TCSAR's 2024 Midseason Rescue Report Is Now Available

Teton County Search & Rescue is pleased to announce the release of its 2024 Midseason Review and Rescue Report. Published in July, the 28-page report details the six-month rescue period between December 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. It includes incident summaries throughout those six months, graphs and charts that pinpoint certain trends for backcountry emergencies, lessons learned for backcountry safety, and highlights the dedication of TCSAR’s 39 volunteers.

TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours back to the community in the first half of 2024. Photo: Anthony Pecci

During those six months, TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours to SAR-related activities, including trainings, community events, and saving lives on rescues.

“TCSAR embraces problem solving,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart writes in the opening letter to the Rescue Report. “Every time someone calls 911 and our team is called out, we have a defined problem—someone is hurt, lost, or both. But the problems never end there… As hurdles stack up, our volunteers thrive on systematically developing solutions. The volunteers take this approach to everything we do, and we try our hardest to do our job regardless of the challenges.”

The Rescue Report shows that the volunteers responded to 46 calls for service, about average for those six months. However, April saw a higher-than-average seven call-outs, including three that were high-stakes medical responses, and three that were out-of-county interagency operations. 

During the first half of 2024, TCSAR performed 14 outside agency assists, coordinating with state and federal partners to respond to backcountry emergencies across the region.

Much of that is due to the game-changing arrival of TCSAR’s new rescue helicopter in October 2023. This Rescue Report is TCSAR’s first opportunity to reflect on how the ship has aided in the team’s mission, and the hard work that has gone into building up a new aviation program.

According to the report, TCSAR’s new helicopter flew 27 missions between its arrival on October 14, 2023, and June 1, 2024.

““This achievement would not have happened without the community’s generous support and the team’s commitment to solve problems.””

— Cody Lockhart, TCSAR Chief Advisor

The Rescue Report also highlights TCSAR Foundation’s preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero, which seeks to provide education and outreach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in the backcountry. As seen in the report, hundreds of people attended hands-on workshops through Backcountry Zero, and thousands tuned in to Season 8 of The Fine Line podcast, which explores personal stories of adventure, risk and rescue.

Rescue Reports are free and can be found in multiple businesses around Jackson Hole. Digital versions are available to download at TetonCountySAR.org. If you would like to be included in our mailing list, please send your mailing address to info@tetoncountysar.org.

TCSAR invites the public to read through the Rescue Report, reflect on the volunteers’ commitment to community service, and see how you can be involved with the team’s Preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero.

This Independence Day, Remember That A PFD Will Save Your Life #justwearit

Summer in Jackson Hole symbolizes a lot of things: Long days in the mountains, dusty mountain bike shuttles, floating on lakes at sunset, backyard barbecues, campfires, music, weddings, wildflowers, whitewater, and fireworks. 

For Teton County Search & Rescue’s 39 volunteers, summer also evokes the first-responder trifecta of vigilance, anxiety, and adrenaline. Especially on July 4.

Since 2017, TCSAR has responded to 45 swiftwater incidents. Five of those occurred on the Fourth of July. Three of those calls ended with fatalities.
 

None of the people who died were wearing life jackets.

Incident data shows us trends we have to pay attention to: People see the river as a place to have fun before they see it as an environment that's actively trying to kill them.

At Backcountry Zero, the education arm of the Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation, we intend to create a culture of accountability on the river.

"We want to see a community of river ambassadors who know what to look out for and how to take action when something is trending from fun to reckless to dangerous," says Maddie Johnson, TCSAR Foundation's Prevenative Search & Rescue Manager.

July 4 makes TCSAR volunteers nervous for a reason. Our swiftwater safety messaging will inevitably miss some people, but this year we’re approaching our prevention efforts with a tone of ‘friends don’t let their friends be irresponsible on the river.’

We can all have fun on the river, just be safe about it. Please wear a properly fitting life jacket, avoid excessive drinking, and have the skills to pilot your vessel. Photo: TCSAR

So far this year, our community has already seen three swiftwater incidents on the Snake River. All three occured during high flows earlier this summer, but dangers still lurk even after runoff. Our rivers run swift and cold and contain hazardous undercurrents and debris that you can't see.

Combine this with the classic summer cocktail of visitors, newly purchased inner tubes, alcohol, cliff jumping, and forgotten PFDs, and you have a recipe for high frequency, high consequence incidents. Cue our first responders keeping their pagers close.

Orion Hatch of the Snake River Fund reminds us, "There's nothing more tragic than a fatal accident that feels preventable."

This swiftwater season, be prepared, practiced and present on the water, and please be an ambassador for responsible recreation.

Happy Fourth from all of us at TCSAR.

TCSAR Responds to Off-Road Vehicle Crash near Sheep Mountain

On Monday morning, June 17, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call regarding an off-road vehicle accident on upper Flat Creek Road below Sheep Mountain. Deputies with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office were first on scene and helped provide initial information and patient assessment.

The patient, a 23-year-old male from Colorado, had rolled his machine off the dirt road onto a steep embankment. He sustained serious injuries, while a female passenger reported minor injuries. The group was part of a larger family outing on rental side-by-sides. The deputies were able to bring the vehicle rightside up and provide critical patient support before TCSAR could arrive.

A TCSAR volunteer gets ready to receive the long line from the helicopter for a short-haul extraction on June 17, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR dispatched two RZR side-by-sides along with a short-haul team in the SAR helicopter. Though the RZR teams brought gear to stabilize the vehicle and perform a potential high-angle rigging operation, they opted for a short-haul extraction due to the nature of the man’s injuries and rugged terrain.

Short-haul is a method of rescue where a patient can be removed from the scene via a long line connected to the belly of the helicopter. It is often used in places where the helicopter is not able to land.

The team successfully short-hauled the man to a Jackson Hole Fire/EMS ambulance on Flat Creek Road, and all volunteers returned to the hangar in Jackson.

With eight calls since June 1, the busy summer season has officially begun. Photo: TCSAR

The incident was the latest in a series of rescues that have kicked off the start to an already busy summer season, with eight calls coming in since June 1. On Saturday, June 15, a local woman suffered a lower leg injury while hiking on the Sink-or-Swim trail, and on Sunday, a hiker became too ill to continue in Darby Canyon. Both incidents required volunteer response and patient transport out of the backcountry. TCSAR has also provided helicopter assistance for operations in Grand Teton National Park.

The team appreciates the coordination and partnership from various first-responder organizations during backcountry emergencies, and urges all backcountry users to be prepared, practiced, and present during their outdoor adventures.