WEBVTT

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America's longest-lasting
pickups.

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Urban: We have a patient
that we have to package

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who's in a tremendous
amount of pain.

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Man: You got the meds?

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Davis: Yeah.

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Ciocarlan: My big concern
is safety of my team.

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It's a pretty sketchy place,

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and the avalanche conditions
this year are not good.

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Okay.

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Davis:
It's a tough working condition

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when someone's in
that kind of pain.

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[ Patient moans ]

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Ciocarlan: Stop, stop!

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Woman: ♪ Amazing grace 

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♪ How sweet the sound 

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♪ That saved a wretch
like me ♪

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♪ I once was lost 

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♪ But now I'm found 

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Trevor: Ah, God!

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♪ Was blind 

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♪ But now I see 

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Narrator:
Staring down at the community

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of Jackson Hole, Wyoming,

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is the vertical
world surrounding Teton Pass.

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Around here, this is everyone's
backyard, especially those

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who live right at
the base of the pass.

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♪♪

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Narrator: Up high,

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it's America's largest
unofficial ski area.

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It's a backcountry access point
that's grown enough

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to now seem a bit
loved to death.

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It takes a potent combination

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of muscle, training,
and gear to tackle the Tetons,

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which rise to more
than 13,000 feet.

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Jackson local, Jamie Yount,

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climbed the Grand Teton
when he was just 12 years old.

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That demanding journey sent him

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on a career path
working in the mountains.

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Today, Jamie's day job also
makes him a valuable volunteer

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on search and rescue.

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Yount: I'm an
avalanche technician

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for the Wyoming Department
of Transportation,

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and this is my 14th winter.

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SAR really relies on me
for any sort

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of avalanche mitigation
stuff we might have to do.

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So if there is a call
on Teton Pass,

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I'm pretty quick to respond.

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I joined SAR because I wanted
to improve my own skills.

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I wanted to give something
back to the community.

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We live in the Rocky Mountains
and, you know,

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Teton Pass, it's great terrain.

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Narrator: Out here, avalanches
are the most lethal threat.

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Yount: There's actually
four avalanche corridors

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in and out of Jackson Hole.

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Narrator: There's Togwotee Pass,
Hoback Canyon,

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Snake River Canyon, and
Teton Pass, where Jamie works

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to make sure Highway 22
remains open.

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For those drawn to
the mountains around Teton Pass,

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it's the only link between the
backcountry and civilization.

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Yount: There's mitigation
work that needs to happen,

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making sure that that
all goes smoothly.

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[ Canon fires ]

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Narrator: So, for many years,
in the ongoing battle

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against deadly slides,

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the community rolled
out its biggest gun.

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Man: Ready to fire.

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Fire.

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Narrator:
By lobbing explosives,

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you can test the snowpack's
stability

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and preemptively trigger
a controlled slide.

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This neutralizes the threat, and
it's work Jamie really loves.

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Yount: What's not to like?

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It's flying around
in helicopters

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and throw bombs out

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and shoot Howitzers.

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There's a lot of places
where you have

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these really steep road cuts

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that come right
onto the highway,

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and we've had a lot of problems
with these over the years.

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So, the goal of our program
is to bring these avalanches

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down on our terms, and clean it
up, and get the road back open.

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So, we try and, you know,

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keep our transportation
system real safe.

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Narrator: The local highways
Jamie keeps safe

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provide easy access
up Teton Pass,

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and there is a sect
of dedicated regulars

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at the pass
who patrol the backcountry.

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One of them is Jake Urban,

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a wilderness skills
instructor and avalanche expert.

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Urban: Yeah.

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It literally is the backyard.

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We are -- We're 15 minutes
from our doorstep.

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That's really what
we're all here for.

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That's what brought us
all to Jackson Hole.

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I know, right?
Exactly.

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Narrator: Jake lives
just down the pass,

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at the foot of the Tetons,
in a log cabin base camp

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with his wife, Marilynn...

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>> Davis: Why would I put
it in the guest's...

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Narrator:
...who is now halfway through

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her first season
on search and rescue.

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>> Davis: As a rookie, I want
to finish up my paramedic class,

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and then I want to go on
a couple of missions

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where I'm in charge
and I am calling the shots.

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Narrator: From home,

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the couple runs the Jackson Hole
Leadership Institute.

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Urban: Actually
go find that person, right?

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Narrator:
They teach well together,

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but will they also
serve well together,

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side by side,
as volunteers on the team?

