SAR Day 4: Navigation part 1: Maps
SAR members need to know how to navigate. Since we look for lost people, they are often not on a trail, so going off trail is a given for us. Now in this day of GPS, people may think that …
Category: Blog Entry
Regular blog posts
SAR Day 3: regular training
Tuesday is the team’s regular training day. This evening was equipment familiarization, consisting of small engines (boat motors, chainsaws), Argo driving, swiftwater trailer familiarization, radio communications (including portable repeater setup), and various other kits including the advanced base cap kit …
Podium Ownage: Early results
With all of the hand wringing about the Own the Podium program, and was the money worth it I thought I might apply some basic statistics to the problem. Testing weather or not a technique works is one of the …
SAR Day 2
Field training at the secret Coquitlam SAR Crag on Burke Mountain. Technical travel skills; ascending, descending, convert from ascend to descend, and traversing wet slippery steep terrain. Good thing the weather is cooperating by providing the moisture. The magic number …
SAR Day 1: operational, administrative and training
SAR Member using a map
Today had operational, administrative and training components of SAR. Josh Andrew Koenig, an actor who starred in the TV Series Growing Pains, is missing in Vancouver. He is not only a high profile missing person, he is the son of a …
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SAR Day 0
My Facebook friend Lee uses the application Snowbook to track the number of days he goes skiing in a year. This has the effect of making me extremely jealous because he racks up an astounding number of days (60 this season …
How not to get hurt at Whistler
In my few days at Whistler on standby for rescues on the Olympic course I’ve had a few opportunities to see the Whistler patrol members in action. A regular weekend on Whistler sees a number of critical injuries (where critical means life …
On Olympic Aspirations
Rescuing an Olympic Skier in 2010
Recounting my part in rescuing an Olympic Athlete during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
The Olympic Imperative
From left, Brian "Fish" Fishbook, Buck Corrigan, Me, Peter Marshall, Nick Zupan
Two days of training at the men’s and women’s downhill skiing course, and one day to go before racers start practising. First, some terms of reference: there are just about 2400 blue-clad volunteers for the men’s and women’s downhill, and …
What I am not allowed to do
I have been given a list of do’s and don’ts about being a volunteer at the Olympics: do not ask for athlete/VIP autographs or pictures while on duty or in uniform do not bring family members to work do not …