MALIBU MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM HELPS BRING HIKERS ... OUT OF THE DARK.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News CALABASAS - Beatrice Quintana thought she was just going on a Sunday day hike with some family and friends at Malibu Creek State Park Coordinates: Malibu Creek State Park is a California state park near Malibu, in Calabasas. It opened to the public in 1980, using property purchased from 20th Century Fox that the studio had owned since 1946 along with adjoining properties. in the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. , but her outing nearly turned into tragedy. ``We started hiking late about three,'' says Quintana, 22. ``There were 11 of us but only two had been to the park before. It got dark and we couldn't see our way and got lost.'' The group, all from Oxnard, ranged in ages from 13 to 22. Several of the group fell in the water in the dark. One is a diabetic and Quintana was very concerned about her needing her medication. They were all dressed in light clothing and were cold, wet, and scared. Malibu Creek State Park, 25 miles north of downtown L.A., is a popular destination for hikers, rock climbers This list of climbers includes both mountaineers and rock climbers, since many (though not all) climbers engage in both types of activities. The list also includes boulderers and ice climbers. , mountain bikers, and equestrians. It was the outdoor set for the TV series ``M*A*S*H'' and films like ``Planet of the Apes". It has also seen its share of serious accidents. ``One of the guys had a lighter,'' said Quintana. ``He ripped his shirt and lit it so he could see. My cousin and a friend went for help. We waited two hours. We didn't know if my cousin had made it.'' Darrell Readyhoff, a ranger at Malibu Creek Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Simi Hills and the westernmost San Fernando Valley, flows south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay at Malibu Lagoon, in Malibu. , says lost hikers are a common occurrence, especially in an area called the Gorge. ``It's very inaccessible,'' he said. ``They get stuck half way up or they're walking on the river bottom and trip and fall.'' The volcanic outcroppings pocked pock n. 1. A pustule caused by smallpox or a similar eruptive disease. 2. A mark or scar left in the skin by such a pustule; a pockmark. tr.v. with easy handholds tempt tempt v. tempt·ed, tempt·ing, tempts v.tr. 1. To try to get (someone) to do wrong, especially by a promise of reward. 2. people to climb beyond their experience. At one side is the Rock Pool formed by the creek, which can be 15 to 20 feet deep in the wintertime when water levels are higher. ``Two of the group made it out and went to the ranger residence and called for help,'' said Lindsey Templeton, Supervising Ranger at Malibu Creek. ``Search and rescue was activated. They train here and State Parks works closely with them. They do an incredible job. While they were en route I went back and established voice contact and determined where (the victims) were. I tried to calm them. I could hear them but not see them.'' The rangers try to find out if anyone is injured, the ages, and outdoor experience of the victims. They find out what they're wearing and assess the situation. ``This time due to how many and how wet they were, we brought in a helicopter for lighting, said Templeton. ``Sometimes we airlift them out of the Gorge but there were too many.'' ``We got the call at eight o clock,'' said Marc Ratner, Captain of the Malibu Mountain Rescue Team. The team is an all-volunteer organization that participates in search and rescues of lost or injured persons. The members are Reserve Deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. . Volunteers get paid a dollar a year and must undergo EMT See Efficient markets theory. training, along with learning vehicle-over-the-side, downed aircraft, snow and ice, and climbing rescues. ``We saw a light so we started screaming,'' said Quintana. ``But they couldn't see us because there was rock all around us. I went higher so I could see the light. I was wearing a white shirt so I was easier to see. The helicopter came and put a light on me,'' said Quintana. ``They followed me to where the group was.'' David Stephens was first of the rescue team to contact the hikers on the ground. He tried to tell the people that they would be all right and that help was on the way. ``They could see him, but couldn't hear him because the rushing water drowned out Drowned Out is a 2002 documentary by Franny Armstrong about the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project. It closely follows a family that is unwilling to leave its village home as the water levels of the Narmada River, mostly because the government provides them no viable all the sounds,'' said Ratner. ``It must have been very frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: for them.'' ``When the sun goes down in the park it gets really cold really fast. That's what most people underestimate. Especially when you're in water, heat drains out of your body very fast. So (the hikers) were all beginning to suffer from hypothermia hypothermia Abnormally low body temperature, with slowing of physiological activity. It is artificially induced (usually with ice baths) for certain surgical procedures and cancer treatments. . They were shivering shivering /shiv·er·ing/ (shiv´er-ing) 1. involuntary shaking of the body, as with cold. 2. a disease of horses, with trembling or quivering of various muscles. shivering see shiver, stringhalt. pretty badly.'' ``That was one of the largest groups of people we've rescued. Usually its one or two people,'' said Ratner, who wears a vest crammed cram v. crammed, cram·ming, crams v.tr. 1. To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space; stuff. 