Author Archives: Michael Coyle
Foot Identified
The foot in a hiking boot that was found in Sasamat Lake has been identified, as I suspected, as belonging to a person that my SAR team searched for just about 25 years ago. Several months back I posted the … Continue reading
Hazard, Risk and Consequences
A few weeks back I did an interview with Karl Woll, writer of the blog Outdoor Vancouver. In it, Karl asked me a question about “the scariest moment I ever had,” which I answered with an example of a task where … Continue reading
Google Public Alerts
Google just announced it’s new Public Alerts service recently. This isn’t like the other Google Alerts service which lets you enter a few search terms and have Google email you when new results are found (although this tool is also useful for … Continue reading
Map of SAR Incidents in BC 2011
My good friend Rick Laing, SAR Manager and member of Ridge Meadows SAR and GIS guru sent me a link to a map he published. It has the locations of all of the SAR teams in BC, and includes all of … Continue reading
Beacons vs Transceivers again
It seems that people are still have trouble telling the difference between a “SPOT Beacon” and an “Avalanche Transceiver” I wrote about this last year, based on some comments I heard while attending the CAA’s Annual conference and AGM. The CAA posted … Continue reading
SAR Teams in BC
It always seems to me that SAR teams outside of the Lower Mainland of BC don’t get enough attention. The reasons for this escape me, since some of the most rugged terrain and most incredible rescues happen out there. I … Continue reading
Sledder Situational Awareness again
It seems someone else is paying attention to the sledder situational awareness problem, and has come up with a handy tool to help people develop skills and make better decisions. Posted on the SledLink page, the “STOP” tool advises sledders … Continue reading
CAA AvSAR Course
As I mentioned via twitter, last month I attended the Avalanche Association’s ”Avalanche Search and Rescue (AvSAR) seminar in Whistler, BC. I thought I’d write a bit about the course for any SAR personnel who might be considering sending someone to take it. … Continue reading
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Tagged avalanche, medical, rescue, SAR, seminar, ski, snow, training
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Situational Awareness: Sledder vs Skier
In my last post on this subject I wrote about how skiers have an advantage over sledders in that they have more opportunity to observe conditions as they travel through terrain. Today, some observations on the flip side of the … Continue reading
Older Map of Pitt Lake
We came across this map of Pitt Lake in the SAR Archives the other day. Interesting for the place names that aren’t on more modern maps. Funny how the mountains look like cones.