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Urban: We've had
a lot of conversations

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about that dynamic and
trying to not make it awkward.

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It's actually great
for our marriage,

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simply because it
gives us an opportunity

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to just be teammates
outside of the marriage.

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Davis: It's a little bit
terrifying to go into this,

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because there are people who
have 10 years of experience,

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either in
the search and rescue piece

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or even on the medical side.

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So, yeah, when you're new,
you're new,

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and you've got a lot to learn,

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and there's a element of
the unknown in my future here.

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Urban:
It's Sunday night,

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and Marilynn and I
are actually getting --

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getting ready
to host some guests.

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Davis: Okay.
Urban: You want to have a drink?

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Davis: Let's do it.

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Urban: We're hosting
our dinner party

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when the call-out comes.

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[ Alarm sounds ]

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Um...

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Narrator: Details are vague.

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Search and rescue
doesn't know exactly

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how the skier was injured.

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Urban: Initial information --
the skier --

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the hip or leg injury.

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First thing I do is
I look at Marilynn,

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and I say,
"Are we going on this?

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I think we have to go for this."

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Davis: No, I'm coming.
Urban: Okay.

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Davis: I'm gonna put this
in the refrigerator.

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Urban: Okay.
This is never convenient.

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Let's go.

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Narrator:
These are defining moments

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for search and rescue
volunteers,

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when they push
the rest of their lives aside,

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and rush into the backcountry.

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Urban:
While that can be trying,

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it can be very rewarding,
at the same time,

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because we all talk about trying
to balance our family,

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trying to balance the team.

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And ultimately,
what it comes down to is

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if you could plan
when rescues would take place,

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it would be very easy
to strike a balance.

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Narrator:
From Jake and Marilynn's place,

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it's a quick dash up the pass,

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so they'll be
the first on the scene.

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Right behind Jake and Marilynn
is the rest of the team,

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who swarm upon the hanger.

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It's almost sundown,

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and the rescue heli
doesn't fly at night.

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So it's on Incident Commander
Jess King to mobilize everyone

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and make sure they're ready
for the steep climb up ahead.

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King: And so, we're
assembling a rescue team,

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with rigging gear, ski gear,
making sure we're ready

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for avalanches,
getting them out of there.

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So, it's really convenient
to have Jake in a position

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where he and Marilynn
could drive up to the pass

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and get eyes on the patient,
first on scene.

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Narrator: Jake and Marilynn
interview the patient's friends,

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who saw their companion
crash into a tree.

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Initial signs indicate
a pelvic fracture,

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a potentially lethal injury.

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Urban:
How your feet doing, David?

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Can you wiggle them, still?

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David: Yeah, yeah.
They're good.

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Davis:
Can you feel that heat pad?

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David: Yeah.
Urban: Pretty good.

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Narrator: The team's big task
is getting the patient

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out of the backcountry
as quickly as possible.

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That means traversing through
the same steep terrain

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Jamie blasts for avalanches.

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Avalanche risk goes way up
when Teton Pass

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is hit by approaching storms,
and now one is on track

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to collide with the pass,

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so that puts
this attempted rescue

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on a collision course
with a blizzard.

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Narrator: As night approaches,
along with a snowstorm,

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husband-and-wife team
Jake and Marilynn

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rush to lower
a 37-year-old man

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down the mountain
to a waiting ambulance.

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It's the couple's first rescue
working together.

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>> David:
We tried earlier.

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Can we put my left ski on,
and see...

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Urban: Being on-scene is --
I thrive on it.

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It's where I think a lot of
the problem-solving begins

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and where it takes place.

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It's a great position
to have the trust of the team,

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to be able to be put
in that position.

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I'm always eager to fill it,
and serve, and ultimately try

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to make the rescue
as smooth as possible

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for the rest of the team.

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Narrator: 12 miles away,
at the hangar,

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Incident Commander Jess King
lays out the situation,

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as a snowstorm continues
to pound Teton Pass.

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Man: Alex and Jenn Sparks
are getting ready to load up

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in my vehicle
and Mike Moyer's vehicle,

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heading up, and we've got
the advanced medical.

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King: We've got
a lot of concerns.

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Once we get on scene,
we'll probably be worried

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about avalanches
in the exposed terrain.

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The patient has an injury,
making them unable to walk.

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We knew we couldn't fly for this
one, because it's getting dark,

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and also it's just really
bad weather out, right now.

