Tag Archives: RRC

Southern Sierras: Sierra Rescue Expands presence

Sierra Rescue now has a stronger presence in the Southern Sierras. Sierra Rescue’s Zach Byars recently moved from Northern California and now is based in Ventura, California. This move has opened the door for more rescue trainings on southern sierra rivers such as the Kern and the Kawhea. Combined with the fact that both of those drainages hold running water this year, the southern training grounds are prime. Los angeles based Uber adventures has sent numerous participants to the Kern for whitewater rescue training this spring where participants hone techniques for descending Whitewater Class-C canyons. In addition to canyoneers and other outdoor enthusiasts, Southern California rescue agencies are sending personnel to the Kern for training that is a little closer to home.

The Kern provides an excellent and diverse training location with more than 60 miles of accessible terrain. Whitewater rapids ranging from class 2 through class 5+ affords the right challenge for any adventure seeker. The diverse nature of the river corridor is perfect for the wide ranges of classes that we teach. Between the upper Kern and Lower Kern is the town of Kernville, which serves a jumping off point, and base camp for all sorts of outdoor recreation. We are pleased to maintain a more consistent presence the southern sierras and strive to provide the best possible training courses for our students. Find a class and come train!

souther sierras swiftwater rescue- Kern River

Southern Sierras swiftwater rescue- Kern River

Swiftwater Rescue in Redwood National Park

As instructors of swiftwater rescue, we have the opportunity to train in some amazing environments with some very talented groups of people. From military special forces to recreational boaters, swiftwater rescue is applicable to a diverse cross section of the population. The National Park Service continues to be one of our favorite groups to work with. We have taught swiftwater rescue and whitewater rescue with the National Park Service in locations such as Grand Canyon, Grad Teton, Yosemite, Big Bend, Lassen, and Olympic national parks. Recently we had a training on the Smith River with Park Rangers in Redwood National Park. In the northern California park, some rangers lead scenic floats through the redwood groves, while others respond to distress calls on the river. Several Rivers crisscross through the park and they attract lots of attention from park visitors.

photo courtesy of Del Norte Triplicate / Bryan Anderson

The Del Norte Triplicate sent reporters to attend parts of course. After training and practice with some rescue techniques, instructors challenged the rangers with realistic water rescue scenarios. It’s always a learning experience says Sierra Rescue instructor Zach Byars, “even when the rescue goes wrong, there’s a lot to be learned. Thats why its called training.” The students made good progress throughout the course and left better prepared for water incidents that may happen in the future.

For more information on the Smith River training visit http://www.triplicate.com/News/Local-News/Learning-the-Ropes-Swift-water-rescue-training to read the full write-up.

swiftwater entry by Sierra Rescue instructor Zach Byars with Redwood National Park river rescue training

photo courtesy of Del Norte Triplicate / Bryan Anderson

Sierra Rescue Travelogue : Patagonia and the Futaleufu

Scouting Terminator

Sierra Rescue co-owner Julie Munger spent a large portion of her international professional guiding career in Chile guiding on the BioBio and Futaleufu Rivers. Lead instructor Zach Byars recently visited the area on a trip in February, and shares a few photos below.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Chile and got to spend a few weeks on the Futaleufu river in Patagonia. My wife and I joined up with a commercial trip through BioBio expeditions. We bridged the gap between guests and guides, leaning more toward the guide side. Once we proved our worth with on-water skills, Tessa and I had free rein to tag along in any craft we wanted. The “puente puente” section, just a few miles downstream from Bio Bio’s camp, provided a perfect playground for whitewater thrills. Highlights included an R2 run and a double ducky descent on the famous 8 miles Class IV bridge to bridge day run.

The Futaleufu runs through a pristine section of Patagonian wilderness. Nestled between glaciated mountain peaks the water is an unbelievable color and its current holds a power rivaled by few rivers in the world. Picture the volume of the grand canyon flowing downhill with 10 times the gradient, with similar style to the Illinois or Touloume rivers.

Rowing a safety cataraft down the bridge to bridge

Traveling to the Futaleufu river was an incredible experience highlighted by great people and guided by some of the world’s best whitewater professionals. Combined with the stunning rugged beauty, and first class trout fishing, I’m not sure how I ever left. Next season we’re looking to combine forces with Bio Bio for a swiftwater rescue training on the Futaleufu and an International Rafting Federation guide assessment. Stay tuned for more information.

Rescue 3 International Instructor Trainer Meeting

RQ3 group, rescue 3 international, rescue,

the group after the competition.

