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Volunteer Search-And-Rescue Workers Undergo Extensive Training
Mt. Baldy, Angeles National Forest.
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Al Herrmann/Flickr Creative Commons
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Volunteer Search-And-Rescue Workers Undergo Extensive Training
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department suspended the search for a hiker who went missing near Mt. Baldy on Dec. 8 after rescue volunteer Timothy Staples died Saturday.
More than 100 people were involved in the search for Sreenivas "Sree" Mokkapati.
“No one ever really feels good about it, suspending a search,” volunteer Jeff Lehman said. He added the length of time a person is missing, bad weather or a lack of new information can all contribute to scaling back a search.
Lehman has been a San Bernardino County search-and0rescue volunteer for more than two decades, although he sometimes prefers the term "unpaid professional."
“People often think it’s just a bunch of people that are just wandering around in the wilderness calling people’s names,” Lehman said. “They don’t understand the technical nature of search and rescue.”
County sheriff’s offices coordinate search-and-rescue groups. Volunteers complete a 60-hour basic search and rescue course and participate in monthly trainings.
Several local search and rescue groups, including West Valley Search and Rescue where Staples volunteered, are accredited through a national organization, the Mountain Rescue Association.
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