Author: Jeff Randall

RAT-SAR was voted into membership of the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads (AARS) during the 3^rd Quarter meeting of AARS on August 15. RAT-SAR looks forward to working, training and serving alongside other member squads.

RAT-SAR co-instructed an Advanced Wilderness Rescue class with search and rescue personnel in North Carolina on July 17-19. The class was hosted by Haywood Community College and involved 3-days of advanced techniques often found in extended rescues in remote mountainous terrain. On the second day, the class responded to a real-world callout involving a hiker who had broken her leg on a trail and needed to be carried out. Strong work by everyone in the class!

RAT-SAR was called out at 4:30 this morning to assist with a search in the Sipsey Wilderness for a family of four. It was a great day working with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, as well as other teams from across Alabama and Tennessee. The family was found in good condition and assisted out of the wilderness area by SAR personnel. RAT-SAR would like to thank every volunteer who dedicates themselves to helping others. Good job all!

The 2020 RAT-SAR Cave Rescue Exercise consisted of packaging a training mannequin in a Sked in the parking lot of the Stephens Gap Cave Preserve, carrying the “patient” up to the cave, lowering him to the floor of the cave from the lip of the main pit, then hauling the patient up from the floor and completely through the multi-drop. A total of 4 raises were required. All of them were full dual-tension systems using natural anchors. Goal was to the keep the patient as dry as possible through the small waterfall raises and leave no impact on the cave system. A total of 19 rescuers were on this exercise and it took approximately 4 hours start to finish. The rescue technicians were from various agencies in North Carolina as well as members from RAT-SAR.

RAT-SAR was in the woods this weekend with Lawrence County Alabama Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue finishing up NASAR training. Many thanks to Sheriff Max Sanders for putting this team together, as well as Lawrence County Al EMA for the support. From mission planning to boots-on-the-ground, The Lawrence County SAR team is an awesome group of SAR Technicians doing good work in the Bankhead Nation Forest and Sipsey Wilderness.

This weekend’s training had members of RAT-SAR back in North Carolina practicing highlines and 2-rope offsets systems with North Carolina search and rescue team members.

Members of RAT-SAR were back out at Little River Canyon’s Weaver Point today replacing a loose anchor bolt (with permission from the Park Service) since so many recreational rappelers use this place. While there, we decided to get some skills practice in, as well as trying a couple of different techniques. We placed a gin pole just for the setup practice and ran a two-rope system instead of single rope for belay practice. Couldn’t ask for better weather or a more beautiful place to spend the day. We extend our thanks to Little River Canyon for allowing us to practice skills both for recreation and rescue training.

On Wednesday, members of RAT-SAR assisted in the search and recovery for a 24-year-old man whose life was claimed by a fatal fall on Monday at Whitewater Falls in NC. His body was recovered Wednesday afternoon.

We also mourn the loss of a rescue team member from the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad, who tragically lost his life in this search on Monday.

Members of RAT-SAR practiced single rope technique this weekend at Weaver Point in Little River Canyon. Being able to efficiently and safely work on a single line is a huge benefit to lightweight rescue teams since it reduces the number of resources required, as well as lowering the stress on the patient rescue system.

The gear and techniques used during the Weaver Point practice session consisted of Imlay Canyonero 9.2mm static rope, BMS micro racks, Petzl GriGris, and a mix of frogging and rope walking techniques. Descents, changeovers and ascents with Osprey SAR packs were practiced on this 190’ vertical drop.

Ten members from RAT-SAR responded Monday, April 13 to a request from Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in the search for two missing mountain bikers who had been out all weekend and not returned as planned. The bikers were reported missing Sunday evening by family members. Local volunteers, law enforcement and Alabama State Trooper air assets were also on scene searching for the subjects in a heavily forested area of the Bankhead National Forest. Members of RAT-SAR arrived on scene at approximately 1300 along with team members from Lawrence County Sheriff’s search team. After initial planning, three ground search hasty teams were dispatched to high-probability areas. At approximately 5 PM the missing subjects were located alive and well by volunteer searchers driving a perimeter road. The subjects were tired and hungry but otherwise in good physical condition. Our thanks to Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and all the volunteers who responded to bring this to a successful conclusion.