SBSAR News & Info

Director's Dialogue May 2012

Dave Nicolet — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:11:51 +0000

On behalf of our entire Board of Directors of the Inland Empire SAR Council we would like to thank all of the units for their gracious hospitality during our unit visits during the months of January, February and March. It was great to get out to see all of you and for the first time in Council history all of our board members were out and around visiting the units at the same time. All of us had a great time and we will be doing that once again before years end.

It was our goal and objectives during these to visits to inform you of the various events that the Department and Volunteer Forces will be hosting in the near future. Hopefully, we were able to tell you what an outstanding job Volunteer Forces was doing as a whole to review and complete a number of request by your units in regards to the Wish List, our SAR Vehicles and the new AEMT program. Our other purpose was to let you know the status of some of the SAR Councils projects they we have taken on such as the PR Trailer, sponsoring the upcoming MSAR and OHVASR Countywide Trainings, the Sheriffs Rodeo Booth and the motorcycle sale that we were doing for a fund raiser.

Please remember that the SAR Council can be your voice to the department if need be and that at our meetings or visits it can be a time for you to air to us any suggestions, ideas and/or complaints that you may have about anything that is going on in our SAR Community. We are here to aid you and your units and hopefully keep you updated on the activates, policy changes, training requirements and searches that might be going on throughout our county if you haven’t heard about them through the normal channels. We hope that we can answer any questions that you may have and if we cant, then hopefully, we can direct you to the people of your chain of command who can.

Remember your Unit Coordinators and your Station Command personnel, they can answer most of your questions. If not, you can always contact Volunteers Forces, they have an open door policy and are willing and able to assist your units needs and requests. Again, if all else fails contact your SAR Council board members and we will try to find out for you the right direction to go to get you questions answered. We are here to help you and your units in anyway possible!

At this time I would also like to thank all our SAR units for their donations that they made for the two Explorer students who were tragically fatally injured in April. If you could bring those checks, payable to: Inland Empire SAR Council to the next SAR Council meeting it would be appreciated. If you would like to mail your contribution prior to the next meeting please send them to:

San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department

c/o Volunteer Forces IESARC

655 East Third Street

San Bernardino, Calif. 92415-0061

These funds then will be forwarded to S.E.A.T. so that they can be divided up between the two families. Thank you so much for your participation!

UPCOMING EVENTS, TRAINING'S AND MEETINGS:

MSAR COUNTYWIDE TRAINING:The third time is the charm! The Apple Valley Posse will once again try to hold this event. Unfortunately, due to circumstance beyond their control the last two attempts have been canceled. The 6^th Annual MSAR Training will now be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012. It will be at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park. Please contact the SAR Council MSAR Chairman Hap Hatch for further details APAP. He will also need a headcount and the names of your members who will be attending. Contact Hap at: 951-543-8817 or at hhatch@sbsar.org Note: There will be a meeting of the MSAR Committee prior to the next SAR Council meeting at 6 p.m.

OHVSAR COUNTYWIDE TRAINING:The 2^nd Annual OHVSAR Training will be held this Saturday and Sunday May 12 and 13, 2012. It will be hosted by the Bear Valley SAR unit. This training will take place in Johnson Valley near Lucern. SAR Council Chairman Mike Westover and event chairperson Summer Jones are hoping that you make your reservation early this week for the weekend. Please contact Summer at: sjones@sbsar.org

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PICNIC:Bring your family to the Sheriffs Appreciation Picnic that will be held on June 2^nd of this year. It will be held at the Yucaipa Regional Park for you and all of our other volunteers of San Bernardino County. This is a outstanding picnic with great food, raffles, things for the kids to enjoy and much more. Don’t miss this fun packed event!

SAR COUNCIL MEETING:The next meeting of the SAR Council will be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. It will be at Headquarters and will start at 7 p.m.

Remember to send your Unit Representatives and that this meeting is open to all of our members as well.

SHERIFFS RODEO:The SAR Councils standing chairperson for this event, Diana Poe is looking for units and members who would like to help out this year. Also, if your unit would like to set up a display and/or sell any goods that you may wish to please contact Diana at: dpoe@sbsar.org

SAR CITY - 40^TH ANNUAL:

The Barstow Desert Rescue Squad will be hosting this event for the 40^th year. To make this event even more memorable they have asked the SAR Council and VF to find out for them about any classes that you might want to see included in the schedule this year. If you have any ideas or suggestions please contact me or Sgt. Joling at Volunteer Forces with your ideas via email. Also, if you have any vendors who you might think may be interested in attending this years event please send us the names of their companies and a contact person for that company. Your help and support for this event will be deeply appreciated. Mark down in your calendar October 11, 12 and 13, 2012 so that you can attend this very remarkable three days of training.

As you can see once again we have a very busy schedule ahead. I hope to see each and everyone of you at these various events. Until then I hope that you all are and remember to….

