On Wednesday May 5th, the Beaverhead Search and Rescue held its monthly meeting at the S&R building. Commander Lawrence Morrisroe called the meeting to order at 7:05. There were 28 members in attendance with some of them attending via zoom. It was a very short general meeting so there was time to do equipment inventory of all the unit’s equipment trailers.
The first order of business was to recap the search that took place in the Crystal Park area. There were four members that participated in the search: Mel Rice, Tara Remely, Alex Dunn, and Lawrence Morrisroe. Each year BVHS S&R is invited to cook for an Elk’s Club stag night. April was the unit’s month. We prepared steak, French fries, scones, vegie, and salad. Preparing the meal were members: Tater and Jennifer McKay, Tara Remely, Brian Demars, Alan Holt, Trent Cottom, Lawrence Morrisroe, and Kolby Malesich.
Nathan Freeman, training officer, informed the members of several training opportunities forthcoming. Thursday night Life Flight was down to teach about packaging patients, safety operations around a helicopter, landing zones, and procedures for getting them involved in a search/rescue. Toward the middle of June there will be First Aid and CPR training. It is a requirement of the Unit that every member must have current certifications in CPR and First Aid. Then on July 10th, there will be a joint training with the Forest Service in the Gravelly Range on how to perform duties and work safely in Grizzly Bear country. On the 3rd of October we will be participating in a multi-agency training exercise at Maverick Mountain. It is called Mass Casualty.
Commander Morrisroe informed the membership that the storage units which were going to be auctioned off in lieu of the BVHD S&R auction, had been sold during a storage war type auction sponsored by “The Storage Place”. Thank you to Jim Harvey for his support of Beaverhead Search and Rescue and for letting us piggy back on his auction event. There will not be an auction at this time but will resume in the future.
With any luck the Search and Rescue sign out on Hwy 41 North will be hanging again by the end of the week. A 70 mph gust of wind snapped the sign in half. With a little tender loving care it was salvaged.
The last order of business was the recognition of Luke Lenski and Steve Scott who have turned in letters of resignation. Luke was a member for a short time helping out where ever and whenever he could. Steve Scott on the other hand has been an exemplary member for 47 years. Steve is one of the original members of the unit which started around 1974. He has served as commander 2 years, vice commander 2 years, Auction chairman 6 years, Fish Derby chairman 8 years, on the board of directors multiple years and many other committees over the years. He was elected member of the year by his peers 2 different times. Steve could be counted on anytime there was a search/rescue, a work party, and for any other official business related to the S&R. His knowledge of operations, training experiences, field experiences, and ground knowledge of Beaverhead County will be greatly missed. Thank you, Steve Scott, for your 47 years of dedicated service to the Beaverhead Search and Rescue.
The meeting adjourned at 7:40. On behalf of your Search and Rescue I would like to remind everyone to have wonderful times enjoying the great outdoors of Beaverhead County. However, please be prepared for different situations that might arise during your adventures. Weather this time of year can change in a heartbeat so don’t take anything for granted. Whether you are in your car, hiking the great mountains, or on the water, be safe, be prepared, and take care of yourselves. “In The Business of Saving Lives”, your Beaverhead Search and Rescue.
Submitted by Mel Rice: Public Relations Officer
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