Search and Rescue volunteers keep Sisters safe

Two lives were saved and a missing man was found during the past two weeks thanks to long hours of training and hard work of two groups of volunteers: the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Camp Sherman Hasty Team of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue.

In late May, the two teams, working jointly with Army Air National Guard helicopters, successfully rescued two mountain hikers injured in an avalanche on the North Sister. They also assisted two uninjured companions in getting off the mountain.

Last week, a lost person was found by the Deschutes SAR in the Three Creeks area.

The Hasty Team has 32 members, most living in the Camp Sherman area with several in Sisters and one in Redmond. These volunteers provide search and rescue services in Jefferson County and often assist efforts in neighboring Deschutes and Linn counties. A hasty team is one called out to rapidly cover their assigned area without waiting for a full team.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team has a stellar reputation and attracts dedicated volunteers.

“We are not currently recruiting for new members at this time,” said Mark Foster, a reserve deputy with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office with the rank of sergeant and coordinator for the Hasty Team.

“We have just completed training mandated for certification by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Office and we are at full strength.”

The volunteers are trained in swift-water rescue, standard ground search and rescue, avalanche rescue, and some limited mountain rescue.

“We average 26 missions a year,” Foster said. “Usually, three of these missions require technical skills.”

Sergeant Dan Swearingen of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office coordinates the Deschutes County Search and Rescue Team.

Five individual units make up the rescue organization including a general rescue ground search team plus specialized teams for winter search and medical evacuation, mountain rescue that involves technical climbing, water operations, and canine search.

All are staffed with volunteers who contribute their time to offer help to people in need including radio communications volunteers who connect the volunteers with each other and with public agencies.

The Deschutes team is one of the busiest in the state averaging over one hundred training and actual missions each year. They also provide mutual aid to other counties when requested.

With the summer recreation season at hand, chances are both teams will be called on to provide assistance to both local residents and visitors who find themselves in need of help a long way from home.