A Special Short Story from The Fine Line Podcast

Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation is excited to release the next episode of The Fine Line podcast. "A Whistle in the Dark" takes us back to TCSAR volunteer Carol Viau's very first rescue. It was October 26, 2000, a time before cell phones were ubiquitous and when most callouts for TCSAR required good old-fashioned boots on the ground.

Carol’s story reveals how and why someone is drawn to be a first responder, how intuition and basic skills can be invaluable during a cold, dark search, and how gentle conversations with a person in need can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Original art by Jen Reddy.

"Whistle in the Dark" airs at 2 p.m. on May 9 on KHOL 89.1 FM, and afterward on your preferred podcast platform.

Produced through TCSAR Foundation's Backcountry Zero initiative, The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with additional support by Roadhouse Brewing Co. and KHOL. This episode was produced by Matt Hansen, with editing and sound by Melinda Binks. The story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM. The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. Original artwork by Jen Reddy. Find all episodes at Backcountry Zero, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Old Bill's Giving Season, TCSAR Highlight #1: The Importance of TEAM

Teamwork is a huge component of TCSAR’s success, as this photo from a high-angle training shows. Photo: David Stubbs

How do TCSaR Volunteers Stay Rescue Ready?

That's a frequent question these days, especially considering how busy the volunteers have been in 2022. Since January 1, TCSAR has been called more than 90 times. This far outpaces the call volume last year, when the team had a record 105 calls for service.

The near constant stream of callouts means the volunteers need to be Rescue Ready at a moment's notice. That's why during this Old Bill's Giving Season — the most important event of the year to support TCSAR — we're bringing you insights to key pillars of the team's ability to respond: Teamwork, Training, Fitness, Equipment, and Community.

This week, we're focusing on Team. To the person, all 42 volunteers believe that what makes someone a great TCSAR volunteer are not their individual skills but their ability to work with the rest of the team.

To learn more about the importance of teamwork at TCSAR, click the button blow. Thanks for supporting the TEAM!

Buckle Up: Two TCSAR Members Recognized for Serving on the Team for 20 years

Each year, TCSAR recognizes its members who’ve passed the 5-, 10-, and 20-year marks by handing out limited-edition TCSAR belt buckles. There are two members who this year crossed the hallowed 20-year threshold: Carol Viau and Chris Stiehl, both of whom joined the team in the same class of 2000. There are only a handful of members who have been on the team longer: Tim Ciocarlan, Mike Moyer, and Mike Estes go back to the team’s founding in 1993, while Jenn Sparks joined in 1998. As a small gesture of honoring Viau and Stiehl’s commitment, we wanted to make sure you know who they are and why they continue to show up and give back. Together, they offer a unique perspective into how TCSAR as well as Jackson Hole has evolved and changed over the years.

Carol Viau and Chris Stiehl show off their fresh new TCSAR buckles. Thanks for all your hard work, sacrafice and dedication! Photo: TCSAR

The year 2000 was a big one for Carol Viau. After moving to Jackson from Layton, Utah, first in 1988, then returning in the early ’90s, she spent several years doing mostly seasonal work. This included ski instructing, construction, and waiting tables in Jackson, as well as commercial fishing and working for a heli ski company in Alaska, and spending a winter in Chamonix. But in Y2K, she started putting down roots, and got an office job. Then, she saw an ad in the paper that Teton County Search and Rescue was looking for new volunteers. She applied, went through training, and has been on the team ever since. 

“I remember asking my boss to have a certain schedule so that I could waitress in the evenings, and possibly leave the office to go on rescues,” she says. 

“On the best thing to happen to Jackson in the last 20 years:

”You can finally buy a good baguette in town.””

Her first rescue was a search for a hunter who’d been injured after falling off his horse near Bryan Flats south of town. As the team combed a ridgeline in the dark, she made a loud whistle, to which the hunter and his guide responded with a gun blast. When they approached the injured party, Carol saw the two men sitting next to a campfire. But in the flickering light of the flames, she was confused to see two legs hanging from one of the horses. The legs turned out to be prosthetics belonging to the injured hunter. A double amputee, he’d lost his legs in a farming accident after falling into a grain silo. When Carol asked him what his pain level was, he responded, “Not as bad as when I lost my legs.” The team loaded the large man into the wheeled litter, and trudged through the night. As Carol describes it, “We basically carried him through deep, slippery muck for hours and hours over a thousand downed logs.” 

The team got the man to an ambulance at 3 a.m. Exhausted, Carol drove home but still made it to work the next day, on time, at 7:15 a.m.

Carol Viau, in the early days of her TCSAR career. Photo: TCSAR

 On how things have changed at TCSAR:

 We used to meet in the County Commissioner chambers. Sometimes, the chambers would be full, and so we’d go to the Brew Pub and meet there. 

On why she has stayed on:

I like problem solving, and each rescue is a little bit different. Sometimes it’s straightforward and you see similarities. But it’s interesting to see the ways in which people get stuck and how you’re going to get them out. It’s definitely sent me to places in the county where I’d never been before, and a lot of times it’s not on a trail.

