Past Missions & Tips
Below you will find descriptions of past missions, and tips on how to keep yourself safe so you are not the one we rescue!!!
Weather
On a beautiful Spring day, a family decided to hike in the Jewel Basin area. Temperatures were moderate so they dressed for a valley hike. Mountain and valley weather are often very different. The family encountered icy trails, decreasing temperatures and, when one fell and became injured, called for help. It was now late afternoon with decreasing sunlight and dropping temperatures. A helicopter was able to rescue the injured hiker but as winds increased, the rest of the party needed to spend the night on the mountain. Flathead County SAR was able to share warm clothes, build a shelter and fire, and wait with the family until morning
SAR Tip
Check the weather for where you are headed, not where you are coming from. Even in mid-summer, mountain weather can be dangerous. Ensure you have whatever you need to stay warm and dry.
Personal Flotation Devices
Flathead County SAR recovered the body of a fisherman from a local pond. They surmised the man fell off his sit-on kayak, struggled to get back on and, exhausted, slipped under the water. He was not wearing a life jacket (Personal Flotation Device, PFD) of any kind.
SAR Tip
Yes, they can be restrictive. Yes, they can be hot. However, life Jackets will also save your life and make a rescue out of what might otherwise be a recovery. Please wear one.
Communications Devices
An experienced snowmobiler went missing on a typical cold and snowy NW Montana day. His body was recovered a few days later a considerable distance off the groomed trails in an area with no cell service. He had been gifted a Garmin In-Reach device (a satellite communicator) but did not take it with him.
SAR Tip
Being able to communicate is not a given in the backcountry. Cell service is often unavailable. Being able to communicate and locate a subject are key to a successful rescue. Invest in, and carry, a satellite communications device that will work for you.
Common Sense
Multiple times, Search and Rescue is dispatched to find someone who disappeared up a mountain road. Often, the missing people were just out for a ride, sometimes with a specific destination and sometimes not. As the typical gravel/dirt road started to be covered with snow, they assumed their vehicle would be able to handle the road and they'd be able to turn around at some point. The snow often got very deep, they got stuck, sometimes in an area where a wrong turn would result in a plunge off a cliff. And they had to call Search & Rescue.
SAR Tip
Mountain roads can get very bad very quickly in the Winter months. If you're out and you see the snow is getting deeper and you're on a back road. Stop. Turn around and go back down. If you need to be rescued, YOU are being rescued. Not your vehicle or your belongings. And getting a tow truck to get into some of these areas will not be quick nor inexpensive. Be smart.