ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANY DAY …
It takes a special breed to become an Emery County Search and Rescue member.
These men take their job very seriously and are among the best in the state at what they do.
The number of members is tops out at 40. To join the team, an application process is in place. When an opening becomes available, team members vote and the Emery County sheriff has final approval on whether the person will get to join the team.
Team members endure physical hardships when they are out on a rescue. It can be blazing hot or freezing cold–often on the same rescue.
Currently Howard Tuttle is the team member with the most experience. Greg Jewkes is president of the search and rescue team. He has 20 years experience.
“I’ve been on the search and rescue almost 20 years. I was a member of the fire department in Orangeville and two or three guys I worked with there started inviting me along. So I went out with them a few times and discovered I loved it. These are a great group of guys to be around. The number of rescues has increased over the years. Our area is becoming more and more popular, which increases the number of rescues,” Jewkes said.
Ironically, anytime there’s a rescue in an area and it hits the news, that area becomes more popular and increases traffic to an area, which thereby can increase the number of potential rescues. Blue John Canyon became more popular after Aron Ralston was stuck in there and Justin Harris in Baptist Draw, Jewkes said.
Jim Byars has been with the team almost 11 years. Mike Taylor and Wade Allinson have been with the team eight years, and Zac Crawford for two and a half years.
“We are a complete volunteer organization. We volunteer our time and our equipment,” Allinson said. “We volunteer our resources. We volunteer our talents. It’s interesting that each one of us has our own speciality.”
Some team members excel in roping in and out of tight spaces. Som are expects in navigating the harsh desert environment. Some know the canyons like the backs of their hands, while still others can get around on horseback or motorcycle better than any cow poke or biker.
“All these talents strengthen the organization … Everyone’s talent is what makes it work. This is an amazing group. They are always on call. They sacrifice when a call comes in. They drop what they’re doing and leave just like that. It’s amazing,” Allinson said.
Byars recalled trying to explain to his wife what made being a member of the team so rewarding. She didn’t appreciate the thought their time together could be interrupted without notice. The one day she realized how important the job was.
“One night I received a call about a boy from Emery who went over a cliff on a 3-wheeler. It was a fatal. I rappelled down to him. My wife watched everything with the recovery. She said now I know why, somebody has to do that job. I have her full support now. She’s always willing to help get things ready. Everyone of us has a wife standing behind them, or we wouldn’t be doing it. Our wives are all very supportive,” Byars said.
It’s not just rushing to emergencies, the frayed nerves, sometimes traumatic scenes of injuries that can make a call for rescue memorable. Often, the process itself can lead to confrontations with the very people the team is trying to save.
“Not everybody is appreciative when we find them. Sometimes we get cussed and they say what took you so long. We didn’t get there fast enough,” says Byars. “When you see the look on their face, they’ve had their defense mechanism, their coping mechanism at work and then they look and see us and you can see their tears. They let their guard down.”
Allinson recalls when the team rescued a girl in Zero Gravity. She was so appreciative, “she sent us a cake,” he said.
Why are there so many rescues in the Swell and surrounding areas? The search and rescue members said most are city dwellers who underestimate the dangers posed by the area’s landscape.
Allinson says most groups fail to plan their excursions around the weakest member of their group.
“You’re only as good as the slowest and weakest in your group. When you bring someone else along, you need to plan around the weakest person whether it be hiking, biking, the slowest person should determine the pace.”
Taylor said, some visitors just don’t understand the terrain or follow guidebooks written for professionals. “When it gets dark people get turned around,” he said.
The proliferation of hiking websites, outdoors cable channels and films as well as Facebook and other social media, have led to an uptick in visitation, which is good. But it has also led to an increase in rescues.
“We used to have 16 rescues a year on average. Last year we had over 100 rescues. They’re doing a good job promoting our area,” Byars said.
