Presenter: Andrew Munoz | MRA Webinar Series | 

Description:
What I Learned Spending 14 hours Peeing In My Wetsuit |

December 5th, 2015 saw two cavers trapped by rising flood waters on Vancouver Island, BC. Andrew Munoz was one of those cavers, tasked with extracting and reviving his nearly drowned companion. This situation is harrowing enough, but his GoPro just happened to be running and the entire ordeal was caught on film.

Having your worst moment preserved in High Def. allows for ample time for personal reflection and post-incident analysis.

Join Andrew as he breaks down the incident, play-by-play, taking you through the decision making process used by professional rescuers when seconds count. The unbelievable footage, combined with Andrew’s scathing introspection, will leave the viewers with lessons they won’t soon forget.

Andrew Munoz began his caving in 2003, working his way around the world leading tours and expeditions for the next 10 years. He left his guiding career to pursue a path as a first responder and works as a Paramedic and Industrial Fire Fighter on Vancouver Island, B.C with his wife Sarah and daughter Juniper. He has focused on the science of cognitive decision making, exploring strategies to equip rescuers with the mental tools they need to make the right decision when seconds count.

Presenter: ICAR | Video | 

ICAR 2016, Bulgaria (Part 1) and ICAR 2016, Bulgaria (Part 2) from Topograph Media on Vimeo.

The International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) met in Borovets, Bulgaria, between October 19th and 27th, 2016. More than 400 rescuers from 40 countries participated to exchange the latest information on new technology and best practices. Topograph Media has filmed and photographed the ICAR events since 2007. Videos from past events can be found at www.topographmedia.com.

Presenter: Charley Shimanski | MRA Webinar Series |
While rescue mountaineers must strive at every turn to focus on the safety of their victims, they understandably must put their own safety first. Rarely, rescuers will be hurt, or even killed.

This multi-media presentation will include a detailed discussion about the multitude of elements pertaining to the risks in helicopter rescue operations in mountainous terrain and will profile a number of helicopter rescue accidents use of helicopters, and will include analysis of those accidents.

Utilizing materials from several Mountain Rescue Association teams and the NTSB, this Power Point presentation will include still and video images of helicopter accident sites. Case studies of accidents and near-misses in mountain rescue operations will be featured in this program.

Charley Shimanski is a member of Colorado’s Alpine Rescue Team, and the Mountain Rescue Program Coordinator for Flight For Life Colorado, which provides critical care transport with five helicopters that assist search and rescue agencies throughout Colorado with rescue capability, aerial search support, and an Avalanche Deployment Program. Author of the MRA’s two Helicopter Training Manuals, and Past President of the MRA, Charley serves as a frequent speaker at national and international rescue conferences. He also served as Senior Vice President of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross in Washington DC.

Presenter: Dale Atkins | MRA Webinar Series | 
While most people think of avalanches as a winter danger, late spring and summer avalanches kill about 1 in 10 of all avalanche victims, and these accidents do not all happen on the big glacier-covered peaks of Alaska and Washington. Having awareness of wet snow instabilities is important for mountain rescuers to stay safe and work efficiently. This is especially important as nearly all summertime avalanche SAR operations are performed by mountain rescuers. This presentation will address the issues of wet snow and wet-snow avalanches as they pertain to mountain rescuers. Sub-topics will include the avalanche rescue problem (who gets into trouble and where); what rescuers should look for when judging the danger, and what rescuers can do to mitigate their risk.

Dale Atkins is a longtime member of Alpine Rescue Team of Evergreen, Colorado. He worked as an avalanche forecaster and researcher for the state of Colorado, and was a long-time professional ski patroller too. Dale is also a past president of the American Avalanche Association and was the long-time MRA representative to ICAR. His daytime job is for RECCO AB, which is an avalanche rescue system used by many mountain rescue and ski patrols around the world.

Presenter: Paul Robertson | MRA Webinar Series | 
Enhancing Backcountry Radio Communications – Going from @#%$* to 5×5. Many teams operate in mountainous, backcountry terrain where the “peak to valley” altitude differential can be 4000 feet, and ALL teams operate in communications challenging environments. Learn to do all you can to enhance member to member and team to IC communications.

This is a succinct look at inexpensive equipment and simple technique changes that will enhance your team’s radio communications. We’ll look at $20 frequency specific, tuned antennas that outperform “do all” factory antennas. Can a 4 oz. $25 Roll-Up, Packable antenna really DOUBLE output for establishing Command in the field? What is a Tiger Tail, and how you can add it to each team member’s hand held radio. How to establish a “field based” portable radio communication repeater station; Under 10 lbs, under $250.

Multiple Presenters | Webinar |
In this virtual training, participants will learn hands-on skills and discover geospatial resources that support their mission. This session is designed to help MRA Members and their partners:

• Review the 2015 Mission Data Collection Results
• Learn how to use the 2015 Mission Data Collection Portal
• Explore the use of GIS and US National Grid in Search & Rescue (SAR) operation workflows such as assignment tasking, incident spatial analysis, and map production
• Learn about the suite of existing USNG and GIS decision support tools already available to support SAR operations

The audience for this training is primarily SAR professionals. It is also beneficial for GIS professionals and staff who support SAR operations.

The presenters are Monty Bell, Mountain Rescue Association and Paul Doherty, National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation.

ICAR | Video |

ICAR 2015 Killarney, Ireland (Part 1), ICAR 2015 Killarney, Ireland (Part 2) and ICAR 2015 Killarney, Ireland (Part 3) from Topograph Media on Vimeo.

The International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) met in Killarney, Ireland, between October 7th and 10th, 2015. More than 400 rescuers from 40 countries participated to exchange the latest information on new technology and best practices. Topograph Media has filmed and photographed the ICAR events since 2007. Videos from past events can be found at www.topographmedia.com.

Presenter: Matt Jacobs | MRA Webinar Series |
Even though terrain can be important in determining subject behavior, its impact is often misunderstood or subject to personal intuition. Recent research has helped to quantify its effects and provide an evidence-based standard for assigning POA to streams, ridges and other terrain features. Learn about these new findings, as well as the implications for some commonly accepted search management practices.

Matt Jacobs is a W-EMT with the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit and Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue. A software engineer by day, he is the creator of caltopo.com and sartopo.com.