NEWS RELEASE
On August 19, 2018 the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responded to Wheatland Reservoir #3, for an attempt to locate and welfare check on a male subject.
Deputies learned that a male subject, identified as Rocky Federico (44) of Denver Colorado had been fishing the lake on a float tube around sundown. A storm had come through the area, and Federico had not been located.
A large scale search was conducted over the following six days that included the Albany County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Wyoming Air National Guard, Wyoming Game and Fish, Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and numerous members of Federico’s family and friends.
During the first few days of the search, items belonging to Federico were located along the shore of the reservoir. Evidence at the scene indicated that Federico had been blown across the lake while on his float tube, and that he had attempted to walk or swim across a shallow portion of the lake.
On August 24, at approximately 7:00 a.m., Sheriff’s Deputies recovered Federico’s body floating in the water approximately 100 yards from shore.
The Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public to always be prepared for bad weather conditions and to have a personal flotation device at all times, while on the water.
Undersheriff DeBree
On May 31st, 2018 the Albany County Sheriff's Office , the Albany County Sheriff's Search & Rescue and members of the air national guard conducted a rescue mission for an injured hiker in Vedauwoo. The hiker was transported for medical care and is doing well. With summer in full bloom, we want to remind everyone to be safe on their outdoor adventures and always be prepared for the wonders Wyoming can throw at you! Stay safe, Albany County!
March 27th, 2018
Elections were held at the March 2018 general meeting; the following are the results. We would like to thank Kurt Braisted for his six consecutive years as a Board Member and his continued leadership this year as Vice President. Congratulations to all that were elected and thank you to those that choose to run and support our organization.
Officers
President – Dan Hutchison ( 5th term, 2014-2019 )
Vice President – Kurt Braisted (1st term)
Treasurer – Ben Morgan (1st term)
Secretary – Rachel Meyer (1st term)
Training Officer – Jim Bob Schell (1st term)
Board of Directors
Matt Burkhart – term ending 2019 (1st term)
Brenna Hutchison – term ending 2020 (3rd term, 2014 – 2020)
Neil Mathison – term ending 2020 (3rd term, 2014 – 2020)
Joining Current Directors:
Liberty Boyer – term Ends 2019, (2017-2019)
Alan Sinicki – term Ends 2019. (2016- 2019)
News Release
Search and Rescue
February 21, 2018
On February 20, 2018 at approximately 7:14 P.M., the Albany County Sheriff’s Office received a report of three Colorado residents that were overdue while snowmobiling in the Snowy Range Mountains. The caller had limited information regarding possible locations of the three men.
Search teams consisting of Albany County Deputies and Albany County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteer’s, prepared to begin searching at sunrise on February 21st .
At approximately 1:00 a.m., our office was notified that one of the lost subjects had contacted a family member by cell phone. He was instructed by Deputies on how to access his GPS on his cell phone. His GPS coordinates put his location near the Quealy warming hut on “N” trail. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also received a broken 911 call from this subject as well. This subject reported that he was attempting to walk to the warming hut, however due to the depth of snow and extremely cold temperatures, he felt he wouldn’t survive.
At 2:30 a.m., our office deployed a Tucker snow cat to the area to locate the missing subject. At approximately 3:30 a.m., deputies located the subject in good health, but he was extremely cold. He reported that his party had experienced mechanical issues with one of the snowmobiles and another had become stuck in deep snow. He stayed with the two disabled snowmobiles while the other two rode double on a snowmobile back to the Green Rock parking area, to retrieve another snowmobile around 5:00 p.m. on Feb 20th. The subject that stayed with the disabled snowmobiles made a fire with what little dry wood he could find, until the fire went out. The other subjects had not returned by midnight, so he attempted to walk towards a warming hut located approximately one and one half miles away.
At approximately 11:00 a.m., on February 21st , our search teams located the other two missing subjects on “O” trail near Twin Lakes. They were escorted back to the parking area. It was determined that they had become disoriented and had taken a wrong turn while heading back to the truck. They had dug a snow cave and made a fire to survive the night.
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public of the dangers of snowmobiling in the Snowy Range and the importance of having a plan, sticking to the plan and being prepared for the worst. We would recommend that all riders carry a backpack containing a GPS, trail maps, several ways to start a fire, water, food and extra dry clothing.
Typically during searches it’s easier for the search teams to locate stationary objects such as snowmobiles. If you become stuck it’s the best practice to remain with the machine, make a shelter, fire and stay put. It’s extremely risky to attempt to walk far distances in deep snow.
Undersheriff DeBree
A write up on what happened and a thanks to all that participated.
https://adrenalinematters.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/search-and-rescue-success-lessons-learned/
This is a good reminder to evaluate the gear and supplies you take with you when venturing out no matter the activity. A simple thing like fire can be difficult to start, yet save your life and allow rescuers time to find you.
Enjoy the outdoors!
November 21, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 1900.
General
An after action review of the search near Vedauwoo was conducted.
Window hangars/stickers for vehicles will be coming soon.
The board is getting ready to place the order for new vests through Ski Area Supply. An order sheet was passed around at the last meeting for specific sizes, however extras will be ordered so we have extras.
Finance
A monthly summary was given.
Between July-September ACSSAR has received $192.39 in Amazon Smile donations.
A check from the Jelm Mountain Run was received for the amount of $1750.
Fundraising ideas were discussed. Ideas brought to the table include bingo, raffle, silent auction, and placing an ad for Giving Tuesday.