The search and rescue team has formed a partnership with the local travel bureau in order to disseminate information to visitors about some of the hazards they might face and how to endure them. Search and Rescue members recognized the need to educate people before they get here on what they can expect. They need proper equipment and a working knowledge of where they’re going and how long they’re going to be gone. One big piece of advice the team is constantly urging people to consider is notifying someone else of where they are going and when they plan to return. If the hiker or biker doesn’t return, the person can notify authorities that someone is missing.
“I think letting someone know where you’re going is very important,” team member Kirk McQuivey said. “One of the last rescues in Dang canyon, the dad knew where the son was going to be. Take a small first aid kit with you.”
If you don’t tell someone at least leave a note in your car because search and rescue checks out vehicles in the area for clues of where the hiker might be. Always take plenty of food and water, as well.
Allinson said GPS devices work well and are good to have along on a hike.
“Another bright side to search and rescue now is the access to the helicopters. We have medical choppers and the DPS chopper and they’re always willing to help us out,” he said.
Emery County had the second highest usage of these helicopters in the state last year, behind Salt Lake County.
One of the most memorable rescues for Crawford was searching Behind the Reef for a mother and child who were lost. Allinson and Brett Guymon were searching on motorcycles and Brett was able to find tracks; he would whistle and then they would yell back and forth and then there was a voice in the dark and they answered Brett.
Taylor said he remembers one rescue in Dang Canyon when it was raining and they were able to get the victim out before any water came down into the slot canyon, a potentially deadly occurence. Taylor said that water in those slot canyons is spooky to him.
“Everything is good while you’re busy rescuing someone and your mind is busy then when it’s over and it sets in and you think how dangerous it was,” he said.
Ronnie Bloomer said he’s relatively new to Search and Rescue, but riding in the helicopter in a search at Goblin Valley was the most memorable and interesting experience so far.
Mcquivey told how he copes with reality when a rescue becomes a recovery. “I just tell myself that it’s just the body. The spirit is gone. That’s the way I have to deal with it.”
Jewkes agreed, saying that any recovery is done for the victim’s survivors, their family.
“Having the body back of their loved one. We try to make it as peaceful as possible,” he said.
Taylor said, “It’s our job and nobody wants to do it.”
McQuivey said he’s been out on more rescues with happy endings than bad.
Byars said when you know someone who’s died or been injured, it weighs on you. You try to disassociate yourself from what’s happened, but at some point you have to deal with it. The incident with the boy in Emery haunted him and he asked for help in dealing with it. It’s OK to ask for help to recover from these difficult situations these search and rescue team members go through, they all said.
Jewkes said his most memorable rescue was helping Justin Harris in Baptist Draw.
“It was so cold. It was Thanksgiving weekend. I remember walking in insulated coveralls and the water bottles in my pockets kept freezing, you would have to break the ice to get a drink. We were throwing M80s into canyons and then we’d sit and listen for any response. His brother had hiked out and was in the hospital and he had no idea where he’d left Justin,” he said.
The team members agreed that search and rescue is addicting. Byars said it’s the look in their eyes when they’re found the gratitude and the thank you that keeps them on the team.
Team members agreed, they don’t really think about their safety or what could have happened until after the rescue.
Brad Reed said, “Like with Justin, we went down at night into Baptist Draw and when we saw what it looked like in the daylight we thought we shouldn’t have done that, but you do what you have to do.”
Team members said it’s great to come and see Emery County, but think ahead and be prepared. Don’t overestimate your abilities and let someone know where you’ll be. If you are on a bike, motorcycle or ATV, then wear your helmet.
Howard Tuttle said Claude Scovill was the first captain of the sheriff’s posse and it started in the mid-1950s. Tuttle said he joined in 1967. Members in those days numbered about 18. McQuivey said it’s only been lately they’ve had more volunteers for search and rescue. There are 33 members and there can be as many as 40.
The search and rescue meets monthly for training meetings. They hold specialized training sessions throughout the year for rope training, underwater rescue, and they train each year with other agencies, such as the National Guard and military.
The search and rescue team thrives on helping people out of their worst situations. Emery County Sheriff Funk said he appreciates everything the search and rescue does for the county and the caliber of people he has who are willing to drop everything and respond any day, anytime and anywhere.