Accidents in Mountain Rescue Operations
Objectives
The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA), a volunteer organization dedicated to saving lives
through rescue and mountain safety education, has developed this "Accidents in Mountain Rescue
Operations" program for search and rescue professionals who work in mountainous terrain. This
program profiles numerous accidents in mountain rescues so users of the program can learn
valuable lessons through accidents and analyses that followed.
Introduction
In 1927, the country's first mountain rescue team was formed when a group called the Crag Rats
responded to the need for mountain rescue services on Mt. Hood, Oregon. These early rescue
pioneers also came together as the result of collective action. Knowing they might need
assistance themselves someday, these highly experienced mountaineers banded together to form
a rescue group professional in skills, while volunteer in pay.
By the late 1950's, and with the help of members of European and American mountaineering and
rescue organizations, the
Mountain Rescue Association
(MRA) was incorporated for the purpose
of performing "rescue and mountain safety education." The first meeting of the MRA took place in
1958 at Mt. Hood, where several National Parks, Air Force units and others immediately joined the
MRA, as did teams from Oregon, California, and Colorado. Other states and units from Canada
followed later.
By the 1960's, rescue training materials were starting to appear. Mountain Search and Rescue
Techniques, by Bill May and the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, became the first complete text
on rescue techniques. Tim Setnika, a seasoned rescuer in Yosemite National Park, wrote Search
and Rescue, another search and rescue (SAR) primer.
In 1972 the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) emerged. NASAR is a non-
profit membership association comprised of thousands of dedicated paid and non-paid
professionals - all active or interested in search and rescue, disaster aid, emergency medicine and
awareness education.
During the first 50 years of organized mountain rescue in the United States, great attention has
been placed on rescuer safety. Between the MRA's semi-annual conferences, the multitude of
annual NASAR conferences and training programs, and the International Technical Rescue
Symposium, opportunities abound for rescuers to seek training in technical, tactical, and
management areas of SAR response.
Despite these numerous training opportunities, accidents do still happen. This program is
designed to study and learn from accidents that have occurred during the last 50 years of
mountain rescue operations. Through a careful analysis of these accidents, we can identify
improvements and enhancements to our operating and management guidelines.
