patient into two litter types in preparation for hauling up a steep, snowy slope with a specially designed rope system.

The patient not only needs to be secured into the litter but also needs to be kept warm and protected from the hazards during the hauling operation. Umatilla County team member Daniel Gardner’s daughter Mia volunteered to be a “victim” for these operations.

Once successfully hauled to the top, the “patient” was then transferred to one of two rescue sleds to be pulled behind a snowmobile or tracked utility terrain vehicle.

Umatilla County’s search and rescue purchased one of these sleds at the end of last winter with funds almost entirely from members of the Tollgate Trailfinders Snowmobile Club. The team used the sled for the first time in the Dec. 17 exercises. Searchers practiced loading and towing the sled with the patient snugly secured inside.

With the holidays approaching at the same time Arctic weather is predicted to cause temperatures to drop below zero, members of both units want to remind winter recreationists to be properly equipped and to be safe in their winter activities. This also includes traveling to and from areas on roads and highways. Umatilla County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dwight Johnson reminded travelers to never assume their trip will go as planned.

“Always be prepared to be stranded,” he said. “Have extra clothing, blankets and don’t forget a charging cable for your cell phone.”

More tips for safe winter travel, as well as more information about the Umatilla County Search and Rescue Unit, can be found on the UMASAR Foundation’s website at www.umasarfoundation.org.