Friends of Las Vegas Metro Search and Rescue

Busy week for the team.

On Tuesday team members conducted a body recovery from a suicidal jumper at the Pat Tillman Bridge

On Wednesday morning the team searched for several hours for a missing jet skier in Lake Mohave.

Wednesday afternoon, the team conducted a rescue of two hikers in Calico Basin.

Wednesday night was TEMS training with multiple scenarios and two FTXs for volunteers.

Thursday afternoon the team conducted a proactive air search after the valley received several rain storms. We received reports of people swept away in flood channels but fortunately all were saved by other first responders on the ground.

Thursday night the team conducted night hoist training for one of the SAR officer working toward their night time Hoist Operator FTX.

Friday had multiple calls but fortunately none required SAR activation.

Earlier in the week the team also assisted SWAT during multiple tactical operations.

JULY TEMS TRAINING

This month for training, the team was split into two provider teams to conduct a series of fast paced scenarios.

While that was occurring, our newest volunteers were put through a final training exercise to evaluate their ability to operate as tactical medical providers during a simulated tactical operation.

Congrats to our newest Doctor and Paramedic for completing their training and passing their FTXs

JULY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TRAINING

This month for training the team practiced their canyoneering skills in Little Falls on Mt Charleston. With multiple rappels and some flowing water, the training helped the team familiarize each rescuer with the challenges specific to canyons.

We’ve seen an increase in rescues being needed in canyons and we want to ensure our team is ready for anything…. And have some fun at the same time!

On July 10th, 2024, at approximately 930pm, SAR personnel aboard AIR1 diverted from a night hoist training flight to conduct a rescue operation on Mt Charleston.

The victim was hiking from south to north loop and became lost in dangerously steep loose terrain around 10200’ in elevation with only a cell phone to illuminate their way. The victim was uninjured but was out of food and water and ill equipped to continue their outing into the night and terrain they found themselves in.

A single rescuer made contact with the patient by an approximately 200’ hoist insertion. It was quickly confirmed no medical attention was needed and the subject was extracted shortly thereafter and transported to a nearby helipad.

Even though the weather on the mountain is much nicer than in town please ensure where ever you are recreating that you have plenty of food and water for the outing you’re planning. Overnight provisions, additional light sources or batteries are also a must.

On July 10th, 2024, SAR officers responded to help four hikers who had become lost and depleted their water. LVMPD Resident officers, Mt Charleston fire and rescue personnel and a BLM ranger responded as well.

One subject was severely dehydrated and required fluids via IV. That subject was ultimately carried out via litter while the rest were hiked out by the rescue personnel.

Thanks to our partners from , BLM, and the 8500 resident section for the help!

On July 5th, 2024, in a period of approximately 18 hours, SAR Tac Medics responded to a suicidal subject incident and two barricaded subject incidents with our SWAT and Crisis Negotiator partners. We also responded to a high risk search warrant with them in between the two barricaded subject operations.

All subjects were taken safely into custody.

One of our SAR Officers was awarded a Unit Meritorious Service award today, along with several members of SWAT.

The commendation results from an incident where SWAT operators were shot during the service of a high risk search warrant.

The downed officer rescue and subsequent treatment and transport were a team effort between all involved and we couldn’t be more proud of SR7 and all the operators involved in the incident.

The TEMS volunteer who was involved couldn’t be at the event today as they left the team and are currently enrolled in medical school on the other side of the country.

Congratulations gentlemen!

JUNE DIVE TRAINING

This month for training the divers split into three buddy teams and practiced body recoveries with a dummy off of Boulder Island. The teams were given unique rules to simulate an underwater crime scene to challenge their ability to recover in low to no visibility.

Late evening on Saturday June 22nd into the late morning of the 23rd, a SAR Tactical Medic and Tactical Doctor responded to a barricaded subject with SWAT in the northwest part of the valley.

The subject had fired multiple rounds at initial arriving officers. After a nearly 12 hour operation, the suspect was taken into custody safely. No officers or innocent bystanders were injured.

Rescue is the name of the game. Whether it’s from the helicopter or the back of the bearcat. Our SAR officers and volunteers are always ready to help those in need.

SAR Hoist Operator mid flight waiting to get on station and begin running the hook.

Busy couple weeks on the TEMS front. SAR tactical medics and docs responded to multiple operations with SWAT. Multiple high risk warrants and barricaded subject responses.