This year’s fundraising letter was also reviewed and the mailing list will be updated.
Equipment/Gear
The new dual radio chest harnesses came in and have worked well thus far.
A firehouse subs grant for 10 dry suits is in the works.
The new heater, hose and propane bottle for the command trailer came and will be installed soon.
Brenna made a motion to order a folding sandwich style board to designate the command trailer as Essential Search Personnel Only. Kurt 2nd the motion and all were in favor.
Brenna made a motion to sell the old ATV in its current condition. The motion was 2nd and all were in favor.
The board also discussed the need for an enclosed trailer that can be used for a warming/gathering trailer for search personnel and family that is separate from the command trailer. Options for this are being looked into.
Training
The tracking training this month went well with approximately 21 people from various agencies in attendance.
A meeting training topic was discussed and it was decided that Matt Burkhart would conduct avalanche/winter conditions awareness training.
An avalanche level 1 class will take place at a discounted rate on February 9-11.
Options for upcoming meeting trainings were discussed. Ideas include an overview of our specialty teams, utilizing your pack training, and K9 training.
Other
Holding a Christmas party/dinner for ACSSAR was discussed and will be planned.
Medical evaluation and incident forms were discussed. The group talked about how we can utilize these forms more on searches and also discussed making field notebooks that our members could carry in their packs.
Closed Doors
New membership status was discussed and 3 new members have been approved.
The meeting was adjourned @ 2130.
In Attendance: Dan Hutchison, Brenna Hutchison, Liberty Boyer, Neil Mathison, Alan Sinicki, Kurt Braisted, Lisa Zezas, Matt Burkhart, Rodney Fought, Bob Meyer.
October 24, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 1900.
General
An after action review of the search was conducted.
Window hangars/stickers for vehicles will be coming soon.
A motion was made by Brenna to order 24 vests from Ski Area Supply. Neil 2nd the motion and all were in favor. An order for sizes will be taken and vests will be ordered.
Finance
A monthly summary was given.
Donation boxes were discussed.
Not much change was reported from the previous month.
Equipment/Gear
The need for new dual radio chest harnesses was brought up. Neil made a motion to purchase 6 harnesses and six microphones for the WYOLINK radios. Brenna 2nd the motion and all were in favor. The harnesses will accommodate carrying both the WYOLINK and conventional radios securely.
A firehouse subs grant for 10 dry suits is in the works.
A motion was made by Brenna do purchase a new propane heater for the command trailer. Alan 2nd the motion and all were in favor. This heater will heat the command trailer better and allow for more room than the current heaters we have.
The need for a sign to designate ‘essential search personnel only’ was discussed for the command trailer. Options and pricing are being looked into.
Options for a new generator were discussed but this topic was tabled for the time being.
The board also discussed the need for an enclosed trailer that can be used for a warming/gathering trailer for search personnel and family that is separate from the command trailer. Options for this are being looked into.
Training
CPR/FA/AED trainings are still in the works.
Options for upcoming meeting trainings were discussed. Ideas include an overview of our specialty teams, utilizing your pack training, and K9 training.
Other Meetings
PAWS team
A group of our members discussed the possible need for hypothermia kits and medical kits that could be useful on certain searches.
The meeting was adjourned @ 2128.
ACSSAR Board of Directors Meeting
September 19, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 1900.
General
Finance
Equipment/Gear
Training
The meeting was adjourned @ 2044.
In attendance: Dan Hutchison, Brenna Hutchison, Liberty Boyer, Matt Burkhart, Kurt Braisted, Alan Sinicki, Rodney Fought, Paige Hellbaum, Lisa Zezas.
Dan called the meeting to order at 1903.
General/Other
The Wyoming Mounted SAR presented to the board of directors to inquire about merging their existing group into a specialty team/group of ACSSAR. The board plans to work with them to continue along the path of having a mounted SAR group as part of ACSSAR.
Mockup’s of SAR window hangers will be evaluated and will be printed soon.
Finance
The Jelm Mountain Run fundraiser is set to take place on September 23 at 8am.
ACSSAR received $162.67 from Amazon Smile.
Equipment/Gear
A work day is planned for August 29 @ 1730 to organize/maintain equipment and trailers.
The old ATV trailer will be put up for bid soon.
The older ATV’s will be evaluated to determine which one ACSSAR will keep and which one we will sell.
Training
A land Navigation Course will take place on September 16th & 17th
A NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course is scheduled in January for any members who may be interested.
Mike Warren with Big Laramie Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a Red Card (wildland fire) class in October for anyone who may be interested.
Policy Changes
Brenna made a motion to pass the new ROP’s and Bylaws. Kurt seconded the motion and all were in favor. The motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 2100.
In attendance: Liberty Boyer, Brenna Noll, Kurt Braisted, Rodney Fought, Alan Sinicki, Dan Hutchison, Lisa Zezas, Mat Burkhart, Bob Meyer, Wyoming Mounted SAR members: Kathleen, Jim, and David.
Outdoor Emergency Care
(Think EMT for the Outdoors)
Sponsored by
Snowy Range Ski Patrol & Medicine Bow Nordic Ski Patrol
Join our team of highly-qualified volunteers
• 10-day commitment per season.
• Great benefits at Snowy Range Ski Area
• Deals on equipment, passes, and more.
Informational meeting will be held August 31st in Laramie.
