Challenge Accepted: TCSAR New Class Reaches Milestone

TCSAR’s new class team members reached a significant milestone on their journey to becoming fully operational volunteers. This week, they received their Challenge pins, signifying that they had each completed at least 200 hours of training since coming on board in May. Like all TCSAR volunteers, they will continue to train and practice avalanche rescue, heli- and snowmobile-assisted rescues, among other winter-related challenges over the next several months. 

Photo: Brook Yeomans

For the last several months, the new class members have taken on all kinds of different trainings, taking on each one with enthusiasm and smiles. It’s a lot of time and work behind the scenes, including by the instructors KC Bess and Anthony Stevens. On November 1, the new class members will be added to page call-outs during rescues, but won’t be considered ‘operational’ until April 2022.

But this moment is worth recognizing, and giving them kudos to a job well done.

Get to know the new class by clicking the link below.

Help TCSAR Outfit and Train the First New Class of Volunteers since 2015

From gear to training to wellness, supporting new SAR members builds on the team's future

Teton County Search and Rescue is excited to bring on 10 new volunteers to the team. But first, each new member must be equipped and trained to handle rescues in the Jackson Hole backcountry. For the next six months, each new member will attend roughly 18 training sessions, including Land Navigation, Swiftwater Rescue, Wilderness Medical Response, Avalanche Rescue, and Rigging for Rescue.

"Our goal with training the new class is to both build on the amazing skills they bring to the team and reframe their existing skill sets to a Search and Rescue mindset," says TCSAR volunteer KC Bess, who will help train the new class. "We plan on getting hands-on with the training using SAR-specific scenarios and techniques. Bringing them on board we hope to help them integrate as quickly and seamlessly as possible with the operational team."

Due to the cost associated with adding new SAR members, TCSAR Foundation is looking for community support. As with any new class, the new members stand to be the future of the team. It's the Foundation's goal to help set them up to maintain the legacy of excellence established by all those who have come before.

Help us bring on the new class. Who are they, you ask? We'll let you know next week!

Heli-Yes! Rescue Chopper Service Secured for 2021, Bring on the New Class!

Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation is excited to announce that due to generous donations, emergency rescue helicopter service has been secured for the remainder of 2021. These extraordinary gifts mean the Foundation can hit pause on its annual Heli-Yes! campaign and instead focus on supporting a new class of volunteers and re-up team trainings that had been postponed or canceled this past year due to the pandemic.

TCSAR volunteer Chris Leigh conducts a short-haul training operation during the winter of 2021. Photo: Will Smith/TCSAR

“These donations benefit the entire community, as it allows the Foundation to ensure uninterrupted helicopter service for Teton County,” said TCSAR Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Thomas. “Heli-Yes! will continue again next year, but we are excited to be able to focus our efforts this year on supporting the new class and our wonderful volunteers.”

Part of the donations stem from the giving by Foster and Lynn Friess, who this year gave many of their friends the opportunity to select a favorite charity for their donation. Jerry Blann, former longtime president at JHMR, and his wife, Rebecca, designated their Friess gift for TCSAR’s heli program. The other heli gift came from an anonymous local donor. Combined, these gifts keep TCSAR’s heli flying at least through 2021.

The Foundation could not be more grateful for these donations, Thomas said, and reminded the community that without adequate heli funding, Teton County would not have a dedicated rescue ship during the spring and fall. Maintaining uninterrupted heli service remains one of the top priorities for the Foundation.

With heli funding secured, the Foundation is helping the TCSAR team bring on a new class of volunteers, the first time this has happened since 2015. It’s an excellent opportunity to invite fresh energy and ideas to the team while presenting some funding opportunities for the Foundation. 

With the Jackson Hole backcountry continuing to see increased use, TCSAR volunteers remain an essential component to the health and safety of our community.

After starting from a pool of 150 candidates, the team is bringing on 10 new volunteers at a cost of approximately $20,000 per person. This investment includes outfitting the volunteer with essential rescue gear and equipment, as well as paying for a rigorous schedule of trainings. New volunteers must attend all trainings and then gain certifications before achieving “operational” status. The whole process takes about a year. 

The Foundation also looks forward to helping current volunteers maintain and renew advanced training, which were called off last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Techniques such as technical rescue, swiftwater rescue, avalanche safety, wilderness medical training, among others, must be continued in order to empower the volunteers during complicated missions as well as keep themselves and patients safe.

To help support these efforts, the Foundation is calling on the community to pitch in. With the Jackson Hole backcountry continuing to see increased use, TCSAR volunteers remain an essential component to the health and safety of our community.

To contribute to these efforts, or for more information on how you can help, please visit www.TetonCountySAR.org/2021-spring-projects. Thank you for supporting TCSAR.