STEVENSON — The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SCSOSAR) team, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), recently felt the generosity of the local community following the theft of some of its essential rescue equipment.
Prior to the theft, SCSOSAR and multiple other search and rescue teams and operations spent three days in search of two missing hikers.
According to a Dec. 28 press release from the SCSO, two individuals from Portland, Oregon, supposedly on a search for Sasquatch, were reported “missing and endangered” when they did not return home as they were expected to on Dec. 24.
On Dec. 25, at approximately 1 a.m., the Skamania County Communications Center received the report of the missing hikers. Their vehicle was later located off Oklahoma Road, near Willard, through Flock camera footage. According to a Dec. 11 press release, six Flock Safety Cameras equipped with License Plate Recognition technology were recently installed in the southern Skamania County area.
According to the Dec. 28 press release, through the footage, a SCSOSAR coordinator was able to assist in locating the vehicle.
More than 60 search and rescue volunteers spent three days searching for the missing hikers. Teams included K-9, drone and ground searching teams. According to the SCSOSAR Facebook page, ground teams included “Hasty teams” and swift water specialists.
According to the website firemarshal.ks.gov, a “hasty search" is “a fast paced and methodical search of the assigned area of operation in an attempt to locate victims that are in immediate need of evacuation from harm.”
“Without hesitation volunteers left their holiday gatherings, packed their gear, and stepped into the wilderness for what would become one of the most grueling missions of the season,” said a Dec. 28 post on the SCSOSAR Facebook page. “Teams used Starlink satellite internet to stay connected, 25-foot mast antennas to improve two-way radio communications, and SARTopo tracking software to monitor every team in the field in real time. These tools allowed rescuers to coordinate seamlessly, especially in the mountains where no cell service exists.”
A Coast Guard “air asset” from Astoria, Oregon, eventually assisted in the search, utilizing F.L.I.R. (Forward looking Infrared), said the press release.
After a three-day search, the two missing hikers — 59-year-old and 37-year-old males from Portland — were located, deceased, in a wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The cause of death appearing to be “due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness,” the press release said.
Volunteers and teams involved in locating and recovering the missing hikers included SCSOSAR, the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Silver Star Search and Rescue, PNW Search and Rescue, the Crag Rats, Wasco County Search and Rescue, and the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.
“These phenomenal volunteers also fought through freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall and heavily wooded terrain,” said the press release. “Their exhaustive efforts resulted in bringing family members home to their loved ones.” The press release also acknowledged the assistance of the Coast Guard and their efforts to help find the missing hikers.
“The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident,” said the press release.
On Dec. 29, SCSOSAR made a post to their Facebook page announcing that, on the evening the missing hikers were found, their storage yard was broken into, with multiple pieces of their search and rescue equipment stolen from the trailers they were stored in.
“They cut through a 10-foot barbed wire fence and stole nearly everything not bolted down from our equipment trailers,” the post said.
The stolen equipment included first-responder grade equipment for technical rope rescue, equipment for packaging patients in a litter (a casualty extraction platform, according to the website North American Rescue.com), an Automated External Defibrator (AED), custom wilderness medical kits for remote emergencies, rescue kits for hypothermic patients, generator, a projector for training and other essential rescue equipment.
“Every piece of equipment is critical to saving lives, all indispensable tools that ensure the safety of both rescuers and those we rescue,” the Dec. 29 post said.
According to the post, the SCSOSAR is a 5019c3 nonprofit and does not receive funding through federal, state or local government resources; rather, depending on donations in order to fund their operations. All of the SCSOSAR rescuers are volunteers.
Unsure they would be able to assist in an emergency response following the theft of their equipment, the post shared a link to a GoFundMe campaign organized to raise funds to replace the stolen equipment.
“Every dollar counts. Your support ensures no call for help goes unanswered. Together, we can rebuild and continue saving lives. Thank you for standing with us during this critical time,” said the post.
And stand with them the community did. Eventually reaching more than 1,000 shares on Facebook alone, thousands of dollars were donated to the SCSOSAR GoFundMe campaign. On Jan. 1, they made another post to their Facebook page, thanking the community and donors. They stated that through donations, they were able to order replacement equipment as well as upgrade some of their aging gear and equipment.
With these efforts as well as other Search and Rescue organizations offering to loan them equipment, they were once again “mission ready," they reported.
The post also said they were exploring updating their security to prevent any more thefts from occurring, including reinforcing doors and windows, fencing and gates, adding motion-activated floodlights, CCTV cameras, alarm systems, bollards and barriers, secure storage solutions and roofing and wall security.
On Jan. 2, the SCSOSAR shared an update officially closing their GoFundMe campaign, with $73,565 raised.
“Thanks to your INCREDIBLE generosity, Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue is officially Mission Ready again,” said a Jan. 2 Facebook post.
"We believe it’s important to responsibly steward the incredible generosity we’ve received, focusing on these immediate priorities while avoiding overfunding beyond our objectives,” said the post, “As we close this GoFundMe campaign, we want to thank each and every one of you for your donations, shares, and encouragement. Your support has made an incredible difference … Every member of our team is humbled by your generosity.”
"The only thing I would like to express is how grateful we are for the incredible generosity of everyone who contributed to assist our SAR team. They are 100% donation funded and uninsured, so these donations have been an immense blessing," Summer Scheyer, Skamania County Sheriff, said in an email to Columbia Gorge News.
To learn more about the SCSOSAR, go to scsosar.org.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.