Mission Report: Rollins Pass

At approximately 1845 we received a call from the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office regarding a vehicle that was stuck about 9 miles in on Rollins Pass. After a brief discussion between our dispatchers and theirs, we determined to page out our SAR-ES Team for a person extraction given the incoming winter storm. The stuck party could only dial into 911, and was relaying information to Gilpin every half hour.

At 1915 our coordination staff was in route, and at 1928 our team was paged for a non emergent routine response to the Rollins Pass trailhead. We were at staging by approximately 2115.

Our team hastily made their way to the parties vehicle while our coordination staff remained at the trailhead to run communications. As our team arrived on scene they assessed the situation. Once we determined that all were in good spirits, and no additional resources would be needed the deputy was able to clear the scene. Our team determined the recovery would be swift, and we opted to do so to prevent their vehicle from being trapped by the incoming snow. All parties were off the trail by 0000.

While this was our first live call for our SAR-ES Team, we have been training for this for months. Our teams were perfectly in sync regarding procedures and radio communications, and we couldn’t be more pleased of the outcome. Handling this non emergent situation allowed other emergency resources to be better utilized, or to stay home with their families as we enter this holiday weekend. This is the founding principle around our team.

As a reminder, be sure you know the route you are attempting during this season. This party was simply following their GPS, as many of our clients do. Snow came up fast, and before they knew it they were stuck! This happens quite often!

Thank you to our volunteers for the hasty response, and to Gilpin County for their trust.