Training

• Scheduled another New Member Orientation for August 4^th @ 6 pm
• Dan, Brenna, and maybe Russ need to select dates for another CPR/First Aid Class
• Dan is going to contact Spencer to arrange dates for the fall for another Red Cross LTP Instructor course
• High Angle – training scheduled for July 30^th
• Swift Water – training scheduled for July 23^rd
• Tracking – training with Larimer County SAR scheduled for July 25^th
• Land Navigation Course – Dan is going to try to reschedule this with Homeland Security
  • If unable to make work, other options will be explored
• Trying to arrange funded training between ACSSAR and SEWSAR (Southeastern Wyoming Search and Rescue)
  • Need suggestions/topic for proposal
  • Also Chris found a DHS-funded multiagency training that he is looking further into
• Neil  talked with Aimee Binning about the continuing swift water grant and scenario
  • She is going to continue the grant process for additional funding for training and possibly dry suits
• Brenna was reimbursed $170 (half the cost) for the June JHPTS tracking class
  • Kurt moved, Matt seconded, all were in favor
• Group training standards need more work
• The Enduro (bike race) is Saturday, August 1^st – currently have 5 volunteers from our group but they could use more volunteers
• Mock Search set for August 16^th – Chris and Neil are planning, Brenna is helping as needed/available

Trailers

• Kurt looked into the various trailers plates and tags – going to look into further
• Neil sent Cy an email about radio updates to the command trailer, but hasn’t heard back – going to reach out again
• Neil has been making organizational improvements to the swift water trailer
• Dan is going to get labels for the swift water gear
• Neil proposed adding the group seal and/or name to the small trailer
  • Dan is going to look into the cost
• Discussed the need to ball locks for several of the trailers
  • Matt moved we buy 3 ball locks and see if we can get them all keyed the same, Josh seconded, all were in favor

New Business

• Paige is organizing the July general meeting – medical topic:  intro to backboarding
  • Matt planning on leading the August general meeting – topic:  wildlife/plant encounters
• After Action Review discussion
  • There was an after action review on July 13^th following the July 1^st and July 4^th rescues
  • Discussion topics:
    • Getting trailer to scene, regardless of anticipated need
    • Area familiarization would be of benefit
    • Need to work with SO/members on grouping teams, team leader selection, on scene pack checks, making sure groups have appropriate resources
    • Would be helpful to have an ACSSAR member remain at IC
      • Could use more training/explanation of support roles
    • Need to review paging system/responding
      • Do not call dispatch or SAR leaders to tell them if you are responding or not, it ties up the lines, and the information is not usually passed on
      • Call if you have an actual question, otherwise respond through the paging system
      • Dan wants to add functionality to the paging system for needed resources and who is bringing them (i.e. the trailer, radios, food…)
    • More hands-on training needed with the Wyolinks
      • Make sure everyone has a bingo card of the channels
      • Discussed having harness sets ready to hand out
    • Need practice with GPS units and changing coordinate systems
    • Talked about creating additional sets of radios
      • Josh moved we purchase an additional set, Matt seconded, all were in favor
      • Need to determine who will be responsible for the different radio sets
    • More discussion/planning is needed in general – possibly arranging a separate meeting for this

Policy Changes/Additional Requirements

• Still working on these
• All board members/officers are going to try to review/edit one section they feel needs addressed for the August board meeting

Upcoming Training in the Area

• Mock Search – August 15^th
• JHPTS Tracking Course – September 18^th - 20^th @ Buckhorn Camp (Colorado)
• Jelm Mountain Race – September 19^th

In Attendance:  Dan Hutchison, Neil Mathison, Kurt Braisted, Matt Allshouse, Paige Hellbaum, Chris Armstrong, Josh Hurt, Brenna Noll, Bob Meyer

*Minutes for this meeting were taken by Brenna Noll

Busy week for ACSSAR, 9 am July 4th, once again paged out for a rescue on Medicine Bow Peak. This time an injured snowboarder near School House Rock. The injured snowboarder was lowered by the high angle team to a waiting ground team, transferred to a litter and carried to Lake Marie. From there a waiting raft was used to transport across the lake to the ambulance. All in all about 6 hours of Team Work! ACSSAR worked with other agencies including Albany County Sheriff's Office, Carbon County Sheriff's Office, Carbon County Search and Rescue, Wyoming Highway Patrol and others. 
Good work all!

