Anonymous
By the Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue (SBCSAR)
Weekend Recap 7/24/23
SBCSAR responded to a couple incidents this past weekend as well as having an academy training day yesterday (Sunday). Friday evening, team members responded to the West Fork of Cold Spring for lost hikers. The hikers were not familiar with the area and required team members to contact and lead them out from the area near the intersection of the trail that leads up to Tangerine Falls. No medical assistance was required and the hikers were released on their own accord.
Early Saturday morning, 5 team members responded to a mutual aid request from Sierra Madre SAR to assist in the ongoing search for a missing hiker in the hills above Monrovia. Team members were tasked with searching a drainage and were inserted by LA County Sheriff Helicopter (Air 5) to a mountain top landing zone for a short hike to their assignment. The assignment took them through numerous waterfalls and steep drops, in what are considered Type 1 conditions that require advanced rope skills for waterfall rappels and transit across very challenging mountain terrain. Teams completed their assignment in the mid-afternoon and based on location hadd to be extracted by Air 5 hoist from a narrow ridge just above the completion of their search area. (Photos of helicopter LZ and hoist area)
Sunday, team members assisted in the training of our future team members in our current academy. The topics covered were man tracking of foot prints over various terrain. Also covered was Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) to find downed aircraft. Our academy is progressing well and we look forward to them joining the ranks of our current team members to assist us on our local incidents and mutual aid searches across the state.
Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue is a professional, all volunteer and unpaid 501(c)3 organization that is community supported by generous giving to provide services to the County of Santa Barbara under the direction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. To learn about supporting SBCSAR, please visit our website or reach out to us.
Super Puma to the rescue.
Earth to lost hikers on West Fork of Cold Spring trail: go downhill!
Why do people go hiking when it is in the 90s and above? People just think they are invincible. Thinking of the deaths from last year. And forget the idea your phone works everywhere. Mine doesn’t even work inside my parent’s house. Go buy a paper physical map. There are great ones for santa barbara.
My theory is people who aren’t local think that it will get cooler as they hike to higher elevations, not realizing that around here it usually works the opposite way.
Get the AllTrails app, hikers!
Thanks search and rescue for all your volunteers and rescues !
These volunteers risk their lives and health to rescue people. THINK before you head out! SO many hikers are dying this year due to lack of skills, knowledge and WATER!
Yeah, but you can buy 2 Sea Kings for the same price, that’s why the RAF use them.
The RAF retired their Sea Kings. They use Merlins.