- Mountain rescue in the United States
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In the United States, mountain rescue is handled by professional teams within some national parks and by volunteer teams elsewhere. Volunteer teams are part of the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) and operate under the authority of the local sheriff's department.
Under the National Incident Management System, mountain rescue unit qualifications are standardized.[1]
Occasionally there are editorials or legislative bills suggesting that climbers should be charged for rescues, particularly after a sensational high-profile rescue.[2] The American Alpine Club has released a report explaining the facts behind the costs of a rescue and the potential problems resulting from charging for rescues.[3] The MRA has issued a similar statement.[4]
Contents
Mountain rescue in the National Parks
Parks with professional teams include Denali National Park, Yosemite National Park,[5] Grand Teton National Park, and Mount Rainier National Park.
Mountain Rescue Association
The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) is an American umbrella organization for over eighty volunteer search and rescue groups.[6] It was founded in 1959 at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.[7] The first of these groups was Seattle Mountain Rescue (originally called the Mountain Rescue Council), founded in 1948.[8] The teams will also assist on missions out-of-county or in a national park when requested. Occasionally, military assets are used on missions, such as helicopter search or extraction or advanced electronics detection. These services are available free of charge and without extra cost to the taxpayer as a part of the MAST program and serve as part of routine training for the military.[9]
References
- ^ "Resource: Mountain Search and Rescue Team". fema.gov. Federal Emergency Management Agency. http://www.fema.gov/emergency/usr/mountain_sar_team.htm. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Athearn, Lloyd (January 1997). "Jokers On The Mountain: When Politics & Mountain Rescues Collide". The American Alpine News. http://www.i-world.net/oma/news/rescue/athearn.html. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Athearn, Lloyd (19 May 2005). "Climbing Rescues in America: Reality Does Not Support ‘High-Risk, High-Cost’ Perception". The American Alpine Club. http://www.angband.org/~gary/MRreal.pdf. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ "Mountain rescue Association Reaffirms its Position". Mountain rescue Association. 1 August 2009. http://www.mra.org/drupal2/sites/default/files/documents/publications/MRAChargePosition.pdf. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ "Yosemite National Park: YOSAR". nps.gov. United States National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/sar/index.htm. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- ^ "Mountain Rescue Association". mra.org. Mountain Rescue Association. http://www.mra.org/drupal2/. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- ^ http://www.mountaineers.org/NWMJ/05/051_Bauer3.html
- ^ http://www.seattlemountainrescue.org/history.html
- ^ "TIKI MAST". tikimast.org. http://www.tikimast.org/introduction.htm. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
Further reading
- Scott-Nash, Mark (2007). Playing for Real: Stories from Rocky Mountain Rescue. Boulder, Colorado: The Colorado Mountain Club Press. ISBN 0-9760525-6-3.
External links
- "Mountain Rescue Association". mra.org. Mountain Rescue Association. http://www.mra.org/index.php. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
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