But search and rescue volunteers do.

This week, search and rescue teams from 25 states and five countries will attend the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) annual conference in Coconino County for an event focused on improving skills and disseminating the latest technical life-saving information. Encrusted.

Conferences don’t start in regular event centers. Instead, teams began their journey to Flagstaff’s iconic Ponderosa Pine Forest on Tuesday to share skills and network with volunteers who share the same passion for saving lives in remote areas.

“The MRA’s mission is to provide life-saving care through search and rescue and education,” explained Cassandra Powers, rock rescue technician for Coconino County Search and Rescue.

She said fewer than 100 of the roughly 1,200 search and rescue (SAR) units in North America are certified through the MRA.

To earn MRA membership and certification, teams must test their skills in wilderness exploration, high-angle rope rescues, and alpine rescues in snow and ice.

Members will be able to enjoy the benefits of conferences such as the one currently being held in Northern Arizona this week.

“We are able to network with people out of state and in the unit that we otherwise wouldn’t have reached,” Powers said. It’s really great to see how other teams are training, the structure of their training and how the teams are doing. A lot of collaboration happens between units when we get together. ”

Powers added that collaboration and skill sharing are especially important at this particular moment in history.

“Nationwide, the number of missions across all SAR units is increasing,” Powers said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed more people than ever to get outside and hit the trails, try outdoor climbing, camping, skiing and fishing. I was. But increased recreation also meant more outdoor accidents and incidents.

“Outdoor recreation is booming,” says Powers. “We have new hikers who are just learning how to enjoy the outdoors, and as a result, more search and rescue operations. We have to meet that demand.”

On Wednesday morning, as a class of SAR volunteers prepared for one of several pre-conference training events, they heard the clicks of carabiners and ropes securing in the soft undercurrents of birdsong. .

In Kachina village near the Pumphouse Wash trailhead, SAR team members from across the country were learning how to maximize their resources in a rope rescue. This is a very important skill as rescuers are in high demand.

“We offer a three-day course on small-person rescue rescue. We focus on how to provide immediate service with just a few people and very little equipment. , is a little different than most search and rescue teams,” MRA President Allison Sheets said with a gesture. A team of helmeted instructors to set you up for the cliffs and the day. “When we go out, a lot of people have a lot of equipment and it takes a little time. So we call it our emergency team, or our buddy rescue. There’s a lot of hanging, and there’s a lot of research going on today about how to move around with ropes and how to get people out of stuck situations and help injured people.”

SAR volunteers started at 8am on Wednesday and spent three days in small group rescue training learning and practicing techniques until about 5pm.

“This is relatively new to many technical and mountain rescue teams,” said Jamie Wellebel, mountain rescue team leader for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Department. “A lot of the technology comes from the caving community, but it comes from Europe. Many of the technical rescue teams in Europe have taken advantage of this kind of technology, and it’s starting to seep into the North American rescue culture. And we will be doing more through Mountain Rescue Association conferences and classes like this small assistive rescue class.”

The skills that SAR team members learn at the conference are free, Sheets said.

And for good reason.

“MRA believes search and rescue should be free, it’s better for everyone,” Powers said. “We don’t want people not calling 911 because they can’t afford to help. The sooner people call 911, the safer the responding force is. All of our training takes place during volunteer hours.”

Powers said Coconino SAR volunteers can be in harsh and difficult situations at times. She broke her ankle while waiting for her helicopter to arrive and mentioned spending a night on snowy Mount Elden with a patient who was battling hypothermia.

At times like that, volunteers rely on each other.

“We are all very close because we spend a lot of time together in this solemn and remote environment. We feel good and confident together,” Powers said.

Yet another part of that confidence comes from training.

“These are skills that people are craving,” says Wellebel. “We have a lot of players representing different teams. A lot of the systems they’re learning here are things the home teams haven’t done yet, but they’re trying to develop the skills to do it.” Consider how you can bring it back to your team and incorporate it into your home team’s standard operating procedures. ”

The coaching that the Coconino County SAR team will receive this week, along with hundreds of other visiting volunteers, supplements the training they need to undergo each year.

“We have an academy that we’ve worked our way up. To stay on the team, you have to test and retest every year and keep your skills sharp,” Powers said. teammate’s hand. It’s just great to have people on the other end of the phone who trust Fall and have trained with him.”

Coconino County has approximately 130 SAR volunteers responsible for responding to incidents in more than 18,000 square miles.

The MRA Conference gives Coconino County volunteers an opportunity to share their local landscape and enhance their already professional knowledge.

“A lot of the techniques taught in this class are things we’re looking to incorporate into our system,” Wellebel said.

Several pre-conference trainings took place simultaneously this week. One class did “artificial high directional training” near Oak Creek Lookout. A trip to the Grand Canyon was planned for Thursday to tour a search and rescue depot and learn more about helicopter use. During the conference, teams will have the opportunity to learn about other areas such as using drones, working with search and rescue dogs, and psychological first aid.

“People being rescued are always very apologetic, but we try to reassure them by telling them that we are honored to be there. Why not hike and help someone at the same time?” Powers said.