OCR Text |
Show accident scene in panic to seek help, when a few minutes of organized search would have uncovered the victim. Each member of the touring party should carry a sectional probe. At least one shovel ( collapsible) should be carried by the group. Skis can be used as improvised digging implements, but they are inefficient. It is hard to excavate a six foot hole in avalanche debris even with a shovel. First- aid equipment should be carried as a matter of course by any touring party. Attachments for converting a pair of skis to an emergency toboggan are also useful. The survivors can organize a coarse probe line according to techniques described in Section 2.3, after the most likely burial spots have been probed in a hasty search. The length of time devoted to such a search will be highly variable, depending on size of the avalanche, number and condition of the survivors, and distance to outside help. The tour leader has to weigh these factors in deciding whether to continue a prolonged search or go for more help. In any case, last- seen points and locations of any surface clues should be plainly marked. If the accident site is to be abandoned while help is sought, the markers must be big enough to survive burial by snowfal1. Survivors leaving the scene to seek help must travel swiftly but prudently. It is more important to deliver a report of an accident with a few extra minutes delay than not to deliver it at all due to a broken leg or another avalanche accident. Special care must be taken to avoid avalanche slopes. The fact that an accident has already occurred warns of unstable snow. 1.7 Special Precautions If not properly handled, the rescue operation may expose the rescuers to the same hazards which trapped the victim. The importance of speed cannot be overemphasized, but speed must be tempered with a keen regard for safety. The rescue leadership has a special responsibility to the safety of volunteers who offer their services. Five areas of the rescue operation deserve special attent ion: 1.7.1 Selection of Manpower With the degree of difficulty and physical requirements of the rescue determined, it is each column leader's responsibility to screen out anyone unfit for the operation. The skiing requirements of the rescue may be formidable; if so, only expert skiers may participate. If the march to the accident scene is arduous, a single member of a column in poor physical condition may jeopardize the entire column. Mountaineering experience may be required; in this case only a limited number of volunteers may qualify. Older men with long experience in ski touring and mountaineering often make the best rescuers. Vigorous but inexperienced youths sometimes will play out in the course of an extended rescue because they have not yet learned to pace themselves and conserve energy. 15 |