But it does little good to have a lot of members "mission ready" if we aren't going to have lots of members showing up to missions when they do happen. We've only had 10 missions so far this year, but participation has been spotty at best. We have had three missions where 12 members showed up, which is a fine rate of participation, but our average has only been 7 and we've gone as low as 2, which is embarrassing. Remember that Cibola expects you to give SAR activities a high priority --- put your job and your family first, but SAR should be a close third.

We've had several requests to have some sort of "what to do when you get to base camp" training, and in response to this Jeff Phillips and I have begun putting together such a training for August. The training will be a sort of ICS re-orientation, and after some "academic" training we'll try to do a "mock search" that ends where teams would normally have been deployed --- that is to say we'll do the whole thing as a simulation in base camp. It should be a fun time, and should help sharpen us up a little --- we spend plenty of time training for what to do once we hit the field, but that time in between call-out and deployment has been a bit fuzzy.

Another thing you might notice in this issue is that we're trying to breathe new life into the "Bronze Boot" column. Few on the team remember this, but there really is a Bronze Boot plaque --- Chuck and Mary Girven made it up a few years ago, and for a while it was awarded every month as a sort of "honorable mention." The team's officers would like to get back in the habit of awarding it every month, to recognize all the hard work that our team members put in for their team. It's unfortunate that we've gone so long since the last presentation of the Bronze Boot; many members have deserved such recognition in the last few years, and it will be difficult to catch up by recognizing them all at once. But rather than fill this entire newsletter with blurbs thanking the dozens of members who have helped out in the last three years, this month a few of the officers have nominated people who have very recently done things to help lighten their load, and starting now we'll accept nominations from the general membership to pick who should receive the award in coming months. I should note that on several occasions during dry seasons the Bronze Boot was awarded simply to applaud someone just for being a good sport; once Chuck Girven got the boot for not killing Andrew Parker when he got to the top of a hill and discovered that Andrew had stuffed a large rock into his pack down at the bottom.

While we're on the subject of recognition, I realize I've not said anything about Susan Corban's resignation. I was trying to pretend that she hasn't resigned for quite a while now, but I can't continue that and leave David Dixon's article as the only word on the subject. Susan joined the team as a propsective member late in 1997, a time of considerable upheaval in the team; there had been a large turnover in membership --- or should I say a massive dropoff? --- and several important jobs were not getting done. She took her PACE exam in November 1997, our only certification requirement of new members at that time. After becoming an active member in March of 1998, she stepped forward in June to become chair of the nearly-defunct public relations committee, reinvigorated it and quickly established recruitment as its top priority. Our team roster ballooned from its low point of 15 members to its high point of 45 as a result of that committee's efforts. Not long after taking the reigns of the PR committee, Susan also stepped forward in September 1998 to be an editor of this newsletter. In addition to being more attentive to grammar, spelling and layout than any of the editors had been before, she made sure that there were frequent "member spotlights," encouraged people to write minilessons and feature articles, and wrote several of them herself. She was the moving force behind the Hike of the Month column from 1998 until 2000. She was elected Membership officer in December 1998 --- only 6 months after becoming an active member herself --- and redefined the job. During my term as Training Officer she designed and lead several new trainings, including our "Hasty search and sound attraction" training and a really good GPS course. During her terms as Membership officer she took on the daunting task of figuring out all it would take to get our team equipped and trained to begin performing medical services on missions; we have Wilderness First Responders, a medical director, and medical protocols because Susan saw it all through. Yes, this team is a better team for having had Susan as a member. I wish her well in all her future pursuits.

Boots and Blisters

by James Newberry, Training Officer

Paratus Et Vigilans

"These things we do, That others may live" or more literally as Chris Murray has said "to be awake and ready."

Well, we haven't been awake much lately, missions have been far and few between. So consequently there is no excuse for us not to be ready! What else have we had to do but train and make sure all our gear is mission ready.

Speaking of training and getting gear ready, we have another good training coming up on July 14th it will be a litter training of great importance. If you think you know all about the litter and are getting bored, come to this training at 9 am Bear Canyon (east end of spain) and be amazed at how little you really know! Oh yeah, be sure and wear comfy boots and your complete SAR pack.

