Busy winter for Douglas Search and Rescue

In the middle of Tuesday night’s blizzard, members of Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue responded to two separate calls.

The all-volunteer team responded to the Pine Nut Mountains 3 p.m. Tuesday to aid the Washoe Tribe in rescuing an elder in need of medical assistance above Leviathan Mine Road.

Not an hour later, as they were making their way into the Pine Nuts, a skier was retrieved from Daggett Creek drainage during a massive snowstorm in an area subject to avalanches.

It has been a busy winter for the team, according to Undersheriff Ron Elges.

“They have had a tremendous amounts of calls out from January to date,” he said. “Remember, this is a volunteer organization that the Sheriff relies on to help this community and they have always stepped up to the challenges — the last few days and months have been no exception.”

Between responding to out of bound skiers, the team started their week out off Sunrise Pass Road near the Lyon-Douglas border aiding in the recovery of the body of a missing Dayton woman on Sunday.

They also helped a stranded motorist who spent the night not far from where she was found, among many. They also responded late last week when a medical aircraft went down near Stagecoach.

Members of the team aid the sheriff’s office in searching large areas of ground, rescuing injured hikers off the trails, and plucking people out of the river.

During just January, they reported responding to more than a dozen calls and devoted nearly 500 hours, according to douglassar.org

In December, they responded to Mitch Pond in the Gardnerville Ranchos to rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice. They are trained for water rescues.

“They are always looking for new members,” Elges said. “They will be trained and provided the equipment needed to be successful.”

For more information, visit the team’s web site at douglassar.org.