2. To fill too tightly. 3. a. To gorge with food. with gadgets that even Batman could envy. He says, ``I'm a five-foot-eight guy who likes to carry six-foot-two worth of equipment. But I always have what everybody needs.'' The rescue team had to get the stranded hikers up a 25 foot rock face, across the top of the outcropping, and then down a 50 foot rock face. Each victim was given a helmet and rescue harness so they could be attached to a climbing rope. One of the rescue team acted as ``belayer.'' bringing in the rope as the hikers climbed the rock. ``The belayer set up a strobe light strobe light n. A flash lamp that produces high-intensity short-duration light pulses by electric discharge in a gas. strobe light because it was pitch dark so they could see where to climb,'' said Ratner. ``Then they had to traverse to where we had another strobe strobe n. 1. A strobe light. 2. A stroboscope. 3. A spot of higher than normal intensity in the sweep of an indicator, as on a radar screen, used as a reference mark for determining distance. . At that point I transferred them to the second rope system.'' A team member guided each hiker down the rock wall. Then they had to scramble to the inflatable boat An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. the team used to row the hikers across the Rock Pool. The cousin with diabetes was rescued first, then the youngest and wettest of the group. Quintana, who was last out, thanked her rescuers. ``We were afraid we'd have to spend the night,'' she said. Wearing borrowed jackets, the weary hikers were taken to the park's visitor center to warm up. Nobody was hurt, though one of the group subsequently came down with a bad rash from poison oak poison oak: see poison ivy. poison oak Species of poison ivy (Toxicodendron diversilobum) native to western North America and classified in the sumac (or cashew) family. . Quintana says that next time she goes hiking, she will start earlier and carry a flashlight. ``Last year the Malibu Mountain Rescue Team had 67 calls, a bit higher than average,'' says Ratner. ``There were no calls in November and December, or it would have been one of our highest years. People stayed close to home, perhaps due to 9-11. There's no real pattern to rescues because they truly are accidents.'' The most common rescues involve cars that go over the side of the area's winding back roads. But the team has been called out to find missing Alzheimer's patients, mountain bikers, hikers, and lost children. Team members all carry pagers and are on call at any time, night or day. When asked why he does it, Ratner says, ``There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction from saving people. It's what I can do. I can rescue people in mountains in treacherous situations. You hate missing a great rescue. We train so long and hard for it. Rescues really pull the team together and makes all the training worthwhile.'' The Malibu Mountain Rescue Team is always seeking new members, especially women. Anyone in good shape who is willing to commit the time and can pass the requirements to be a reserve Sheriff's deputy is welcome. All rescue team volunteers at a minimum become EMTs. They also are required to complete the Reserve Deputy Academy. The Academy meets two week nights and all day Sundays for four to six months. The rescue team members, who train one Sunday and one night a month, include people with a variety of backgrounds. ``We have two doctors and two nurses on the team,'' says Ratner, who is a record company executive when he's not saving people. Other team members include a lifeguard, a construction engineer, a financial analyst, a lawyer, a telephone company worker, a medical machinery technician, and a pharmacist. But all are willing to drop what they're doing when someone needs help. HIKING TIPS The rangers make these suggestions for day hikers visiting a state park: --Advise friends and family when you go on a hike, who's going, where you're going, when you will be back, and where you will be parking. --Bring appropriate warm clothing. In winter it gets very cold once the sun goes down, even in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . --Stop at the park entrance station and ask for a map. --Have water with you, a small first aid kit, and bring a whistle. --If you're hiking near twilight carry a flashlight. --Know your limitations. Don't do things beyond the capability of your least experienced hiker. --If you're lost stay put. Don't split up. MORE INFO: --Malibu Mountain Rescue Team Web site: www.mmrt.org The primary response area of the Malibu Mountain Rescue Team is the Santa Monica Mountains from the Ventura County Line to Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). as well as the East face of the Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south from Santa Clara River Valley to the north and surrounding the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . For information about joining the team, email LASDMMRT(at)aol.com or write to Malibu Mountain Rescue Team, P.O. Box 222, Malibu, CA 90265, or call Sgt Gary Stephens, or Deputy Kevin Augarten at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station at (818) 878 1808. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- 3) Above, Santa Monica Mountains Rescue Team member Kevin Ryan Kevin Ryan may refer to:
(4) no caption (Santa Monica Mountains Rescue Team members at work) Photos by Bill Becher Box: (1) HIKING TIPS (see text) (2) MORE INFO: (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion