In the dead of night, in snow, rain or shine, if the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team is called, they come.
For one La Center couple, volunteering on the search and rescue team means living by the motto of “so others can live.”
Thirteen years ago when Ed and Janet Bausch were learning how to scuba dive, they heard “great, crazy” stories from a reserve deputy who was involved in search and rescue.
“He went on to talk about how the volunteers were such a valuable resource,” Janet Bausch said.
The Bauschs had a previous history of volunteering through the Lions Club, so when they heard about the county’s search and rescue team, they decided to give it a try.
Training is a large part of the search and rescue team so members can stay up-to-date on needed skills.
The CCSO-SAR encompasses several units to leave no leaf unturned, including the ground operation team, who are informally called “ground pounders,” Ed Bausch said.
Other units, like the dive, inclement weather, medical, command support and canine teams, conduct separate trainings each month.
The Bauschs joined the technical search team, which uses drones and metal detectors to uncover evidence.
Through donations from PeaceHealth in Vancouver, the team purchased a DJI Matrice drone with an attached high-resolution camera and thermal capabilities.
“All of that training is free for us, but it’s an investment of our time and all of the equipment we use, we provide ourselves,” Janet Bausch said.
Volunteers must complete core competencies set by Washington Search and Rescue, within a five-year time span, to be a part of the hasty team, who are the first responders of the group.
The Washington Core Competency Program collected information from the last 15 to 20 years, and input from search and rescue members, to update guidelines and create a uniform training program, according to the Washington Search and Rescue website.
Training touches on topics like legal issues, land navigation, first aid, crime scene identification, search techniques and helicopter safety, Janet Bausch said.
Knowledge, like tying knots and ropes, can be lost if a person doesn’t practice all the time, she said. The training acts as a refresher for when volunteers need it the most.
“It’s critical for you and your team. You want to be able to tie a knot with your eyes closed in the dark and in the rain,” she said.
Janet Bausch said the group most frequently receives calls from dispatch in the summer and fall months to help locate lost hikers, as well as lost berry and mushroom pickers.
Sometimes a hiker will try to climb to places, like Dog Mountain, then break their leg. CCSO-SAR volunteers will be called to help the injured hiker get off the trail so they can receive medical attention.
Stokes basket, a stretcher with one wheel attached to the bottom, allow volunteers to travel down paths quickly, Ed Bausch said. There are plans to incorporate the mounted horse team with rescues.
The emotional support they provide to those in distress is equally as important as the search portion of their jobs, Janet Bausch said.
What started as a pager system to dispatch search and rescue volunteers, turned into receiving notifications from a text-based app on their phones.
Ed Bausch said the app also allows group members to send messages, like “I’ll be delayed,” or “I need to get my equipment first.”
Another major change for the group is the number of members. When the Bauschs first joined, there were about 30 volunteers, and now there are over 100.
The CCSO-SAR will accept applications for new members in January once current volunteers finish the training academy to finish their core competencies.
Janet Bausch said the group relies heavily on the partnerships it has created so far.
For example, every once in a while, the search and rescue team will conduct evidence sweeps for the sheriff’s office.
“Sometimes it’s about what you don’t find,” she said. “On a search, we may be sent in to clear an area that has a low probability of finding anything just to verify that there’s absolutely nothing there.”
The team partnered with Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center to offer transportation services for hospital staff 24 hours a day during inclement weather.
As snow levels exceeded a foot in some places during a storm in February, volunteers completed about 202 missions and covered around 4,100 miles to transport staff members.
“We transport employees to and from so that they can save lives,” Janet Bausch said.
