2010 Mountain Rescue Basic's Class

Congratulations to this year's Mountain Rescue Basic's class. Thirteen people finished the class strong last weekend in cold weather, wind, and even snow! A great time was had by all and we look forward to including this group in our volunteer program.

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Human Remains found in Red Rock

Last week, SAR officers responded to Black Velvet Canyon in Red Rock where human remains were discovered by multiple hikers.

See news reports here.

The investigation is currently ongoing.

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Busy Weekend at Red Rock and Mt. Charleston

With temperatures lingering in the low to mid 80's, outdoor enthusiasts headed for the hills to enjoy the wonderful weather this past weekend. The 13-mile loop that provides access to all that the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area has to offer was packed with cars and people.

Basic's Class

Saturday morning started out with the Basic's Class at Red Springs. For the past month or so, the class has spent numerous hours learning and practicing rescue techniques in the classroom and on the tower. It was time to remove the class members from the controlled environment and plant them in an area that we conduct a large majority of our rescues. The class practiced raising and lowering with a loaded litter as well as passing a knot on rappel. Here's a picture of class members setting up an anchor system:


Mt. Charleston

At about 1:00 in the afternoon, the Mountain Rescue Team received its first call of the day. It was reported that a hiker was lost after leaving a marked trail at Mt. Charleston. Two SAR Officers and one Mountain Rescue volunteer boarded the Huey from Red Springs and headed to Mt. Charleston. The male hiker was found, and with the help of rescue personnel, was hoisted out by helicopter. He was uninjured.

Red Rock Canyon - Olive Oil

On Saturday night at 10:30pm, the Mountain Rescue volunteers were called out to Red Rock Canyon. Three climbers, two of which were in their late 60's, were caught in bad weather while climbing Olive Oil. Although all 3 climbers were uninjured, one climber was suffering from flu-like symptoms, which had caused their initial delay. With approximately 300 feet left to climb, the climbers chose to hunker down on a well-defined ledge to protect themselves from the storm. They were fortunate to be able to make a call for help using their cell phone.

By 11:30pm, the rain and wind storm began clearing up. Four volunteers and five SAR Officers were transported to the top of Olive Oil by helicopter where the team set up technical rescue systems. One rescuer was lowered to the victims where they were medically assessed. The climbers were raised to the top of the climb one by one and were extracted by helicopter. The climber that was experiencing flu-like symptoms was transported by ambulance to the hospital while the two remaining climbers were able to drive home on their own. The entire rescue took about 5 hours to accomplish with rescue personnel leaving Red Rock at 3:30am.

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Got Gore-Tex?

The weather is starting to cool down (finally) in the Las Vegas Valley. This means that it's time to start pulling out your winter gear. For most desert dwellers, those Gore-Tex jackets spend most of their time stuffed away in a closet somewhere. On the rare occasion that they're actually pulled out to do their job, most owners will find that their outer wear isn't doing what it's supposed to do. Why isn't the Gore-Tex jacket that you've owned for 10 years no longer keeping you dry?

Most people would do the next most sensible thing - go out and buy a new jacket. And hey, why not?

I know that I'm about to squash your reasoning for buying the latest and greatest jacket, but the truth is that Gore-Tex is actually a type of fabric. Over time, those Gore-Tex fibers are compromised. Not on purpose, but just from normal wear and tear. It's really easy to restore the fibers so that they go back to protecting you from the elements - just wash your garments using powdered detergent and throw them in the dryer under medium heat. The time spent in the washer will clean the dirt and grime from your jacket while the heat from the dryer repairs those compromised fibers. Ironing your garments using medium heat also works! So, if you find that your Gore-Tex garments aren't doing the trick any more, try these simple steps to keep yourself dry during those cold and wet days spent in the desert.

For more specific information about how to care for your outdoor apparel, visit the Gore-Tex Care Center.

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Short Haul & Fast Rope Training

Every year, the Mountain Rescue Team along with the Air Unit take to the skies to practice short haul and fast rope techniques. Since everything that these Units do take practice, this session serves as an annual certification to all Officers, Pilots and Volunteers.


This year, Hau Ngo came out to photograph the events of the day. View the entire set here.

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A Flash Flood Safety Reminder

It's been an incredible week in the Las Vegas Valley for rain and thunderstorms, which makes this the perfect time of year to read all about flash floods and keeping yourself safe. These types of storms are common in the desert in and around our City, so if you hear of flash flood warnings in the area, be cautious. The best thing to do is to stay in doors.

Here's an article from 2003 of a rescue that our Unit performed during a flash flood storm. Our rescue personnel and helicopters plucked numerous people from the top of their cars, including a Las Vegas Firetruck, as flood waters consumed their vehicles. Don't let this happen to you!

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Basic's Class in Full Swing

This year's Mountain Rescue Basic's class is in full swing! Fourteen people were selected out of our initial interview process to attend this class, which will run until the end of November. Future volunteers will be selected from the participants who successfully complete the class.

During the Basic's class, attendees learn fundamental mountain rescue techniques that are used by the Unit to conduct its missions. The first is being able to physically do the job. Here's the class participating in a PT session.

Once PT is complete, the class typically hits the classroom where they are exposed to the lesson of the day.

After a specific topic is covered, attendees head outside where they have the opportunity to learn hands-on techniques. In this picture, the group is building an anchor system:

And finally, the reward. Here's a picture of one of the class members rappelling off of the tower.

So far, the class has learned how to tie essential knots, including the water knot and the family of figure-8's. Class members have also been exposed to the rescue equipment that is used by the Unit, anchor systems, raising and lowering systems, and have had the opportunity to rappel using both low and high anchor points.

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