The meeting began with a call to order by Dan. Brenna then read the minutes from June's board meeting. Paige continued with a financial report. Dan discussed upcoming events and training, including the Red Cross LTP Instructor class on 7/11-12, the EMA Swift Water exercise on 7/14, the Laramie Enduro race on 8/1, and the JHPTS Tracking class in Buckhorn, Colorado on 9/18-20. A sign-up sheet for the Enduro race was passed around. 

Board members and officers then introduced themselves for the new attendees at the meeting. At 7:26, Harold moved to adjourn. Everyone seconded. Man tracking training then commenced and was taught by Dan and Brenna. The lecture concluded at 8:00 and tracking practice started outside shortly after. 

The meeting began with a discussion of old business. This included goals for the year, scheduling upcoming events like a CPR/first aid class and a new member orientation, and upkeep of the SAR trailers. The ATV trailer needed plates, tags, and possibly a title. Dan believed he found the 2014 registration. The title was still missing but possibly may not be needed for a registration renewal. Kurt is looking into it. The command trailer needed its solar panel leak to be fixed and may be in need of radio updates. Neil will follow up. The small, enclosed trailer will be re-purposed for Swift Water operations. The floor needed to be painted and the junk needed to be cleared out. A work day on the trailers was thought of. "Freedom Has a Birthday" was discussed but ACSSAR will not participate this year. The Dog Show was discussed. It went well and ACSSAR received its check. Improvements for next year were discussed. The search operation in Lusk was discussed. It went well, although nothing was found. The radios worked well during the search. More team training on the radios was brainstormed. 

New business was then gone over. Paige rented a safety deposit box for the year at the rate of $18. It will auto-renew next June. Who should have copies of the deposit box key was discussed. It was proposed that Dane be given a copy. Paige would touch base with him on this. The number of signatures needed to gain access to the box was discussed as well. It was proposed that the P.O. box be passed onto Dane, too. Swift water operations were talked about. Planning needed to continue and equipment needs needed to be discussed. Neil discussed the swift water training  from the previous Saturday. EMA funding was discussed. EMA is setting up inter-county MOUs. ACSSAR would provide a list of its members with their skills and what equipment we have. Wyolink radios would potentially be obtained. Dan will get more information about this. The JHPTS class from the previous weekend was discussed. Kurt moved to reimburse Dan of $298 and Bob of $170 as 50% of cost. Brenna seconded and all were in favor. Brenna's costs will be voted on at the next meeting with three other board members present to avoid a conflict of interest. 

Upcoming training and events were discussed. High angle and tracking were covered. The cost of Rescue III class needed to be received from Russ. Land Nav needed to be rescheduled. Managing the Lost Person Incident (MLPI) class with SEWSAR was discussed. Establishing group standards was gone over, as was team paging in the paging system. Volunteers were needed for the Enduro race on Saturday, Aug 1. EMTs and first responders were sought after. Neil talked about the Zodiac boat. He would get more information, particularly on the boat's condition. The use of the command trailer for hostage negotiation by the Sheriff's Office was discussed. Dan passed this on to Todd who hadn't heard anything back.. Todd will continue to follow up, though this was not a high priority. Chris went over the idea of a mock search in August. Swift water training starting from the Governor's ranch was talked about. Neil would head this up. The Red Cross LTP instructor class on July 11/12 was discussed. Tracking training in June was talked about. Medical, Litter, and radio scenario training was planned for July. The date is yet to be solidified. August training will be discussed at the next board meeting. 

Policy changes and additional requirements were gone over. Officer position descriptions, new member orientation/interviews, snowmobile usage policy, and high angle policy were examined. 

July 1, 2015

At approximately 7:35pm Wednesday July 1^st, ACSSAR was requested to assist the Albany County Sheriff’s Office in a search for a lost hiker near Medicine Bow Peak. Four teams were deployed through the night consisting of 14 ACSSAR members and 2 ACSO Deputies. The lost subject was located around 4am near Reservoir Lake and helped back to the trailhead around dawn. The subject was was cold but able to walk out on her own with guidance from the rescuers.

