“Out of Tragedy Is Born a Team”
“YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHO HAS YOUR BACK and you have to trust him,” became the unspoken mantra of the newly formed San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team.
In February of 1958 a group of students and their parents traveled to Forest Falls, California to play in Mill Creek. One of the students, Donald Burns, wandered off and fell over three hundred feet down the face of Big Falls near the picnic area where his friends and family played. Donald miraculously survived his fall, but was left stranded and severely injured on a high ledge over one hundred feet from the base of the falls. Deputy Sheriff Willard Farquhar of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was the first to respond to the scene. As night enveloped the falls, Donald could be heard screaming over the roar of the water.
Attempts to reach Donald by Deputy Farquhar and other Sheriff’s personnel were unsuccessful since San Bernardino County had no experienced rescue personnel or climbing equipment available. Volunteer firemen from Forest Falls and some rescue personnel from Norton Air Force Base also made rescue attempts to save Donald. They worked for twenty-four hours straight to reach Donald, but no one was able to get closer than about fifty feet. It was said that one rescuer could see Donald feebly waving his hand to him. But all attempts were unsuccessful. Conditions in the area were cold and foggy overnight. The ropes were freezing with the spray of water from the falls and the rocks in the area were coated with a thick layer of ice.
The next day the Sheriff’s office called for a Marine Corp helicopter. The Marines lowered a cable down to Donald, but they were unable to get close enough to rescue the boy. A call was finally made to the closest mountain search and rescue team in the area. The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team who was associated with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department was requested to respond to the scene and attempt a rescue. Seven members of the Sierra Madre Team responded to the scene being escorted by Sheriff Frank Bland and the California Highway patrol. After a briefing by the Sheriff about where the boy was located and the conditions on Big Falls with the water spray, ice and crumbling rock, six members started up the Falls. They climbed up approximately four hundred vertical feet along the west side of the falls through the brush and forest to a point where they could secure their ropes. One member descended his rope near the vertical falls to a point fifty feet above the boy. From there, he was lowered in a free rappel the remaining distance to Donald. When asked, “is he alive” over the walkie talkie, the reply was “negative.” Donald was dead covered with a thick layer of ice. He had more than likely died from exposure to the cold and his injuries sometime during the night alone on a high ledge with the roar of water.
After the tragic death of Donald Burns, Sheriff Frank Bland never wanted this to happen in “his” county again. Sheriff Bland, being in charge of the Sheriff’s Office for the largest county in the state, did not like going outside of his county for services. Knowing that Deputy Willard Farquhar had some experience in hiking and climbing in the local mountains, the Sheriff gave him the task of forming the county’s first mountain search and rescue team.
In March of 1958, Deputy Farquhar started recruiting men from the local area who had experience in the mountains. Some individuals had military experience with rope rescue; others had backcountry experience with the US Forest Service; and others had a strong desire to help their fellow man in the challenging situations and environments the wilderness had to offer.
In March of 1958, the first volunteer members were given their depositions. But it wasn’t until May of 1958 that they were officially sworn in by Sheriff Bland. By the time of the “swearing-in” ceremony, the team already had three missions under their belts: the recovery of a skier who was killed in an avalanche on Mount Baldy; the recovery of two bodies from a crashed plane on Cucamonga peak; and the rescue of two injured firefighters.
Fifty years later the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue team still rushes to the aid of the lost and the injured in the San Gorgonio Wilderness and the San Bernardino National Forest.
History of SAR in California and Nationwide
California
In 1920's the California State Legislature voted to assign responsibility for wilderness search and rescue to, "the highest law enforcement official in each county". In San Bernardino County, as in most counties, that duty fell to the county sheriff. Although many unofficial rescue groups existed before 1951, 1951 is the first year that a rescue team officially incorporated in the state or California.
Sierra Madre SAR 1951
Altadena Mountain SAR 1951
Santa Clarita SAR 1957
San Gorgonio SAR 1958
Valley of the Falls SAR 1958
Sonoma SAR 1958
China Lake SAR 1958
Nationwide
In the early 1900’s most states passed similar laws as California making local and county law enforcement and fire fighters responsible for wilderness search and rescue. Although many unofficial rescue groups existed before 1946, 1946 is the first year that a rescue team officially incorporated. Most of these early rescue teams were made up of military personnel who had performed search and rescue duties in WWII.
Central Washington Mountain Rescue Council 1946
Central Arizona MRA 1946
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, CO 1947
Seattle Mountain Rescue 1948
New Jersey SAR 1950
Albuquerque Mountain SAR 1955
Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council, WA 1955
Olympic Mountain Rescue Unit, WA 1957
Alpine Rescue Team, CO 1958
Southern Arizona SAR 1958
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of SAR teams in the United States. But to be the best knowledge of NASAR, MRA, and the research conducted by San Gorgonio team members it is a reasonably accurate list.
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