About the Team
The Inyo County Sheriff's Posse, a California non-profit corporation is a volunteer professional search and rescue team composed of experienced mountaineers and other specialties, dedicated to saving lives in the wilderness areas of California. We will respond to any call for assistance, within our ability and our services are always free. Members are trained, self-sufficient, and equipped to carry out missions such as search for lost persons, high-angle rescue, evacuation of persons from hazardous areas, body recovery, underwater search, airplane and vehicle search, Emergency Locator Transponder (ELT) search, tracking and first aid. We can also provide experienced leaders to organize and direct a search or rescue using local people.
The Team is a full member of the national Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). Through prior organizational arrangements, all of the MRA teams in California can be summoned to search for anyone, even outside California. We are also members of teh National Association for Search and Rescue, Office of Disaster Preparedness and several related organizations. This keeps us up to date in the profession.
Our response is not conditioned by weather or terrain. most operations, in fact, seem to take place in rain, snow or scorching heat. We have search under arctic conditions, on mountains, in the desert, within towns and under water. In areas where we recognize our limited capabilities, such as cave and mine rescues, air search and extensive underwater operations, we will assist the specialized rescue teams.
The Inyo County Sheriff's Posse works only under the authority and direction of the Inyo County Sheriff. If the Posse is asked to assist by a friend or relative of the victim, we will contact the authorized agency for clearance. The Posse can operate either under the direct supervision of the Sheriff's coordinator or we can function independently under his review. All contacts with the news media are handled under the direction of the local agency. Through the service of the Office of Emergency Services, we can obtain a variety of aircraft to assist by flying team members in and out of search areas, by providing aerial search capabilities and by providing airlift capabilities for injured parties. These services may be provided by California Highway Patrol (CHP), Forest Service or military aircraft depending on availability of resources.
California law protects volunteer search and rescue teams from liability in the performance of their duties. To supplement this protection, the team is covered by California State Compensation Insurance Fund. Extensive training in safe procedures, however, is the best insurance. Each and every member is required to complete a minimum of training and demonstrate competence in personal skills before becoming a certified rescue member. Each year the team must recertify with the MRA in one of three areas of competence (Search, Winter, or Technical) on a rotating basis.
To contact the team, call (760) 873-7887 or (760) 878-0323. These telephones are manned at all times by the Inyo County Sheriff's dispatcher.
Unless
otherwise noted, all material on this site is: Copyright © Inyo County
Sheriff's Posse Search and Rescue Team; Bishop, CA 93514: 1999-2002
All Rights Reserved
Site Last Updated: 09/11/06 10:35 AM