Be Safe

Dave Nicolet, Director

Inland Empire SAR Council

Dnicolet@sbsar.org

BVSAR to Host County-Wide OHV Training

Summer Jones — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:32:02 +0000

May 12 and 13, 2012 marks the second annual county-wide OHV training weekend. Once again, Big Bear will sponsor ATV training for every level- beginner to advanced riders with the focus being on search techniques safety on ATV’s. Saturday, May 12 will focus on county certified riders- those who have completed the required Honda course. The curriculum has been revised to be get riders out into the field first thing and will also encompass a module featuring specific techniques for searching on your ATV. Riders will then have an opportunity to employ their skills in scenario settings.

The Honda New Rider certification course will be offered on Sunday, May 13. This is the first step required for those wishing to obtain certification through the county and focuses on skills such as the pre-trip inspection, operation and handling and will culminate in a trail ride so new riders may experience various terrains and maneuvers with the aid and supervision of Honda instructors.

The event will be held at Johnson Valley near Lucerne. RV and tent camping is available. There are pit toilets on site. Registration is highly encouraged and free. A group dinner will be offered Saturday night and is no cost to those who pre-register (non-SAR family members $5.00). All riders must have goggles, face sheild or shatterproof sunglasses, long sleeves, long pants, gloves suitable for riding and over-the ankle boots. In addition, each member is required to carry a 155 radio during the scenario training and have a DOT approved helmet.

Download the registration flyer.

Tracking Class Offered in May

Jeff Lehman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:44:10 +0000

The Investigative Tracking Class is scheduled to be offered May 2-3, 2012. Read the flyer for details. This is a great class, and is "required reading" for any SAR professional.

BMC 2012 Field Weekend Canceled

Sonny Lawrence — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:29:27 +0000

Nature certainly did not cooperate. Too bad. So we must cancel BMC. All 2011 lecture participants are welcome to attend the lecture this year on November 17 and 18, 2012. However it is not required. All 2011 lecture participants will have to attend the field session which will most likely be one weekend in January, 2013. As we get closer to BMC 2012-13 you will be asked to sign up for it through Volunteer Forces in order for us to have an accurate head count. Think snow!

Director's Dialogue February 2012

Dave Nicolet — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:22:30 +0000

I would like to start off by thanking everyone for their time and dedication during the months of December and January. There were a number of searches in and around our county as well as the mutual aid callout to Kern County. Victor Valley had two in one day, Rim SAR had a couple, West Valley SAR, Central and the Cave Team were busy as well. The Morongo Teams had a bone search training, Barstow had a few searches along with a mine training just last week with the Cave Team and San G had a search or two. A number of our units responded to the Kern County search with responders from just about every unit in our county. Thanks to all who participated.

During this time our members also participated in the Sheriff’s Gift of Love program, the 5^th Annual Directors Breakfast, Januarys SAR Council Meeting and the various unit installation diners. As you can see our SAR members were very active during this period of time.

I would like to also thank all of the board members of the SAR Council who got out in January to attend the various unit meetings and installation dinners. Mike, Frank, Diana and Ron were on the road all month. If you did not see anyone from the Council at your January meeting, you better be watching your doors in February, one of or more us will be there….lol.

We have a number of events coming up in the next few months, at this time I would like to remind you about them. They are as follows:

Commanders/Coordinators Meeting:

This event will be on Saturday, February 11^th. All SAR Unit Commanders, their Unit Board of Directors and Unit Coordinators are invited to attend Breakfast will be at 7:15 with the General Session starting at 8 a.m. Following the general session there will be a breakout session where each board officer will receive training for their respective office. This meeting will be at the following location: Immanual Baptist Church, 28355 E. Baseline, Highland.

AEMT Meeting:

After many years of hard work the AEMT program has finally been approved. The Advance Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) training program is now being put into place. Wes Podboy the chairman of this program is asking that all SAR Unit Commanders who are interested in this training for their units to attend a meeting that he has scheduled. All requirements, qualifications and equipment needs will be brought up at this time. The meeting will be at headquarters on Thursday, February 16^th, starting at 7 p.m.

BSAR ACADEMY:

The first class of the year will be conducted on the weekends of March 17 and 18, March 31 - April 1 and April 14 and 15. If you have new members who have received their orders and ID Cards please contact Stella at Volunteer Forces to reserve them a seat for this class. All BSAR Mentors from the last two classes are invited back to help with the overnight exercise on April 14^th. Please contact me (Dave Nicolet) to let me know if you can assist or not. If you would like to be a BSAR Mentor for future classes I will put you on a list to be added when vacancies occur. NOTE: For the first time the BSAR Staff will be offering to our members the opportunity to do their Basic BSAR Skills Certifications at the school. This is for members who for one reason or the other have not been able to certify with their units. If you have members who need to certify you must call Volunteer Forces to reserve a spot. The member must have approval to attend by their Unit Commander and Coordinator. Classes are limited to 15 members per class. Certification days will be on Saturday March 17^th 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday March 18^th 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday March 31^st 9 a.m. to noon. Members must bring all of their own equipment as required to attend.

THE SHERIFFS 10K TRAIL RUN:

This event will be held on Sunday March 11^th at the Sheriffs Academy in Glen Helen. All proceeds are going to go to the SAR Council who then will have the funds to purchase equipment for our SAR Units. We need manpower assistance for this event and we are hoping that you can help to support this effort. Setup personnel will be needed for Saturday, if you have ATV’s, Rhinos etc they will be needed as well. Sunday we will need members to help conduct this event and people to help tear down afterwards. If you have any members of your unit that can assist please contact Mike Ward or Ron Pesch to let them know with a headcount ASAP. Hope to see you all their.

