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Show 11. With the sheriff's assistance, volunteer manpower is brought in from the neighboring village. Stage III is dispatched from B at 1700 hours under the supervision of a support group leader. 12. After a prolonged search involving all three stages, the victim is located by fine- probing at 1900 hours. He is apparently lifeless, but vigorous resuscitation measures are successful in the shelter tent set up by the Second Stage group. 13- As soon as the victim is located, the site commander notifies the rescue leader by radio and he dispatches an ambulance to roadside terminal of the evacuation route. 14. The victim's critical condition requires slow evacuation with constant medical attention. He reaches the road at 2030 hours and is quickly transported by ambulance to the hospital. 15- The rescue operation is closed only after the site commander, who brings up the rear of the last columns exiting by the evacuation route, has reported to the rescue leader that all rescue parties are accounted for and have been discharged. 1.6 Touring Accidents The overall scope of Snow Safety Guide No. 1 is limited to the emergency rescue performed by dispatched rescue groups, but a few comments on self-rescue by touring groups is also in order. When an avalanche victim is caught in the back country far from sources of help, his best chance of survival depends on his own effort to keep above the flowing snow, plus what his comrades on the scene can do to extricate him before going for help. The low probability of survival after one hour indicates how essential it is that a touring party be fully equipped for self- rescue. Three basic safety rules can be repeated here: 1. Avoid traversing avalanche fracture zones. This is simply the application of sound principles of route- finding. 2. If danger areas must be traversed, they should be crossed by one man at a time. Only one member of the party at a time should be exposed to possible avalanche danger. If he is caught in a slide, the others can go to his rescue. If all are caught at the same time, no one may be left to perform the rescue. 3. If a victim is buried in an avalanche, the rest of the party should expend their efforts in an organized search with whatever resources they have available. Only if other help is just a few minutes away, should the rescue attempt be abandoned in favor of going for outside help. If the touring party is large, a messenger can be spared while the search proceeds. The history of avalanche accidents has too many instances of survivors departing an avalanche 14 |