Teton County Idaho Search & Rescue – Emergency Communication

$1,256.40 – Emergency Communication

Mountain communication is inconsistent, posing considerable risks to Search & Rescue team members and those being rescued. The Community Foundation of Teton Valley chose to fully fund Teton County Idaho’s Search & Rescue’s competitive grant to strategically invest in four InReach locators. These GPS devices will be carried in the field by search teams to ensure another layer of communication and safety.

Communication with teams in the field, specifically in the mountains, is one of Search & Rescue’s most difficult challenges when facing rescues. This problem has long plagued our local team, often leaving team members in the field with no contact to incident command.  Search & Rescue has tried to alleviate this issue by purchasing new, more powerful radios, utilizing mobile repeaters, including spending over $8,000 last year on a new mobile repeater.  In the end, there have still been difficulties.  Command is often left guessing where teams are and if they are safe. InReach emergency locators by Garmin will provide a more reliable means to track and communicate with team members. This will allow for safer searches and rescues within our community, as per Search & Rescue’s mission to provide the public prompt, professional emergency services for people who are lost, injured, stranded, or in need of rescue, primarily within Teton Couny, Idaho.