Many of those involved in the rescue had been practicing High Angle Rescue at Vedauwoo that evening and were able remobilize quickly for the search 60 miles west.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT - (June 9, 2015)

 
-    On Monday afternoon (060815) the Albany County Sheriff’s Office received a call for assistance in the Vedauwoo campground area. It was reported that an 11 year old boy had become stranded in a precarious location while climbing on a rock formation.  
-    Upon arrival of Deputies, they determined that High Angle climbers from the office were required to assist the boy down from his position.
-    Experienced climbers from the Wyoming State Patrol, and Albany County Search and Rescue also responded to assist if needed.  
-    Climbers were eventually able to bring the boy down to safety with no injuries
-    This is the Sheriff’s office first High Angle rescue this spring. Rescues are common in the same general throughout this spring and summer.
-    The Sheriff’s office would like to remind recreational climbers to be aware of the locations that they place themselves in which results in have to be rescued.  Even experienced climbers with the proper equipment and experience, will at times become injured. If stranded please remain calm and know rescuers are on their way. It is highly recommended that no one attempt to climb in the area without a friend or companion.
-    No matter the situation, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office will always respond to assist. Please call 307-721-2526 or 911 if you need of assistance of any kind.

Respectfully,


Robert J. DeBree
Undersheriff
Albany County Sheriff’s Office

http://www.co.albany.wy.us/sheriff%E2%80%99s-office-high-angle-rescue.aspx

Board Meeting Agenda May 19^th 2015

Old Business

• Fundraising Letter – Brenna, Matt
  • presented for review
• Goals for the year
  • equipment updates
    • ATVs – get them running, then auction, purchase new (2)
    • generator for the incident command trailer
    • projector – CPR, meetings
  • training
    • mountain bike training
    • continue increasing quality and quantity
      • increase overall percentage of participation
  • organizational
    • fund raising/grants
    • update ROPs and Bylaws
    • organize officer positions
    • set training standards
• Business Cards – For New Officers and Board
  • handed out
• Storage Shed @ SO SAR Building – Chris/Dan
  • still sorting out – semiannual meeting with O’Malley and Beeston coming up
• Safety Deposit Box for Important Records now in Mike and Vicki
  • ACPE has one safety deposit box for $23/year
  • Matt proposes, Kurt seconds, all in favor of safety deposit box
  • $40 fireproof safe box
• Lusk Search Discussion
  • Dan talked to Brian Zerbe again today
  • camping available
  • help w/ command and IC (support roles) – they will welcome help
  • don’t need help setting up ahead of time
  • 60-80 people involved
  • need Wyolink type radios
• Red Cross LTP -  Instructor class July 11-12
• Dog Show
  • contract signed and returned
  • Matt contacted WyoTech about volunteers – hasn’t heard back
  • still need more people in a few slots
• Training –
  • New Member orientation
    • Another for May/June – decide @ next meeting
    • Jason going to email members who need this class to start arranging dates
  • CPR/First Aid Class - June
• Bylaws and ROPs
  • Officer position descriptions
  • new member orientation/interview
  • Snowmobile usage policy
  • High Angle policy
  • work on during dog show, revisit at next board meeting

New Business

• New location at SAR building
  • SO purchased chairs and 2 x 60” tvs (holding off on purchasing projector for now)
• Budget – Paige
  • Dan to follow up on Eppson Center CPR class bill
• Trailers
  • ATV Trailer need plates/tags – Title?
  • Four Place snowmobile need to be sold or fixed?
    • Matt motions get whatever money we can by selling it or scrapping it, reserve of $50, Brenna seconds, all in favor
  • Command Trailer
    • Radio Updates - Cy
    • Use by S/O as a command trailer for hostage negotiation?
      • proposal to let them use it, but establish an MOU first – Brenna motions, Matt seconds, all in favor
  • Small enclosed trailer repurpose for Swift-water
    • Clean out junk, paint floor
    •  What to do with the following:
      • Hitch Rack
        • Kurt motions to sell with trailer, Brenna seconds, all in favor - $50 reserve
      • Christmas stuff
      • Horse gear – Todd?
      • Matt moves to donate decorations to any member who wants them or Salvation army, and to let Todd hold onto the horse gear, Kurt seconds, all in favor
• Freedom Has a Birthday
  • see level of interest/availability from group
• City Wellness Day - June 9^th
  • decision not to participate this year
• Managing the lost Person Incident (MLPI) Class w/ SEWSAR
  • discussion to approach Spencer about other potential classes
• Continuing  Swift water grant and Scenario
  • received nearly $7000 in equipment through EMA grant
  • would like to continue scenarios/training, and additional equipment available through grants for shortcomings
    • wet suits, dry suits
    • Rescue 3 training
• Mock Searches
  • Chris going to help with August mock search
• Attendance Update
  • overall improvement
• Team Paging in Paging System
  • High Angle
  • others?
    • swiftwater
    • snowmobiles
    • K9s
    • tracking

Upcoming Training in the Area

May Meeting – High Angle         

• brief crime scene awareness review?

