On Thursday, Jan. 17, members of Elkhorn Search and Rescue conducted a training operation in the Montana City Ranches Subdivision. The emergency described below was orchestrated solely for training purposes. Elkhorn Search and Rescue operates under the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
A slight bitter chill was setting in and the streets of Montana City were already drenched in darkness. Unbeknownst to residents, a crisis was brewing in the nearby neighborhood.
At 6:15 p.m., a text went out to the Elkhorn Search and Rescue volunteers, paging them to respond to the Montana City Volunteer Fire Station.
Earlier that day, a group of children had gone sledding and had yet to return. Once the volunteers had converged at the fire station, Assistant Coordinator Luke LaLiberty divided the troops into teams and assigned them areas to search.
Flashlights lit up the side of the hillside. Rescuers were conducting “hasty searches” in the Montana City Ranches Subdivision for four children. The rescuers traveled on foot, in vehicles and on all-terrain vehicles.
After interviewing the reporting party and one of the children’s family members, the rescue volunteers learned that the group of children had gone to another family’s home to learn the location of a sledding hill called “The Monster.” Rescuers were now searching for five children.
With this new information, the teams shuffled positions, continued interviewing involved parties and searched new areas.
Team three was searching Clark Gulch – a small gully in the center of the subdivision. Looking high and low, one of the rescuers found what appeared to be fresh footprints in the snow.
“They could provide a fresh scent for the dogs,” a member of the team explained, referencing the canines trained by the team.
It could be a good lead. But before the group could finish searching its quadrant, a message from team one over the radio stopped them in their tracks.
Two of the children had been found. They were cold, but unharmed. After their friends had been hurt, the two had left in search of help, but hunkered down when the cold had become too much.
With the help of canine searchers, rescuers located the other two children on the side of the hill behind Elkhorn Storage. Team three was instructed to rendezvous with the reporting troupe who had found them.
They moved swiftly, yet safely, through the snow. The group crossed Highway 282, climbed up the hill and began assisting with the injuries: a broken arm and a head injury. The rescuers were prepared for all of it with a neck collar, a sling, tarps and extra blankets.
After several minutes another group arrived, with a litter – a metal wire basket used to carry injured individuals – in tow. Rescuers carefully lifted the child with a head injury into the litter, and began the trek back down the hill.
Six volunteers lined the sides of the litter, three on each side, ready to complete their mission.
“Head makes the calls,” one of the volunteers pointed out to the others.
“Ok. One, two, three – lift!” the volunteer positioned at the top of the litter called out. And they were off, with other volunteers “breaking trail” in front of them.
Half way down the hill, the volunteers paused to swap places to ensure no one got worn out.
Due to the volunteers’ thorough training, all the children were found that night and returned safely to their families.
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Elkhorn Search and Rescue volunteers participate in training exercises like the one described above once a month, even if the team has already responded to an actual call that month.
The motivation behind the Jan. 17 training scenario, LaLiberty said, was several lost child calls during the summer of 2022.
“Luckily, before we were able to respond, the child was located,” LaLiberty said, “When I was coming up with this training, I wanted to recreate something that would give us a similar situation to what we were called to respond to this summer.”
LaLiberty said the scenario was also designed to be fast-moving and instill a sense of urgency.
Recently, many of the Elkhorn Search and Rescue crew’s calls have been hunter-related.
“Hunting season is pretty busy for us,” Lead Coordinator Dave Kauffman said.
The objectives of these training sessions, according to Kauffman, is to provide the teams with the tactics they would use in an actual search, such as navigation skills. This skill was developed during the above-mentioned scenario using GPS coordinates. Each of the rescuers were equipped with a GPS unit and asked at least once to rendezvous at a specific site, based solely on the set of coordinates they were given.
The rescuers also utilized maps and other navigational tactics during the mission.
Currently, 10-15 volunteers participate in the monthly training, which Kauffman said is plenty for most searches. And even in a real emergency, whoever shows up is who they will work with. However, if too few respond, Kauffman said Elkhorn will call upon other nearby agencies, such as Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue.
Elkhorn Search and Rescue typically covers north of Boulder and west to Deer Lodge, according to Kauffman. However, the crew will respond where it’s needed
“If we’re needed in south [Jefferson] County, we’ll pull down that far,” Kauffman said, adding that Lewis and Clark and Powell counties will also coordinate with Elkhorn as needed.
Although the Elkhorn searchers clearly know how to do their jobs – and do them well – Kauffman and LaLiberty advise recreators to plan in advance before setting out into the wilderness. This includes bringing the necessary supplies and notifying others of your whereabouts.
“You never know what could happen, and if you plan ahead, you’re better prepared,” LaLiberty said.
If planning ahead still goes awry, Kauffman urged residents to call sooner rather than later: “The sooner you can get us out there, the sooner we can get a resolution.”