August's training will be a most awesome training of the highest degree! Base Camp Operations. At 9 am Bear Canyon (East end of Spain), a behind the scenes look at what happens before we get the call and what goes on during a mission. etc. It should be a real eye opener for our newer members and our elders! (elders, I mean time on the team. not age) August's Evaluation will be land navigation Aug. 4th at 9 am at Bear Canyon (East end of Spain).

Just for the fun of it: There are a few of us that have started or have been rock climbing for a while. I have dubbed them "The Cibola Rock Chimps". If you are interested in top rope climbing and rappelling let me know and I'll put you in touch with the rest of the Chimps. Weather and time permitting we plan on getting together once a week.

???Hike of the Month???? There hasn't been a hike of the month lately. Is there anybody out there that would like to lead the team on a really cool hike they know of? Contact me ASAP!

And last but not the least: Thank you Mr. Rick Goodman for coming to our happy little get together this month and talking to us about SAR in NM. SARLUTE!

Until the next time , "Live to Train, Train that others may live!"

Business as Usual:Meeting Minutes

by Jeff Phillips, Secretary

Minutes of 14 June, 2001 Business Meeting

Members Attending

2 Familiar faces, Jennifer Dellinger and Don Gibson.

1 New face, Ben Traub.

President's Report

Membership

Treasurer's report

Training Officer's Report

Equipment Committee Report

Public Relations Committee Report

Medical/Continuing Education Report

Old Issues

The Brunton 40% off coupon order was completed.

New Issues

We have no new prospectives nor actives this month. I am sorry to report, though, that we have lost a number of members to resignations or inactivity. Ella May Robinson and Rich Lloyd are moving on due to inactivity. Amber Pickel and Art Bisbee have moved away. Steve Kolk and Susan Corban have decided to move on to other pursuits. Cibola extends our best to all of them and hope they continue to enjoy the outdoors and keep up with skills learned as search and rescue volunteers.

One of them will be especially missed by many of us and the officers are in agreement that she deserves special recognition. I would like to repeat the email I posted on the team listserve a few weeks ago after receiving Susan's resignation.

It is with serious regret that I accept the resignation of Susan Corban. Susan has been with the team since the fall of 1997. During that time she contributed countless hours to a variety of team functions. I worked with her as a member of the Public Relations committee and followed her as both P. R. Chair and Membership Officer, so I saw her efforts firsthand. If she agreed to do something it was done well. As P.R. Chair she worked to reach out to the community to expand our outdoor and recruitment presentations. Many of you are members because of her efforts. She produced a great poster and bookmark that we still use in recruiting and developed business cards for members. As Membership Officer she reorganized the office and membership procedures making my transition to the position much easier. She also did some excellent trainings and worked on the Member Guide committee. As I have said before Cibola is more than missions. Much behind the scenes, administrative work is required to keep us running smoothly. In this area Susan did more than her fair share. I am proud to have worked with her. Cibola is much better off due to her membership with us. Cibola SAR says thanks and good luck Susan.

Bronze Boot

by Grateful Cibolans

The Bronze Boot is given to members of Cibola SAR to recognize exemplary efforts in the field, hard work behind the scenes, or just being a good team player. The last Bronze Boot was given in August 1998, and only stopped because the nominations stopped coming in. Any team member may make a nomination: just contact an officer or editor. From James Newberry I'd like to nominate Mickey Jojola for this month's Bronze Boot. He's pulled my fat out of the fire a few times in the last few months by taking on training chores when nobody else would. Thanks, Mickey!

From Tom Russo I nominate Steve Buckley, Paul Donovan, and Aaron Hall for going the extra distance this month and helping with the organization of our upcoming Mock Search. These guys are highly motivated, and with their efforts we'll have another outstanding training exercise.

Medical News

by Mickey Jojola and Mike Dugger

As of June 15, the Medical Directors Committee of EMS approved the wilderness scope of practice for medical providers in a "wilderness context." This presents a major victory for the use of the wilderness skills many of us learned at the WFR course last spring. Many thanks are due our instructor Cy Stockhoff from the EMS Academy for championing this cause. At this point, we are waiting until the new ruling is formalized into the written regulations for EMS medical providers, and then we should be able to meet with our medical director and get wilderness protocols approved for use once again. For now WFRs should continue to operate as FRs as we have previously discussed, until we can get clear with EMS and our MD on exactly what we need to do to use the new scope of practice.

