California Region

The California Region of the Mountain Rescue Association expanded to 31 teams and agencies with the approval of the Fresno County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Mountaineering Team and the San Bernardino Mountain Search and Rescue Team to become associate members of the MRA.

The Fresno County team was formed in 1982. Their area covers the San Joaquin Valley and the western Sierras. They have over 60 members. Monterey County and Sierra Madre have offered to be their host teams.

Congratulation to the Douglas County Search and Rescue team in the successfully completion of their Snow and Ice accreditation test. Photo by Antonio M. Arizo.

DCSSAR SNOW & ICE ACCREDTATION REPORT 4-14-2012

On Sat April 14 Douglas County SAR tested in the Snow and Ice discipline at Echo Summit, El Dorado County, California, in the El Dorado National Forest at 7000 to 8000’ of elevation on a North aspect.

The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team honored long time member Dick Sale with a memorial service held at Chantry Flats. Members from the SAR community and family members attended the event. Mountain Rescue Association Honor Guard Roy West officiated the event. Several speakers told moving stories about Dick's life and times with the Sierra Madre team. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Air Rescue 5 did a fly-over. After the memorial service, the attendees headed down the hill to the Sierra Madre team's station for lunch and to remember the good times with Dick.

By Dan Land, Montrose SAR

On Saturday afternoon, January 14th, after the California Region meeting, the Search and Tracking Accreditation began for Douglas County SAR. The page came out for two overdue in a 4-wheeler that went out for an early morning view of the sunrise. The location was the high desert and the Pine Nut Mountains, in Douglas County, Nevada, east of Lake Tahoe. The reporting party was called; he provided limited information, was prompted for more information, and then was instructed to come into the station for further interviews, where the ‘habeas grabpus’ was put on him. The two missing subjects were Lynda and Marilyn.