Winter SAR Training at Acadia National Park

On February 6^th and 7^th ,  Pat, John, and Mathias attended the Maine statewide winter training on Mount Desert Island.  The two day program was hosted by Chris Wiebusch from Acadia National Park Service (NPS) and held at the winter headquarters.   Besides Franklin SAR, other teams attending included, Wilderness SAR, Mount Desert Island (MDI) SAR, Mahoosic Mountain rescue team, Pine Tree SAR , NPS and Baxter State Park rangers.

 There were two different afternoon field scenarios. Both encompassed notification, organization, navigation to the victim, patient assessment, treatment and transportation. One of the scenarios involved a high angle pick off of the victim on an ice route.  The second involved a haul system where the victim and litter were in a difficult terrain.

Sunday we visited Beaver Bog pond to practice ice rescue techniques. At times we had 4 people in the water and it proved to be quite interesting!

After Fridays snowstorm where Acadia picked up a foot of snow, the scenery was spectacular.  Working together with other agencies and sharing ideas and techniques is always dynamic and this training was no exception. 

Many thanks to Chris and his staff of fellow rangers for organizing the event, as well as for their hospitality and accommodations.

Some of the topics and techniques we covered included:

·         Cold weather/winter emergencies and treatment. 

·         Crampon and ice axe use.

·         Avalanche and beacon use.

·         Surface ice rescue.

Summary by Pat

Photos by Pat & John