Do County Search and Rescue organizations have rescues as part of public record?

Question

I am curious because I'm trying to find out where some people who made the news got lost in my area. Sometimes you can learn from others' mistakes, so I would like to visit a few of these places various people got disoriented. I'm not sure if what's public record varies from country to country and state to state, but I'm in Utah of the United States.

One particular incident I'm curious about is a mother and daughter went hiking in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. It started to rain after they were out on the trail, which eventually turned into snow (the mother and daughter were visiting from Florida and Georgia). Their remains were found 9 months later, and the Sheriff's Department believes they most likely got lost and then hypothermia took them, because their remains were found so far off of the trail and under a lean-to they had made with a piece of space blanket nearby (SAR believes they may have made a wrong turn coming back because the rain made them feel rushed, but don't know for sure). This incident catches my interest because you often hear people say to be prepared when hiking, but these two women were found with a map, space blanket, matches which hadn't been opened, and some other stuff. The other reason I'm interested is they had a camera which was found with their remains, which tell a story of their journey, and were published in the news with the permission of the family. Finding the final shelter spot could help one figure out the rest of the story.

That, and some other incidents, is why I'm curious if the locations of Search and Rescue are usually part of records open to the public, or not usually. Do Search and Rescue keep GPS coordinates of where they find lost hikers? I want to hike out to these places, so I can treat it as learning from others' mistakes.

I'm not wrong for being curious about these things, am I?

Answer 1

Fascinating!

I would think that if you contacted search and rescue or the ski patrol they would be happy to help you with info and take you along on their rescue attempts.



I've been all around Utah and most of it is pretty harsh country in winter. Or summer. Utah is one of the most beautiful States, but it's hard going on foot.



Yes, contact SAR and the volunteers. They will be a great source of info and you could join and have many adventures, since you seem to be into that sort of thing.



Good luck my Friend, and may The Force be with you.

Answer 2

Our team always does a post meeting where we go over every detail however we don't keep a published record only in that what our team did and used basically the who what where how and when. Our group also participates in a weekly forum where we discuss methods and other cases and work on our gear or repair gear or train with gear. Being a part of a search and rescue team is exciting work and what makes a difference between a rescue or a recovery is being prepared, both for the team and the person(s) needing rescue.



Police and sheriff records are public access but usually way after the fact, as for finding where people "get lost" or in need of rescue a reading of the local papers will give you enough detail to find these places on a good topo map.



All that is not cause for you to go out and repeat the same mistake or attempt to conquer where others have failed though and that would be irresponsible behaviour and what got those folks in trouble in the first place, often attempting things they should not have. It is not wrong to be curious about it all in fact the study of why people do the things they do will never cease to be a wonder.



Why people get disoriented is usually always related to their physical condition starting with dehydration, hypo or hyper-thermia and or some other injury, illness or drug use. These all effect the mental condition and the ability to make wise choices. I have seen even the most well prepared fall subject to these issues and had it not been for a buddy they would have been a recovery rather than a rescue.



A "recovery" is when the person(s) is dead. A rescue is when they live.

Answer 3

Yes, the direction of your curiosity is a bit out of alignment. You should not be studying a particular location, you should be evaluating what gear the mother and daughter should have been carrying. On many mountains, I have needed to adapt to extreme changes in the weather. The victims in your discussion were not prepared with proper gear. They should have been able to survive adverse weather conditions with proper insulation and raingear. Also, they should have checked the weather forecast before beginning their hike to avoid any extreme weather conditions they were not prepared to undertake. In my day pack, I carry extra clothing to adapt to severe weather. I certainly have never had any faith in the ability of a piece of aluminized plastic to keep me alive in severe weather.



You can probably obtain a report from the Office of Sheriff for the county in which you have interest, even file under the Freedom of Information Act, but the specifics of the search and rescue are unimportant to prepare you for future hike. Plenty of examples of Search and Rescue cases exist to think about proper behavior and gear needed for safe hiking.



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Carole Wetherton and daughter remains were found as follows:



The find was made about 11:30 a.m. in the middle fork of Weber Canyon, according to a press release from the Summit County Sheriff's Office. The area is about 2.5 miles northwest of the Crystal Lake trail head where Carole Wetherton, 58, of Panacea, Fla., and her daughter Kim Beverly, 39, of Tucker, Ga., disappeared, Summit County Sheriff's Capt. Alan Siddoway said.



The shelter was about a half mile from any recognizable trail in very steep, rocky and timbered terrain, Siddoway added.



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In my pockets, I always carry a pocket knife and fire starter, tissues or lint packets, along with several bandages in my wallet. Although reception does not exist in many gulches, I carry a cell phone that usually functions above tree-line.



In my daypack, I have compression sacks that hold my down jacket, heat packs, windbreaker, and down mittens or lighter gloves. I carry a second fire starter and two headlamps with extra batteries. I pack trail snacks, such as cheese, nuts, and rice chips. Attached by carabiner, I have at least two water bottles, sunglasses, reading glasses, and global positioning system. On most hikes, I also carry a water filter.

Answer 4

One of my ORV areas has a lot of S&R flag tape.

These mark access to areas searched.

Colors denote specific rescues.

Such tapes are inked with date, time, and a group code.

They tend to cluster where search is frequent.

I was told the yellow tapes were for training.

An average S&R wanna-be can find the search area very confusing.

Odometer said I went through fifty miles of it last Sunday on a DR650SE.

Answer 5

newspapers regularly be attentive to the bits and bobs of submitting requests for freedom of counsel, get a reporter attracted on your case. the case record isn't a public checklist so do no longer assume something that way. yet police spokespeople or newshounds from the time of the form would have had the area particular counsel, so the newspaper must be the terrific source of public counsel. they might even have their own set of photos.