We have been attempting for several months to get a WFR refresher/WFA course for those of us who need the refresher and those of you who'd like to get some medical training under your pack. Although several potential instructors have expressed interest, we have had a lot of difficulty nailing down details like, cost, etc. There has been some recent contact with one of the instructors, and we are continuing to work on this project for a possible combined course this fall, tentatively the end of September. The dates we've nailed down with Carl Gilmore are the 29th and 30th for both WFR refresher and WFA. The WFR folks would need the evenings of Spetember 27 and 28 as well to cover all the material. Those of us who took the WFR class in spring of 2000 have until December of 2002 to meet the renewal requirements. A FR refresher is offered at the annual EMS conference in Albuquerque later this month, as mentioned in CSAR's June newsletter. However, that will not provide the update on wilderness protocols that we'll need to use the new "wilderness context" adopted by EMS. There are many BLS CEs offered at the conference, and it is a great opportunity to obtain more of the 8 BLS CEs that WFRs need for recertification. Details on classes can be found in last month's newsletter. We recommend holding off on the FR refresher until we are able to set something up, since this will provide the refresher consistent with the new EMS regulations.

There is also a possibility to get outside instructors who are EMT-B and above, like our OMI friend and EMT-P Don Scott, to help us with litter trainings and possibly other types of medical training such as bandaging, splitting, etc. with little or no cost to us. We will continue to pursue these avenues.

On another note, I've been talking to John Tull from St. John's SAR about liability insurance. He has coverage from a company called HPSO (Healthcare Providers Service Organization) for his WFRs. He seems to thing that it is still available to volunteers (either individuals or groups). At this time I am still looking into it and at the time of the meeting might have something more to say on that subject.

Answer to the Last WFR Question of the Month

Actually the best treatment for blisters no matter how far in the wilds you are is PREVENTION. Know your boots, know your limits. Cloth athletic tape works well for those areas that develop hot spots (pre-blister). If you don't have athletic tape, duct tape also works great. The key is to get the area covered BEFORE a blister forms, and provide a slippery surface AWAY from your skin where any sliding can take place.

What if it's too late?? That is where moleskin and molefoam come in handy. If a blister does develop, stop what you are doing immediately and take care of it before it breaks. A blister will not get infected as long as the sterile covering (i.e. the skin on top) does not break open. Thoroughly wash the area with an alcohol wipe or clean water. Cut a piece of moleskin or molefoam (thicker version of moleskin for big blisters) big enough to cover the entire blister plus half the area again. Then cut out a hole in the pad approximately the size of the blister. Take the paper off of the back of your "blister doughnut" and apply over the blister making sure that the blister is snuggly placed inside the hole. Add a little antibiotic cream into the hole just in case, then cover with tape. This approach is pretty good for most blisters and should last for a couple of days, even a long hike out. What if the blister has already broken? This presents a chance of infection. One thing I have learned to carry (thanks to Paul D.) is New Skin. It is a liquid that you can brush or spray over a wound, which seals it. In the event of a broken blister, try to cut away as much of the remaining skin as you can. This won't hurt. Clean the area very carefully with an alcohol wipe or soap and water. Then brush the New Skin over the entire area, overlapping onto good skin. This will BRIEFLY hurt worse than being poked with hot needles. The pain subsides rather quickly because it has oil of clove in it - an analgesic. Once the area is dry, put on another coat - which won't hurt - let dry and then tape as usual. This will get you out in a pinch and really doesn't affect your hiking too much. At least your companions won't have to carry you...

The Next WFR Question of the Month

Check here in the future for answers to this medical question of the month.

Web News

by Tom Russo

The team website can be accessed at http://www.cibolasar.org/

Disclaimer and Copyright notice

the Editors

The contents of this newsletter are copyright © 2001 by their respective authors or by Cibola Search and Rescue, Inc., and individual articles represent the opinions of the author. Cibola SAR makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in these articles, and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Articles contained in this newsletter may be reproduced, with attribution given to Cibola SAR and the author, by any member of the Search and Rescue community for use in other team's publications.