MSAR COUNTYWIDE TRAINING:

The third time is the charm! The Apple Valley Posse will once again try to host this event. Unfortunately, due to circumstance beyond their control the last two attempts have been canceled. The 6^th Annual Training will now be held in May 2012. It will be at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park.

OHVSAR COUNTYWIDE TRAINING:

The 2^nd Annual OHVSAR Training will beheld this spring hosted by the Bear Valley SAR unit. Mike Westover, our county chairman will be releasing more information about this training in the very near future. This training will be held in May of this year. We will keep you posted.

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PICNIC:

Bring your family to the Sheriffs Appreciation Picnic that will be held on June 2^nd of this year. It will be held at the Yucaipa Regional Park for you and all of our other volunteers of San Bernardino County. This is a outstanding picnic with great food, raffles, things for the kids to enjoy and much more. Don’t miss this, this is just a another way that the department has to thank you for all of your volunteer time.

SAR COUNCIL MEETING:

The next meeting of the SAR Council will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. It will be at Headquarters and will start at 7 p.m. Remember to send your Unit Representatives and that this meeting is open to all of our members as well. On a quick note, I would like to thank Under Sheriff Abernathy, Assistant Sheriff McMahon and Deputy Chief Cook for attending our last two meeting to address our membership about SAR vehicles. Their assistance with this matter has been outstanding, all of us do appreciate there efforts to resolve the issues that were facing many of our units.

As you can see that once again we have a busy schedule ahead, I hope to see each and everyone of you at these various events. Until then I hope that you are and remember to….

Be Safe

Dave Nicolet, Director

Inland Empire SAR Council

2012 Sheriff's Trail Run

Robert O'Brine — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:23:21 +0000

The 2012 Sheriff's Trail Run (March 11, 2012) will benefit the search and rescue program in San Bernardino County. We need help in getting the word out, and in running the event. Please read your sbsar.org email for further information, and distribute the flyer, linked below.

Set-up will be Saturday, March 10, and there will be a need for ATVs to access a few water stations, and to assist with set-up tasks. Clean-up on Sunday should be finished by the afternoon.

2012 Sheriff's Trail Run Flyer

Level 2 Avalanche Course

Jeff Lehman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:08:36 +0000

A level 2 Avalanche course is being taught in conjunction with the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. Cassroom sessions will take place in Southern CA and one of the field sessions will be at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort with Greg French, the manager of their Avalanche Mitigation team. Greg will also be teaching a Level 2 course and we will be bringing all of our students together as a team to participate in two days of field sessions. Below you will find the details for the course.

Classroom Sessions:

Tuesday January 31st (6:00-10:00pm Claremont)
Thursday February 2nd (6:00-10:00pm Claremont)
Tuesday February 14th (6:00-10:00pm Claremont)
Thursday February 16th (6:00-10:00pm Claremont)

Field Sessions:

Sat and Sunday February 4-5 (8:00am - 4:00pm Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort) Sunday will end early for the drive home
Sat and Sunday February 18-19 (8:00am - 4:00pm Mt Baldy or Mt Waterman)

Registration:
Please click here to register online.

Cost:
Cost for the course $190 (Includes all course materials and books as well as access to ski resorts)
Students will be responsible for transportation costs and housing for the field session to the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard resort. Arrangements have been made for a two bedroom cabin at the Mt Charleston Resort where students can share the cost at $190 a night. In addition, tent camping will be available at the resort and some discounted rooms at the hotel are available. Please contact Jeff Pierce if you are interested.

Pre-Requisite
Students must have taken a Level 1 course in the last 4 years.

February 4-5 (Level 2 and Level 1 Field Sessions - Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort)
February 18-19 (Level 2 and Level 1 Field Session - Either Mt Baldy or Snow Summit)
March 17-18 (Level 1 at Mt Baldy or Mt Waterman)

ITRS 2011

Jeff Lehman — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:01:06 +0000

Once again the International Technical Rescue Symposium met in November to discuss a variety of technical rescue topics. A few representatives from SBSAR were on hand to participate. Below are a sample of some of the presentations offered:

Empirically Derived Breaking Strengths for Basket Hitches and Wrap Three Pull Two Webbing Anchors

Does Nylon Lose 15% of its Strength When Wet?

Suspension Trauma Revisited

If you are interested in attending or presenting, the 2012 call for papers has been posted, and the registration will open soon. In 2012 the symposium will be in Seattle, WA.

SAR Volunteers Recognized

Jeff Lehman — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:17:08 +0000

Efforts to integrate GIS with SAR mission operations recently took a leap forward. Read the details on the ESRI blog.

BSAR Oct 2011

Jeff Lehman — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:21:49 +0000

More than 32 students graduated from October's BSAR Academy. This is the first certification that new SBSAR members must complete. Basic search techniques, survival skills, and land navigation are among the myriad topics covered.