Volume 6, Issue 1
| Top of the Hill | Boots and Blisters | Business as Usual:Meeting Minutes | |||||
| Pinching Pennies | Who's Who and New | Gearing Up | |||||
| Mini Lesson | Medical News | Public Relations | |||||
| Web News | Disclaimer/Copyright |
| Top of the Hill | by Tom Russo, President |
Our last training was interesting, to say the least. As you all must know by now, our map and compass training was interrupted when a participant (Keith Hayes, from NM SAR Support and Sandia Search Dogs) slipped on an icy patch and fractured his left ankle and fibula. Our little compass course was turned into a full-fledged litter evacuation in no time flat. Thankfully, all participants had shown up to the training with adequate gear, and we were able to pull off a litter haul through some moderately difficult terrain with only a few additional resources.
As a follow-up, Keith needed surgery to place screws in his ankle, and will be off his leg for a good six weeks.
Remember, our "hobby" is an inherently dangerous one, and you should all be prepared for the real possibility that any of our activities could turn into a rescue with one slip-up. Please be careful out there, and let's keep working to look after each other and keep ourselves ready and able to perform our duties.
On another note, I'm asking team members to please send email about team business to csar@swcp.com instead of my personal address. In the past people have frequently sent me mail that was more properly addressed to another officer; by far the most common such email has involved requests for updates of personal information such as phone number, mailing or email address, etc. The membership officer handles that sort of thing, not me. But rather than try to keep straight who is responsible for what tasks (it's in the member guide, by the way), mail to csar@swcp.com gets it to all of us at once and the person responsible for handling the specific issue will definitely get it in a timely fashion.
Happy trails.
| Boots and Blisters | by James Newberry, Training Officer |
The next training will be on winter skills, specifically constructing emergency shelters. We'll meet at the Ellis trailhead parking area at 9 AM on Saturday, January 13. The Ellis trailhead is about 11.5 miles up the road to Sandia crest, on the south side of the road. From there we'll take a short walk to an area suitable for shelter construction. The goal here is to make the training accessible to as many members as possible, and make you comfortable with the prospect of spending the night on the mountain in winter. You will need your usual winter gear including water, snacks, 3-layer clothing system, hat and gloves, as well as water resistant outerwear. Snowshoes are not mandatory, but they will definitely make walking easier as you'll be trudging through waist-deep powder without them. We'll build a few different types of shelters, discuss the merits and disadvantages of each, and test them out for comfort. The training should be complete by about 1 PM.
| Business as Usual:Meeting Minutes | by Jeff Phillips, Secretary |
Larry again thanks his fellow 2000 officers for a great year and the team for the opportunity to serve as the President for 2 years.
Susan reminds mentors to call your mentees.
Please support James as the new Training Officer.
| Pinching Pennies | by Brian Lematta, Treasurer |
Many members, however, apparently choose not to submit requests for reimbursement. These members may not be aware that they can donate reimbursable costs to the team simply by filling out the reimbursement form, checking the "Donate" box, and attaching a gas and oil receipt with your name, mission date and number, number of gallons used and cost. These donations would flow directly to the bottom line, and help the team meet its budget and goals. They may also be tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor for details). Reimbursement forms are available at every business meeting, and I'll be glad to show you how to fill them out. A little effort each month on your part could mean big benefits to Cibola.
| Who's Who and New | by David Dixon, Membership Officer |
As we start another year I'd like to remind everyone to keep track of the
schedule of trainings and evaluations. To remain field ready and available
for missions all members must attend a minimum of 2 trainings every 6 months
and pass the 3 field certifications in the calendar year. With 4 evaluations
for each certification throughout the year and a great training every month
staying mission ready shouldn't be hard. Can't decide which trainings to
attend? Go to them all!
| Gearing Up | by Chris Murray, Equipment Committee chair |
First to address the S.O.S. I have "consumables" that the team gives to members to use on missions and during trainings. This consists of:
Next, we're looking for a few good people. Good help is so hard to find these days. What we need are full members (and you know who you are) to sign up for pager duty. We have enough people to cover the 24 assignments during the year. Hey, what do ya know? We already have 2 of those assigned so we only need 22. See that wasn't so hard after all! Please see me after the team meeting or give me a call to sign up.
I would like to reiterate that we have 2 pairs of snowshoes in the cache to be used on missions. If you would like to use them on a mission let Pager 1 know that so they can coordinate with us (someone who has cache access) to get those to you.
Lastly, I would like to bring up the topic of team t-shirts. The last I heard Ed and his wife were going to look into that for us. Let's show that we're a team and get them. I would like to get a preliminary count of who would like to purchase them. Personally I wouldn't mind showing up in a team 4X4 but hey, start small, right?
