With just 10 days left in Old Bill’s Giving Season, now is the perfect time to recognize Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers' commitment to our community. Supporting the volunteers by making a donation to TCSAR Foundation at OldBills.org helps support our volunteers with personal gear, training, and health and wellness.
You have until 5 p.m. on September 13 to stretch your dollars in support of TCSAR volunteers. We have two more stories to bring you about how the volunteers embody the spirit of “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” They are driven to give back to our community by saving lives in the backcountry, and they can’t do it without your help. Scroll down to see every story throughout our 2024 campaign.
Here is a snapshot of how TCSAR impacts our community:
TCSAR volunteers perform an average of 120 rescues every year in Teton County and surrounding areas.
Every rescue performed by TCSAR is free of charge.
TCSAR volunteers dedicate a collective 10,000 hours back to the community in SAR-related activities, including call-outs, trainings, and backcountry safety events and outreach.
Since the TCSAR helicopter’s arrival in October 2023 (as Wyoming’s first and only year-round rescue helicopter), it has been used 50 times, saving multiple lives and reuniting families and friends.
Most rescues performed by TCSAR are for local and regional residents. Neighbors helping neighbors, indeed.
TCSAR volunteer Doug Van Houten, left, with Suzanne Boots Knighton. Photo: David Bowers
““When I needed help on December 9, 2023, 21 selfless men and women dropped what they were doing and answered the page. They met me with grace and compassion and pain medication and flew me to higher medical care. Without the helicopter and extensive training the volunteers receive monthly, my outcome would have been poor.””
This is Suzanne Boots Knighton, a Victor, Idaho, resident who has lived in the area for 20+ years. She's pictured here with Doug Van Houten, a TCSAR volunteer since 2015. He was among the team members who came to Suzanne's aid when she shattered her leg on a rock while skiing Mount Glory last December.
While they waited for the TCSAR helicopter to arrive to perform a short-haul operation, Doug gave Suzanne initial patient care and loaned her his coat as the temperature dropped. By the time she was picked up by the heli, she was wearing five different coats. "That's a lot of coats," she remembers.
And that's the TCSAR way: The volunteers will literally give you the coats off their backs.
Boots Knighton gets short-hauled by TCSAR off Shovel Slide of Mount Glory in December 2023. Photo: TCSAR
"TCSAR is a TREASURE of souls in the Tetons who truly want to help those in need. I am forever grateful to them and realize how lucky I was that day," says Suzanne.
With just over a week left in Old Bill's giving season, we want to stress the importance of donating to TCSAR Foundation before September 13. Old Bill's makes up a third of TCSAR Foundation's annual budget, making every dollar critical to help support TCSAR volunteers all year long. You can learn more about TCSAR and our mission by visiting us this Saturday, September 7, during the Old Bill's Fun Run! Just look for the red TCSAR tent near the finish line.
Rick Gordon, left, with TCSAR volunteer Tobin Dennis. Photo: David Bowers
““TCSAR volunteers are heroes. They are model community members, selflessly giving so much of their time, energy and spirit. They literally are life-savers, and I am forever grateful for their services rescuing me after my unfortunate mountain bike accident. TCSAR gives so much to our community, not only saving lives but teaching about safety and allowing us to know someone will be there if we ever have unexpected problems on our outdoor adventures.””
TCSAR volunteers treat Rick Gordon on August 8, 2023. Photo: TCSAR
The hours of commitment the TCSAR volunteers give back to the community each year is indeed impressive. But numbers tell only part of the story. The individuals who get helped by TCSAR tell a much bigger and more important story about why the team is so essential.
Like Rick Gordon, for instance. On August 8, 2023, Rick took a bad crash on his mountain bike while descending Phillips Canyon. All alone and unable to lift himself up, he managed to get out a BackcountrySOS signal from his phone but didn’t know if and when help would arrive. It started to rain, and all he could do was wait.
TCSAR volunteer Tobin Dennis, a Jackson Hole native who is now an ER doctor at St. John’s Health, was the first to respond. After dropping off his two kids at his house, he grabbed his gear and ran up the trail. He found Rick lying on his back next to a log bridge. Tobin carefully assessed Rick’s condition and when the rest of the team arrived, provided strict guidance about the best way to help Rick.
Ultimately, Rick sustained two burst vertebrae. Any slight move in the wrong direction could have left him paralyzed or worse. He credits the delicate care of TCSAR to help him get out of the backcountry and back on his feet.
During this Old Bill’s giving season, now is the best time to show how much you support these efforts. In the spirit of "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," we are asking you to contribute whatever you can to lift up TCSAR volunteers.
Thank you to Rick for sharing his story (listen to the full thing on The Fine Line podcast), and to you for supporting TCSAR.
TCSAR volunteer Anna DiSanto, left, with Lou and Kathy Fatkin. Photo: David Bowers
““It was amazing how quickly Search & Rescue responded and how professional they were, and then the extra bonus was no bill. I truly think there should be a mechanism for us to contribute, and so we did give a donation, but I know it’s nowhere near what the cost of that rescue was. It’s an amazing service, and it makes it so much safer to recreate in the outdoors. I’m very grateful.””
TCSAR lowers Lou Fatkin down the Mount Glory summer trail on July 16, 2023. Photo: TCSAR
Lou and Kathy Fatkin were rescued by Teton County Search & Rescue on July 16, 2023, after Lou ruptured his quadricep tendon while hiking near the summit of Mount Glory. Unable to walk or stand, he was going to need a lot of help getting down the steep, dusty trail.
After getting the call, TCSAR volunteer Anna DiSanto ran up the trail with the rest of her teammates during one of the hottest days of the year. They packaged Lou in the wheeled litter and step by careful step, lowered him down the mountain using brute strength, teamwork, and ingenuity. In addition to being a TCSAR volunteer, Anna is an environmental consultant, dog owner, paddler, trail runner, and, of course, your trusty neighbor. Don't miss the full story of this adventurous rescue in the next episode of The Fine Line podcast.
As Kathy says, you can help support TCSAR by making a contribution. TCSAR volunteers respond to more than 120 calls every year, giving 10,000 hours back to our community in SAR-related activities. And yes, they will never send you a bill for a rescue.
During this Old Bill’s giving season, now is the best time to stretch your dollars in support of TCSAR. Every little bit helps to keep the volunteers ready to scamper up the trail. Thank you for investing in this community essential service.
TCSAR volunteer Brook Yeomans (left) and Mark Fellermann. Photo: David Bowers
On May 18, 2024, Mark Fellermann, a Jackson resident since 2000 who skis 100+ days each winter, sustained serious injuries in a fall while ski mountaineering in the southern Tetons.
The rescue team that day included TCSAR volunteer Brook Yeomans. Brook also moved to Jackson in 2000. Today, he works as a special education teacher, is a father of two, and skis 100+ days each winter. He understands what it means to call Jackson home, to find solace in the mountains, and what it feels like to need help in the backcountry, having been involved in a tragic accident nine years earlier on Mount Moran.
“TCSAR was a beacon of light in my darkest hour. In that moment, I knew with certainty that if I could get the call in to dispatch, that I would be saved. That peace of mind is priceless.”
It's the special bond that TCSAR volunteers have with their neighbors that drives them to give back. As Brook says, the community's investment back to the volunteers allows them to grow as rescuers.
With Old Bill's giving season on us, now is the perfect time to recognize the volunteers' commitment by making a donation to TCSAR Foundation at OldBills.org. Every donation helps support TCSAR volunteers with personal gear, training, and health and wellness.
That way, when the call comes in, they are ready to be that beacon of light.