On the physical demands of being a SAR Volunteer:

After that first rescue, I thought, ‘Holy crap, that was exhausting. But that was awesome!’ It really opened my eyes to how physically hard this job can be.

On the hardest part about being a volunteer:

Having to choose between making money to pay my bills and going to help someone else. I like to joke that if I didn’t join SAR, maybe I’d be in a market home instead of an affordable home.

On finding balance:

My partner has been very supportive. He has a great understanding of how important SAR is to me. If we get a call-out, he’ll make me some food really quick or some hot tea for me to take. Now, the balance is figuring out a job that’s flexible so I can go out on rescues, as well as not be exposed to the coronavirus. The person I care for is elderly and can’t be exposed to the virus, and my mom is in assisted living and I want to be able to go visit her.

On something most people don’t know about SAR:

People look at it as this exciting thing, but maybe they don’t realize the toll it can take on some rescuers. If you join SAR, you’re going to see dead bodies, and a lot of times there will be physical trauma involved. Some people deal with it better than others, and I try not to judge. There will be times we have a fatality and we have to package the patient or victim, and if there’s enough of us, I’ll say, ‘If anyone doesn’t want to see this, you can step back.’ And sometimes that happens. I’ve tried to offer that to my teammates.

On the best thing to happen to Jackson in the last 20 years:

You can finally buy a good baguette in town.

On the best thing to happen to TCSAR in the last 20 years:

I never thought we’d have our own building or Foundation. We have a lot of equipment, support, and we have a place to meet. Not that it was bad before and I didn’t mind it, but we have a lot more resources now. Which is good because of the simultaneous increase in call-outs. If we didn’t have the resources, we wouldn’t be able to handle it. The burn-out rate would be really high and the team would not be nearly as efficient.

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Chris Stiehl (right) calls Ray Shriver (left) one of his most important mentors. Shriver passed away tragically while on a TCSAR mission in 2012. Photo: TCSAR

Chris Stiehl moved to Jackson in 1997 after graduating from Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia. He planned to stay for two years. While working at Plaza Liquors, he heard that Jackson Hole Fire/EMS was giving away free hot dogs as part of a public awareness campaign. As every 22-year-old ski bum knows, you let no free hot dog go by. The meeting propelled him to get his EMT, and he began volunteering to drive the ambulance. A few years later, in 2000, he applied for Teton County Search and Rescue. Today, he’s a fire captain, paramedic, husband, and father of two.

On why he joined TCSAR:

It seemed fun. You get to go do cool stuff, get trained, and helping other people was something that had an appeal to it. 

On what makes a good SAR volunteer: 

People assume it’s a collection of skill sets of a high level recreator. But it’s not. Nobody is ready to go right out of the gate because they are a climber, kayaker, or backcountry skier. The unexpected part is whether or not you are available. If you have a schedule to drop what you’re doing and respond, that’s a major asset.

Another big piece is if you fit into a team. It’s not a cool kids club. If you’re a jerk, you’re not going to be the best asset.

You also have to have an eagerness and humility to learn new things, and be able to accept mentoring and guidance.

On who influenced him:

Mike Moyer was always out ahead of me. He’s an OG on the SAR team, and a longtime high level medical provider in the valley. He showed me that doing frontcountry medicine is fun and rewarding, but taking those skills and applying it to backcountry conditions is about as rewarding as it gets to the way I’m wired. Also, Tim Ciocarlan and Ray Shriver were very important to our class of volunteers.

On finding balance:

Having a super supportive spouse has been the cornerstone of my success. Beyond that, the team feels as committed to me as I’m committed to them. As my participation ebbed and flowed due to work or family, I put pressure on myself but I never felt like I was on thin ice. It’s helped that the industry of SAR has evolved, allowing for better risk mitigation strategies, which has kept it interesting and exciting. Plus, you don’t just learn something once. You have to continue to get better.

On how TCSAR has changed over the years: 

We’re better able to support volunteers. We have better gear, and provide mental health and childcare support. Jet boats weren’t a thing when I joined the team. RZRs are new now, and, of course, the helicopter, which has changed the way we respond. It’s for the better, but I’m always cautious of having an over-reliance on technology. You still have to do the ground work.

On the best thing to happen to Jackson in the last 20 years:

The opening of the backcountry gates at Teton Village. It seemed like all the adults got in the room and said, ‘This is the right thing to do.’

On what most people don’t know about SAR:

The risk they impose on rescuers when they go out unprepared. If you need help, we don’t have the luxury of not going. Maybe we’re not going tonight, maybe the risk is too high for right now, but sooner or later, we’re dropping everything and we’re going to come.

 On keeping with it:

It’s a great family of rescuers to be part of. At this point, I might have some hard-earned wisdom to offer the next generation of folks. But I still want to be able to give back to a pretty awesome community and a really great team.