Every search or rescue event begins with two main players: the victim and the reporting party, or RP. The role of the RP is quite simply the most important role in either a search or rescue incident. As a rescue team, one of our biggest assets in a given situation is good information. The suggestions that follow will aid you in being the best RP possible should you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, which will assist us in doing our job more effectively.
The most important thing to remember in an emergency is to stay calm. As an RP, this will help you to report all necessary information clearly and accurately, with attention to detail.
Your goal as an RP is to call 911 or report to any authority, such as a forest ranger, ski patrol, etc. In a backcountry incident, this may become a daunting task. If you are with a victim, it may be ideal for you to stay with him or her until help arrives, and utilize another person to relay information out. If you have the ability to write down a few notes, this will keep facts from being misconstrued as the message is relayed down to a trailhead. Be sure to include all the facts pertaining to the nature of the incident.
This would include the name and age of the victim, incident location, what he or she was doing at the time of the incident, and a summary of any injuries the subject may have. If the subject is lost, include how long he or she has been gone and the point last seen. Other helpful items would be the time the incident occurred, a list of equipment the subject has with him or her, any known physical problems unrelated to the incident, and the subject's experience level.
Once you have made your 911 call, stay where you are until you are met by a sheriff's deputy, police officer, or member of the SAR team. If this is not possible, leave a phone number where you can be reached. It is likely that you will be asked to stay at the SAR operations base throughout the search or rescue. You may have additional information that could aid in the success of the mission.
Remember, stay calm and try to report information as concise as possible. Your ability to be a good RP could mean the difference between life and death for the missing or injured.
Be safe and enjoy all that Mono County has to offer.