The Trip to Palmer – Step 3: Ocean Search & Rescue

The purpose of the trip to Page, AZ was to attend a four-day crash-course in ocean search & rescue (OSAR). Once again, due to the small size of Palmer Station, we simply don’t have the luxury of having any emergency services type people unless we do it ourselves. It is a necessity to have this team in order to support various science needs that will come up during the winter season and the added bonus is that we will have the opportunity for recreational boating to the neighboring islands.

Two instructors from an Alaskan firm taught the course. Each of the first three days we spent a few hours in a classroom environment learning about various search and rescue type things, and one day even started a fire with earwax and belly-button lint. It was AWESOME!!! (don’t let the TSA know about this one). The afternoons and all of the fourth day were spent outside putting what we had learned into practice. The course culminated in an exercise where we searched for a “victim” iun the Arizona desert. Not only did we successfully retrieve the search subject, but we also found all the clues. The search was deemed successful.

Before making our way back to Denver to part ways, a few of us toured the Antelope Slot Canyon that is located just outside of Page, AZ. Once again, I found myself in awe of the beauty that I was surrounded by.

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