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Oplopanax Horridus

Oplopanax Horridus

A veteran SAR volunteer's experiences in British Columbia

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Tag: injury

WorkSafeBC Report into death of SAR Volunteer

By Michael Coyle Posted on 15/11/2012 Posted in Blog Entry Tagged with death, hazard, injury, opinion, risk

The WorkSafeBC report into a SAR Volunteer’s death is boiled down into headlines before the upcoming inquest.

On Blaming the Victim

By Michael Coyle Posted on 16/11/2011 Posted in Blog Entry Tagged with analysis, blame, death, ethics, hazard, injury, opinion, rescue, risk
On Blaming the Victim

A lot of people, including those that should know better, insist on blaming the victim of a backcountry search or rescue.

SAR Day 39: Rescue on Eagle Ridge

By Michael Coyle Posted on 19/07/2010 Posted in Blog Entry, SAR Day Tagged with helicopter, HETS, injury, rescue, SAR, SARDay

What follows is a  first person account of a recent rescue on Eagle Ridge. At approximately 16:30 I get paged: “All members call task line for injured hiker at Buntzen Lake“. I dial in and hear the SAR manager describing …

SAR Day 39: Rescue on Eagle Ridge Read more »

Death on Snowmobile: part 3 what worked

By Michael Coyle Posted on 19/03/2010 Posted in Blog Entry Tagged with death, injury, opinion, safety, SAR, snow, snowmobile
Death on Snowmobile: part 3 what worked

Every skier loves to slag a sledder. Forums all over the internets are alive with skiers talking about the Boulder Mountain Avalanche and how it wouldn’t happen to skiers, that the sledders are isolated from the sounds of the snow …

Death on Snowmobile: part 3 what worked Read more »

Death on snowmobile: part 2

By Michael Coyle Posted on 14/03/2010 Posted in Blog Entry Tagged with death, injury, opinion, safety, SAR, snow, snowmobile
Death on snowmobile: part 2

I’d like to talk about one or two things I’ve noticed that can help shed light on why 200 people would go out into such obviously dangerous conditions, and expose themselves to what would seem to be obvious risk. These …

Death on snowmobile: part 2 Read more »

Death on snowmobile

By Michael Coyle Posted on 13/03/2010 Posted in Blog Entry Tagged with death, injury, opinion, safety, SAR, snow, snowmobile
Death on snowmobile

Today over 200 people were on scene at an “unorganized event” known as the “Big Iron Shootout” near Revelstoke, there was an avalanche and several people were killed, many were injured and there are possibly some missing. In the past …

Death on snowmobile Read more »

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