Despite a few minor injuries and medical concerns that needed to be treated by the Tac/Doc teams, the operations were all successful. All suspects safely taken into custody.

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November 4-7, 2024, we will be hosting an Austere Emergency Care Course being instructed by Ragged Edge Solution.

The course is designed for medical providers who can expect to conduct prehospital operations in rural, austere, wilderness environments or other challenging environments.

The course will cover topics related to prolonged field care, prolonged casualty care and austere medical treatments and interventions. The 4 day course will incorporate an extended evacuation scenario, along with methods of treatment, problem solving, and medical skill proficiency and sustainment.

There are spots available. Please check out the posted flyer. If this course gets your attention, please follow the instructions to enroll via Ragged Edge Solutions directions in the flyer.

Thanks and we hope to see some of you in November in the course with a few of the SAR team members!

JUNE LEAD CLIMB TRAINING

This month for training team members reviewed fundamental operational skills. Belaying, anchor building, rescue lowering systems, counter-balance hauls, and rappelling are some of those skills we utilize in the lead climb rescue environment at any given time.

It may seem “basic” to review some of that when our volunteers have professional rope access and climbing backgrounds. However, what makes our team so good is our team members ability to apply those skills in various settings.

Day or night, mid face or on a ledge, it doesn’t matter. If you need our help we will be there.

This week some of the SAR Officers completed several days of canyoneering training. The goal was to hone in on canyoneering specific skills and tactics to better their operational skills and abilities in the canyons.

It helps us as a team better plan and conduct rescue operations when canyoneering accidents occur. While the team members are already proficient in their technical rope skills in mountain rescue, lead climb, and rope access. The addition of these rope skills specific to the canyoneering realm is crucial to our mission.

At LVMPD SAR we are firm believers in learning and relentlessly practicing our fundamental skills and providing the highest standard of care possible. Rope skills in all these different realms are quite similar but each has a unique way to it and getting to the patient is sometimes the most challenging part.

This year alone we have already conducted several rescue operations in the canyons around Las Vegas. This training along with so much of the other training we have conducted recently is vital to our mission…

When you’re having the worst day of your life and you call for our help, we will be there… day or night, mountain, slab or canyon. We are coming, regardless.

Lastly, a huge thanks to for the training this week.

MAY DIVE TRAINING

This month for training the team practiced evidence recovery tactics in Lake Mead.

Divers searched for fi****ms from both a shore based deployment and a zodiac platform.

Whether from the shore, zodiac, or a boat, deployments all depend on a number of factors such as distance from shore, item we are searching for, personnel needed, size of the search area and predicted depth to name a few of the main considerations.

Divers practiced searching from the shore and zodiac platform utilizing different search patterns until the fi****ms were located and recovered.

SAR personnel in AIR1 conducting an annual recertification course for SWAT for the FAST Rope insertion tactic.

On Friday May 17th, SAR was notified late in the evening of two overdue climbers who were in the canyoneering route “The Maze” located in Ice Box Canyon.

Due to several factors the search mission was determined to be most advantageous in the morning. AIR1 spun up early on May 18th and the teams plan was to conduct an air search first before deploying several teams of rescuers to search the canyon by ground.

AIR1 responded to the canyon and located a rope fixed at the end of the route. While searching the canyon the climbers had made it back to the trailhead and contacted ground SAR personnel.

The climbers were safe and okay. They lost a rope in one of the pools of water during the route, made the safe decision to stay overnight and complete the route in the day time with their single remaining rope.

On May 17th around noon, SAR personnel aboard AIR1 conducted a rescue operation in Ice Box canyon for an injured hiker. The hiker sustained an ankle injury and fortunately had been helped by their hiking party and passerby’s.

AIR1 responded and inserted a single rescuer to package the patient. The hiker was extracted and transported to BLM where their care was transferred to awaiting FD personnel and AMR.

On May 15th, 2024, around 615pm SAR personnel aboard AIR1 began a search operation for a subject in the McCullough Wilderness south east of the Las Vegas Valley.

The caller advised they were stuck in a slot canyon with no food or water. Due to poor reception their exact location wasn’t initially able to be ascertained which initiated the air search.

AIR1 searched for approximately 40 minutes before putting two rescuers down in the canyons to search by ground. Fortunately, the subject was located and rescuers were able to extract the victim from the slot canyon and transport them to safety.