Another successful Rescue 3 international IT meeting down. A few weeks ago, Rescue 3 instructors from the U.S. and abroad gathered at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for a week of classes, networking, and curriculum development. The folks at the NOC provided a great atmosphere for the meeting. It sure was fun and informative to have all that knowledge gathered in one place. This years conference had a rescue relay competition and team Sierra Rescue blew the competition out of the water. Participants had to move through a challenge course consisting of shallow water crossing, throwbagging, boat flip management, and swimming.

Like the conferences of past years, several instructors made presentations, and awards were given out by Rescue 3. Many participants brought good information and questions to the table. The collaboration of instructors from across the world led to a discussion as to the future of the world of rescue, and how Rescue 3 fits into that future.

Rescue Competition from the 2014 Rescue 3 international conference

Next year the conference will return to Northern California to the home turf of Rescue 3 and the regional training provider Rescue 3 West. Classes will be held up on the South fork of the American river and on Lake Folsom. A variety of courses will be offered ranging from Inland rescue swimmer to Techinical rope rescue. Aside from the courses, the team competitions will be a highlight. At Seirra rescue, we’re hoping to step up the level of competition for the 2015 ‘rescue olympics.’

See ya there!

Outdoor Recreation: Sierra Rescue behind the scenes

We here at Sierra Rescue are dedicated to providing the best instruction in Technical Rope Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, and Wilderness Medicine. We love our jobs and thrive on the student interaction in our courses. Outside of the class environment we are all outdoor enthusiasts and passionate practitioners of outdoor recreation. No doubt we work hard, but we play just as hard if not harder. Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes at Sierra Rescue to shed light on what it is we do on our “time-off.”

Founders and owners of Sierra Rescue, Julie Munger and Abi Polsby have their hands full enjoying the outdoor playground in and around Truckee, CA. Recently transplanted to Tahoe from up near Taylorsville, CA they have embraced the mtn. culture of Truckee and the corresponding outdoor activity level. Whether trail running with the dogs, cycling, swimming or stand up paddle boarding on Donner or Tahoe, they seems to fill their down time quite efficiently.

At the time of this post, Julie and Abi are about 75 miles into the Grand Canyon guiding a group of riverboarders down the Colorado river.

Zach Byars, continues to guide float trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon river, where he is the sweep boat pilot running a 23 ft baggage boat and setting up camps along the 100 mile section of free flowing river. “If it floats, I’m into it.” Zach is a self-proclaimed extreme tuber and has taken his river rat down some of the West’s classic runs. Recently Zach has gotten back in to cycling and mountain biking.

When not instructing a swiftwater rescue class, you can find Don Lester downhill mountain biking in the foothill trails near his Colfax, CA home, stand-up paddling any floatable moving water, or rafting down the classic creek runs of CA. Last winter he took a self-support SUP trip to the Caribbean. 4 days, two boards, one great time.

All of us at sierra rescue enjoy international travel, and both work and leisure have enabled some worldly travels for the Sierra Rescue team. Last year Julie and Abi taught a Wilderness First Responder course in Norway, Don has taught swiftwater rescue in Puerto Rico, and Zach is planning a patagonia adventure.

We strive to make our jobs challenging, engaging, and fun. That mentality definitely applies to our time outside the classroom environment. Train Hard Stay Safe… and most importantly have fun in the great outdoors!

River Rescue: Access

If we were to look at the total time spent in a river rescue, then divide the amount of time spent of each part of the rescue: Locate, Access, Stabilize, Transport we would find that a majority of time spent in a rescue is in the access phase.

Access is one of the most limiting factors that affect rescues. If you cannot access the victim you will be incapable of giving any aid. Having knowledge and practice of the various types of access is one of the fundamental pillars of an efficient rescue team. What is most important is understanding what your team is capable of and what equipment needs those capabilites may dictate. A group of rafters’ rescue equipment needs and and space available to store them likely will be larger than a small group of kayakers. On the flip side, a professional rescue team (EMS) will have much more equipment/hardware but a lot less practice and experience in the water. Every group has its challenges and limitations to being able to access a victim, but each group also has its benefits and special skills that can help. The key is practicing scenarios to discover what your group’s deficiencies and special skills are, then working out a plan to overcome them.

Locate, Access, Stabilize, Transport

What can you specifically practice?

Boat access: can you get out of your kayak onto a rock from the eddy behind it if you cant touch the bottom of the river? Could you catch that same eddy if you were in a raft, or could you swim to access that eddy if you didn’t have a boat at all?

Downstream safety/rescuer reset: do you have the tools in place to retrieve your swimmer/kayaker/rafter if they miss that rock and reset the rescue for a second attempt?

Preplan/plan B: can you implement or plan a secondary plan of action in case your initial access plan fails?

Taking the time as a paddling group or as a department to learn and discover skills, abilities, and limitations in the water can go a LONG way to causing a successful rescue.

Post by: Tren Long, Instructor

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