Meeting November 16, 2002
MEMBERS PRESENT AS FOLLOWS: Art Jordan, Glenn Schultz, Wanda Hightower, Darrell Monroe, Jake Weber, Jim Peters, Sharon Fisher, Noel McRae, Carole Carstensen, & Bob Bonner
Next SARVAC Meeting: March 15, 2003 Camp Murray EOC.
Board meeting 9:30 a.m. General meeting 1:00 p.m.
MEMBER AT LARGE TRAINING CHAIR PERSON Terry Lawrence 360 877-6858 hp Fred Knight 360 966-4239 hp PO Box 50 6319 Everson Goshen Rd Brinnon WA 98320-0050 Everson WA 98247 Lawrencetd@hotmail.com wcsar436@aol.com The next meeting dates as follows: March 15, 2003, Camp Murray EOC Board meeting 9:30a.m.
General meeting 1:00 p.m. May 17 & 18, 2003, Conference Spokane time & place to be announced. September 14, 2003 Board Meeting 9:30 a.m.1:00 p.m. Council Chamber Conference on 102 N. Pearl, Ellensburg WA November 21, 2003, Camp Murray
EOC Board meeting 9:30 a.m.
General meeting 1:00 p.m.
Minutes of last meeting made some corrections.
Executive Board Report:
Key points from the Government Emergency Management Council boardÕs and the WSARCA meeting were shared. SARVAC Logo & Membership packets were discussed.
Discussion was held about the State SAR Conference seed money that SARVAC is providing. The SARVAC board would like to make sure that the SARVAC seed money is carried over each year to the next county sponsoring the SAR conference. SARVAC would like the conference flyer to acknowledge the seed money contribution of SARVAC.
President's Report:
WSARCA has stated they will help coordinate the development of the out of county search standards. The sheriff of each county can stipulate the standards required in his/her county. WSARCA is working to format the standards and when the standards are formatted, WSARCA will present the standards to the SheriffsÕ Association and the Criminal Justice Training Association. SARVAC will have input as this process progresses. Governor Emergency Management Council: Art is currently a voting member on this board. The EMC council has been very active in dealing with natural disasters and Homeland Security. The FEMA representative and other members of the governorÕs EMC are looking to see if SAR personnel would qualify as First Responders (as Fire and Police currently do). If this happens, then SAR responders may be able to access equipment and training money through FEMA as a result of the Homeland Security Act. The governorÕs EMC has recommended to the governor that Search & Rescue be given $30,000.00 for the State SAR Conference and $35,000.00 for training of SAR volunteers. If funded, this money would go to Chris LongÕs (the state SAR coordinator) department. SAR needs volunteers to be members of subcommittees for the EMC. SARVACÕs participation will help the SAR effort in Washington State. SecretaryÕs Report: It would be great if we could get a mailing address that included the e-mail address of all who would like to have their minutes emailed to them. This would save postage and you could get your newsletter earlier.
TreasurerÕs Report: $ 2,358.89 -1.51 Copies expense -12.00 Meeting expense $ 2,345.38 -500.00 To go towards conference $ 1,845.38 Committee reports: Training is still on hold pending the outcome of the completion of the standards. Election of Officers: Nominations are now open for Vice President, Secretary, and Board Member at large. It was suggested by Bob Bonner that we put election dates by the names of board representatives. Wanda nominated Jim Peters for the position of Secretary. He declined. Sarah Jordan nominated by Jim Peters. Sharon made a motion nomination be closed. Seconded by Glen. Wanda nominated Jim Brewer for Vice President and a motion to close by Jake. Bring additional names to the next meeting of anyone wanting to run for positions.
Regional mission and activity reports:
Yakima County: Search was held for an individual who was lost after becoming disoriented. A new coordinator was in charge of this search.
Mt Adams: Several cell phone Òtalk outÓ searches
Alzheimer patient was found by ÒlocalsÓ after the search was delayed when the paging system failed. Trainings were held on RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) and MCP (Mobil command Post), navigation, and K-9.
Four missions in one week; three in one day. Mt Adams Òtalk outÓ search. (Saturday 2 searches for lost hunters who walked out on their own (Tuesday). A search on the 1905 road, off highway 410 with a new coordinator (his first mission) Tuesday this initial conversation went something like this Reporting Party: ÒWeÕre camped off the 1905 road and my 32 year old son hasnÕt returned from hunting.Ó Yakima SheriffÕs Office: ÒStay there, a deputy will meet youÓ RP: ÒNo, IÕm going to look for my son!!Ó Click.
The search began the next morning. We did not have a description of the lost subject, what he was wearing, or even his name. The first four hours of the daylight were spent trying to locate the R/P., who had been slightly injured when looking for his son that previous night.
The subject located another group of hunters in Kittitas County (in opposite direction from his own camp) and was given a ride to his camp. If we had continued to recheck the R. P.Õs cell phone we would have known hours earlier the subject was safe. The maps we were using were dated and did not show all the roads.
Latitude/longitude and UTM were used. Normally UMS is used. Maps were not girded for UMS. The plum Creek Logging Company provided maps with the new roads on them, but roads were not labeled on the maps.
A training mission was held to for a search for a hunter missing 37 years.
Mason County: Three missions were held. One at Mt Eleanor, where one person fell and died and another person was carried out. Another was an evidence search at Camp Union. The third was a search for a young boy in the Shelton area.
Kitsap: No report
Cowlitz: Two young adults were reported overdue. The female was well skilled in survival techniques. Subjects were found after spending a night in the field because their vehicle had broken down.
A hunter was reported lost by her hunting partner. She was found safe on a logging road where she had a warm fire burning.
Lewis County had a possible suicide and Cowlitz was called out. The person was deceased so it was recovery.
83-year-old man lost while hunting. An intense ground search was conducted all night and into the next morning when a National Guard helicopter spotted him.
Cowlitz presented their yearly training and activity schedule, which can be accessed on the SARVAC web page.
Snohomish: A man lost for several days in the Monte Crystal area who was the subject of a search from Sunday-Tuesday was found when employees of a water department found him.
An injured person was located in the Mt. Pilchuck area.
King County rescued the same person not too many weeks later.
Old Business:
A motion was made to spend $300.00 for sample hats, transfers & patches. They will be brought to the next meeting.
We would like to have as many SAR council representatives at the state conference in Spokane. Discussion was held about how to get more participation from other councils. Talking to Chris Long about video/tele conferencing was discussed. Wanda Hightower is still working on 501 C-3 paperwork.
New Business:
SAR Resources links can be emailed directly to Noel. Discussion was held about having a page on the website where SAR members could post SAR items to exchange, donate or sell to other SAR members. We are continuing to update the web site. If you find a typo or a hyperlink not working, contact the webtech and he will make the corrections.
It is time to send out membership forms and Award nominations. They must be back to SARVAC prior to Conference.
Adjourned: 1600
SARVAC's mailing address:
SARVAC
Washington EMD
Camp Murray WA 98430-5122SARVAC web site: The newsletters will be posted there.
Any information you would like to see announced, may be addressed to SARVAC's web tech.
Noel McRae, a life member of Cowlitz County Search and Rescue Team, has agreed to be the webtech.The web address is: http://wasar.bizland.com/
For information about the site you can contact the webtech at webtech@wasar.bizland.comChris Long [the State SAR Coordinator of WA]
can be reached at the web address: c.long@emd.wa.gov, WA-SAR.net: www.wa.gov/wsem.
From this web page you select SAR.
You can down load forms and find out what is going on within the state.