REPEATER SITE OPERATION

This morning SAR personnel in AIR1 along with radio shop technicians conducted repeater site maintenance on Virgin Peak near Moapa Valley.

Air lift operations are conducted by AIR1 to lift critical equipment like propane tanks, batteries, radio dishes and other essential gear to our site that are inaccessible by ground.

The coordination between the pilots and SAR on the ground are crucial to precisely remove and place equipment at these locations.

The SAR personnel and radio technicians work closely during these operations to ensure we can safely place the equipment they need where they need it.

Late night into early morning operation assisting LVMPD SWAT on the service of a high risk warrant for an assault with deadly weapon suspect.

providing their assistance from the sky, LVMPD TASS utilzing drones to search and provide overhead surveillance, doing what they do best ready to help the apprehension, and our Tac Medic/Doctor team ready incase of a medical emergency.

The suspect was taken safely into custody and the peace of the neighborhood restored.

MAY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TRAINING

The team spent the whole day in Ash Canyon practicing scenarios in various configurations. The weather was beautiful which made for a great training day!

The Dive Search and Recovery Team is responsible for conducting vehicle, evidence, and body recoveries in all of the bodies of water in Clark County. While that typically refers to Lake Mead and the Colorado River, the team does conduct missions in the man made lakes around the town

The volunteer side currently consists of 9 divers from various backgrounds. Professional dive instructors, former military divers, rescue divers who work on the water shows on the Strip, and some who just like to dive for fun.

Regardless of the background, each officer and volunteer on the team is required to obtain numerous dive certifications:

rescue diver, public safety diver, underwater criminal investigator, search and recovery, deep diver, underwater navigation, full face mask, dry suit, night diver, body recovery specialist, vehicle recovery specialist, and underwater metal detector. Several team members have their Divemaster certification as well.

It can be hard to highlight the work this team does due to the the sensitive nature of body recoveries (drowning or criminal) and criminal investigations with vehicle and evidence recoveries.

However, the selfless commitment to this mission the divers give is beyond words. Any time, any place. If it requires the team to go under water, our team is always ready.

On May 3rd around 11pm, SAR responded to Pine Creek for a rescue operation. Two climbers were rappelling the climbing route “Cat in the Hat” when their rope became stuck and they could not proceed any further.

AIR1 responded where a SAR Officer and Lead Climb Volunteer were inserted via hoist above the climbers on the route. They were able to access the two victims fairly quick and fortunately neither climber was injured.

Both climbers and SAR personnel were extracted and AIR1 transferred them to BLM Rangers and LVMPD Resident Officers.

Remember to bring light sources and extra batteries incase your outing goes longer than you anticipated.

MAY LEAD CLIMB TRAINING

This month for training, several climbers were able to get some reps in AIR1 around Kraft Mountain for their annual flight training.

After the flight, the team met up to practice lowering and raises utilizing a new device.

While it was a short training day, it was a good solid day. The weather is getting better and the team will be ready for any rescue that pops up this summer.

BRING YOUR KID TO WORK 2024

This year LVMPD Air Support / Search and Rescue hosted the event at our hangar. What an amazing turn out for our employees and we are so happy we could facilitate it for everyone in the department.

There were booths, trucks and tents set up by , CSI, Traffic, ARMOR, , SWAT, just to name a few. There were also demonstrations by and SAR in AIR1. It was a blast!

Oh and let’s not forget our special guest from the , Chance! Thanks everyone who came out!

There’s lots of photos over on the LVMPD main and Recruiting sections pages. Here’s a few of AIR1 bringing Chance to hang out and a couple from the Rescue demonstration.

There’s also a great one of a proud daughter with her daddy from SAR who helped fly chance in and another excited son as he helps his dad from SAR answer questions at the SAR booth.

Oh and probably the coolest selfie you’ll see all day with in AIR1!

On April 23rd around 4pm SAR was requested to assist BLM with a lost hiker call.

The hiker was on Turtlehead Peak trail and while hiking back from the summit they became disoriented and lost the trail. While they were uninjured they were dehydrated and did not have the energy to continue after being unsuccessful in locating the trail.

A BLM Ranger hiked in and located the subject. Due to their condition and location he requested AIR1.

AIR1 responded and inserted a single rescuer to the scene. The hiker was packaged and extracted via hoist. They were transported to the BLM Helipad where family met them and took them home.