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YCSO Search and Rescue Team First in Swift Water Competition

sedona times / August 5, 2013 / No Comment

L to R – Dan Hugart, Osita Ezumah, Joshua Schmidt, Doug Taylor-Gebler and Ken Harrington

Sedona AZ (August 5, 2013) – On July 27, 2013, members of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Response Team Back Country Unit (BCU), a team of specially trained Swift Water Technicians, competed in the twelfth annual statewide swift water rescue event and “swam” away with first place. The event was held at Saguaro Lake Ranch in Mesa, Arizona, and involved teams representing seven counties.

There were six events used to gauge the performance of each team:

Boat on a Highline (utilizing a tethered boat on a rope line allowing the team to move up and down and laterally across current to effect a rescue), Team Rafting, Kayak Rescue, Strong Swimmer (which included a patient evacuation utilizing rope rescue), Throw Bag Contest (team members required to throw a rescue rope to victims floating down river while part of the team, tethered to a rope, had to swim out and complete the rescue), and a Knot Tying challenge.

The Back Country Unit was the only team to complete the Boat on a Highline event successfully.

The constant training and drills by the BCU team have and will benefit Yavapai Countians who find themselves in need of such a rescue. And this was true as soon as the Mesa event concluded!

Just after 9 PM on Saturday, the YC Search and Rescue Team Swift Water Technicians were called to the Juniper Woods community, south of Ashfork, Arizona, to come to the aid of a resident whose mobile home was flooding. The Swift Water Team deployed and rescued the 60-year-old victim as the flood waters continued to rise above the threshold to her home.

YCSO Sheriff Scott Mascher would like express his gratitude for the efforts of the Swift Water Technicians resident rescue and YCSO pride for the team’s accomplishments in the swift water skills competition. Congratulations on the first place award!

Along with this special BCU team, there are hundreds of trained search and rescue volunteers in Yavapai County with an unwavering 24/7 commitment to the safety of its residents. If you are interested in joining the Backcountry Unit, come to the Unit’s monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. At the meeting, you will receive an application packet to fill out and return. To learn more, visit the Back County Unit online at www.ycsrt.org.