Searchers teach survival skills

Members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue team recently provided a lesson in outdoor survival to three of Nicolle Larson's seventh-grade outdoor science classes at Carson Valley Middle School. Seventy-six students participated in the presentations.

Search and rescue members Merrilyn Noble, Anne Harris, and Dirk Goering showed students how to avoid becoming lost or separated from others while hiking or camping in the wilderness.

The searchers taught students about acronym "STOP" which stands for:

S - Stay put. Take a moment to calm yourself. Staying put is often the best choice.

T - Think. Think what you can do to be more easily located and found; think also of how you will obtain food, water, and shelter.

O - Observe. Look around. What resources are available for your use?

P - Plan. Develop a plan for survival and rescue.

Survival techniques instructed included:

- Making themselves more visible by waving a bright piece of clothing or other material to attract the attention of rescuers, or tying smaller pieces of bright clothing or material to branches of a nearby trees for easy observation.

- Making a large "X" on the ground with branches or stones that can be seen from the air.

- Seeking temporary refuge that provides shelter but doesn't conceal your presence from rescuers.

Students were shown how to equip and prepare themselves for outdoor survival before they head out on any hike or camping trip; including bringing such things as: water and light snacks, a whistle, small flashlight, and a folded plastic garbage bag (kept in a pocket) that can be used as temporary protection from the elements in an emergency.

Search and rescue canine handler Goering and Gelert demonstrated how dogs, with their keen olfactory sense, can be used to track and locate lost people.

Goering had a student hide in a field adjoining the school, and then demonstrated how Gelert would search for a lost student by smelling a piece of clothing, backpack or some other item left behind by the subject (in order to get a scent), then tracking the scent to the subject. Gelert successfully located the student hiding in the field.

Douglas County Search & Rescue volunteers are available to present their STOP program to school-age children throughout Douglas County as a public service to educate them on how to lessen their chances of becoming lost in the wilderness, and what to do to help search teams find them if they are lost.

Interested groups should contact STOP Coordinator Merrilyn Noble at 782-9930.