Saturday, May 30^th

• Lusk Training Multi agency

June 12^th-14^th - JHPTS Tracking Lusk

June 13^th-14^th - Land Nav w/ Russell Clark

Summer Training Schedule

Policy Changes/Additional Requirements

• High Angle – Basic SOP’s

ACSSAR is now meeting at the Sheriff's Office SAR building for our monthly meetings. The meeting time and date will remain the same, 7 pm the last Tuesday of the month.

The meeting began with a reading of the minutes from the April board meeting. Paige conducted a financial report, and Dan discussed upcoming training events and activities. This included the high angle refresher on May 13, the fifth grade safety day on May 18, the dog show fundraiser May 23-25, the May monthly meeting, the Lusk multi-agency exercise on May 30, and the tracking practice with Larimer County SAR also on May 30. Changes to the paging system were discussed as well. The new officers and board members each introduced themselves, as did every attendee of the meeting. Harold moved to adjourn, Paige seconded, and all were in favor. Swift water rescue training commenced. Members practiced throwing throw-bags outside toward the end of the meeting.

The meeting began with a discussion of old business, which included the fundraising letter, training and new member orientation scheduling, ID cards, and bylaws and ROPs. Snowmobile usage policy was covered, as was the use of ATVs. The issue of batteries dying on the ATVs was brought up and solutions were proposed.

New business covered officer and board member roles, expectations, and expected behavior. The duties of each new officer were individually discussed. Business cards for new officers and board members are on order. Storage space concerns were brought up and ideas for where to store extra gear, equipment, etc. were offered. Obtaining a safety deposit box was discussed as was the cost. It appeared to be a cost-effective solution to storing SAR funds/other valuables. The need for a new meeting room was discussed. Buying a new projector was discussed and Matt motioned to buy. Brenna seconded and all were in favor. Callout system training was covered so that those in attendance would be more familiar with how the system works. Collaboration with the Medical Reserve Corps was discussed. 

Upcoming events and training were discussed, including the multi-agency exercise and search in Lusk on May 30th. It was pointed out that working with other agencies outside of an actual emergency is rare so the opportunity should be taken advantage of. Red Cross CPR instructor training on July 11 and 12  was mentioned and will be discussed at the monthly meeting. Fifth grade day on May 18 was talked about, and a signup sheet should be created. The dog show on May 23-25 was also discussed and a signup sheet is available online or on paper.  The Coast Guard will host inland search and rescue training May 4-8. High angle training in Sheridan will be offered on June 5. Joel Harden Professional Tracking Services will conduct training on June 12 and 13. Land navigation training with Russell Clark will occur on June 13-14. 

In attendance:

Dan Hutchinson

Josh Hurt

Brenna Noll

Dane Purmalis

Chris Armstrong 

Harold

Todd Schlager

Neil Matheson 

Matt Allshouse

Paige Hellbaum

Jason Sheathelm

Kurt Braisted

The elections are in, the results are tallied, and....
Congratulations to the 2015 ACSSAR Officers and Board!

And thank you to all of those who served this past year.
The 2015 results are as follows:

February 14^th at 12:28 am - Albany County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue received a request for assistance from the Sheriff’s Office in a search for an overdue hiker in the Chimney Park area off of Hwy 230.  With temperatures near 25 degrees, hasty teams including K9s began deploying to the area and were on scene around 2am. An additional 14 ACSSAR members and additional deputies arrived on scene around 7am. As teams began to deploy from the staging area, the subject made his way back to the parking area and was in good health.  Thanks To all responding!

Resources
Sheriff’s Office Deputies
ACSSAR
  Ground Teams –
  K9 Team –
  Snowmobile Team –