Thanks for your undivided attention.
Paratus et Vigilans (translated: Ready and Not Asleep)
| Mini Lesson:Hydration and Dehydration | by Mickey Jojola |
As everyone knows our body need water to function properly. From metabolizing the food we eat to cushioning our organs and removing the toxins from our blood, without that marvelous liquid that we call water we will cease to function and exist (not to mention that there would be no beer!). This leads to the topic of the day, Dehydration. Dehydration can be defined as the lack of hydration (water). The dictionary defines dehydration as loss of body fluid: a dangerous lack of water in the body resulting from inadequate intake of fluids or excessive loss through sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea.
It is important that everyone understand just how much we need to keep hydrated. Dehydration is one of the world's most common and deadliest killers according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We've all experienced dehydration in on form or another (a hangover is a form of dehydration induced by alcohol), usually from just forgetting to drink water throughout the day. In general symptoms of dehydration range anywhere from headaches, disorientation and decreased coordination to muscle cramps and death in severe cases. Sodas and coffee are not good if you are really thirsty because they contain caffeine which is a diuretic (pulls water from your body) as is alcohol. To get the full effect you need water. It is recommended that you drink even before you feel the sensation of thirst. By the time you feel thirsty it is too late. You are already becoming dehydrated.
As we approach the winter months and the days (and nights) become cooler we tend to forget to drink while we are hiking or exercising. During the warm summer months we sweat and that reminds us to drink up. We can become just as dehydrated during the colder months without all that sweating. We tend to lose moisture through respiration, perspiration, urination and defecation. We have to keep reminding ourselves to hydrate on the trail even when we don't feel thirsty. Realistically you should drink just as much water in the winter as you would during the summer months.
The use of sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, and others) is common throughout SAR and the outdoor world. It is a good idea to replace electrolytes (salts) that you lose while you sweat. Unfortunately these drinks can do more harm than good in some situations. These drinks contain carbohydrates in sufficient quantity that your body actually treats them like food. When this happens, water is diverted from the rest of your body to your stomach to aid in digesting the carbohydrates. People who are already on the verge of dehydration or are dehydrated could suffer even more from these drinks. If you are going to use some sort of sports drink it is recommended that you dilute it by at least half and as much as a third the normal strength. Granted it won't taste very good but you will be getting the water and salts you need right away.
The WHO has come up with a couple of easy recipes for a hydration drink that has saved many lives in third world countries and even areas of the US. These can be used in cases of severe dehydration either from lack of intake of water or from severe vomiting and diarrhea. The first recipe is very effective for simple dehydration while the second is a more intense treatment for victims of severe diarrhea and vomiting and requires ingredients not normally carried and requires a heat source.
So next time you are out on a hike, skiing, snowshoeing, or participating in other winter endeavors (SAR included) just remember to drink early and drink often!
To 1 liter of clean water 1 level tsp. salt 8 level tsp. sugar Before adding sugar, taste salt mixture. Should taste less salty than tears.
To 1 liter of clean water 1 level tsp. salt 8 heaping tsp. powdered cereal (finely powdered maze, sorghum, wheat flour will work) Boil 5 to 7 minutes until it thickens (Kind of like a watery gruel) Serve. For severe diarrhea add 1/2 cup fruit juice or crushed banana.
[Disclaimer: The editors remind you that written descriptions of first
aid are not a substitute for proper medical training, and that Cibola SAR's
policy is that medical decisions are properly deferred to trained medical
personnel. Members of Cibola SAR must be registered with the State EMS
bureau before providing any medical assistance.]
| Public Relations | by Larry Mervine |
| Medical News | by Nancy O'Neill, Continuing Education Coordinator |
I have been emailing with Cy Stockhoff to get another WFR class put together for next fall. The catch is, we need enough to fill a class a few months beforehand in order to get it on his schedule. Please let me know if you would like to take this class. It is an eight week (consecutive Saturdays) commitment.
Also, when there is a mission call out, when you leave a message that you are going please also leave on the message that you are a WFR or other certified medical provider and also put that on the sign in sheet at base camp.
The dates for medical trainings will be added to the training calendar as
soon as James and the training committee set the 2001 schedule.
| Web News | by Tom Russo |
A partially functional database of our registered EMS providers is on-line,
and Nancy has gotten most of the records in there. I hope to flesh out the
programs to give more useful information soon. As you can see from this
issue, I've added a roster of medical providers to the callout information
lists at the end of the newsletter.
The team website can be accessed at http://www.cibolasar.org/
| Disclaimer and Copyright notice | the Editors |