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So, we know we're going to have

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to package him
and transport him.

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The keys in it?

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Narrator:
This is the first rescue

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where Jake and Marilynn
are working as a team.

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They're the only married couple
on search and rescue,

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and they hope their close
relationship

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makes them
good rescue teammates.

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Tonight, it's so far, so good.

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Urban: We were on scene
with the patient

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probably another 20, 25 minutes

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from the time
we left the vehicle,

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half a mile from the road,

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within visual
of the road itself --

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you know, not very far,
but technical terrain,

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directly above a cliff band.

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How are your feet doing, David?
Can you wiggle them still?

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David: Yeah, yeah.
They're good.

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Davis:
Can you feel that heat pad?

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David: Yeah.

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Urban: You know,
in terms of, you know,

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we definitely have
a different style,

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and a different way
about things, but, you know,

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arguably, we're ultimately just
trying to get to the same place.

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Davis:
We palpate the patient's body

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to figure out where the injury
is, what's in trouble,

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and it was
his hip-pelvis area,

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so it was really hard
to figure out,

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without an x-ray machine
on site.

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So, it ended up being
the femoral head

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smashing into the acetabulum,

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and then a chip of that
breaking off.

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[ Wolf howls ]

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Urban: So, any time
anybody has a broken pelvis,

249
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it's considered a life threat.

250
00:12:41.794 --> 00:12:43.529
The biggest thing
that we're worried about

251
00:12:43.562 --> 00:12:45.798
is internal blood loss

252
00:12:45.831 --> 00:12:48.501
and the patient
going into shock.

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Davis: Taking away his pain
with narcotics

254
00:12:52.471 --> 00:12:57.176
was critical to being able
to get him out of there.

255
00:13:14.560 --> 00:13:15.694
[ Patient moans ]

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00:13:15.728 --> 00:13:16.762
Davis:
Okay, hold your foot.

257
00:13:16.796 --> 00:13:18.164
David:
Yeah, I don't want to...

258
00:13:18.197 --> 00:13:20.633
Thanks, Marilynn.
Are you doing okay?

259
00:13:20.666 --> 00:13:22.535
Narrator: Teton County
search and rescue paramedic

260
00:13:22.568 --> 00:13:25.171
Marilynn Davis offers
her best cliff-side manner

261
00:13:25.204 --> 00:13:27.339
to an injured skier.

262
00:13:27.373 --> 00:13:28.974
Her husband, Jake,
lays out a plan

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00:13:29.008 --> 00:13:31.744
for extracting
the 37-year-old man.

264
00:13:31.777 --> 00:13:34.747
The patient has a potentially
lethal pelvic fracture.

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00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:37.016
He's in overwhelming pain,

266
00:13:37.049 --> 00:13:40.786
so time for a speedy lowering
down to the highway.

267
00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:43.689
The plan is to slide the
patient across the slope,

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00:13:43.722 --> 00:13:46.759
away from a set
of treacherous cliffs,

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00:13:46.792 --> 00:13:50.196
then lower him in a sled, using
a system of anchors and ropes.

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00:13:54.466 --> 00:13:56.502
Urban:
Our rigging problem is

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00:13:56.535 --> 00:13:58.270
we need to traverse a patient

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00:13:58.304 --> 00:14:02.708
150 feet to 200 feet
across the slope.

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00:14:02.741 --> 00:14:05.811
To solve that problem,
we benched a sidewalk

274
00:14:05.845 --> 00:14:09.348
into the terrain,
into the snow, across that,

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00:14:09.381 --> 00:14:11.650
that descended very gradually.

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00:14:11.684 --> 00:14:14.053
>> Narrator: But, as darkness
descends on Teton Pass,

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00:14:14.086 --> 00:14:17.623
the approaching storm begins
to unload its frozen payload.

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00:14:17.656 --> 00:14:19.725
Seeing the potential
for avalanche danger,

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00:14:19.758 --> 00:14:21.760
the Wyoming
Department of Transportation

280
00:14:21.794 --> 00:14:25.764
closes Highway 22,
blocking the route back to town.

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00:14:25.798 --> 00:14:27.967
Unsure whether or not
the waiting ambulance

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00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:29.268
will make it off the pass,

283
00:14:29.301 --> 00:14:30.769
the team continues monitoring

284
00:14:30.803 --> 00:14:33.205
Jake and Marilynn's
progress with the patient.

285
00:14:38.978 --> 00:14:40.913
Urban: Copy that.

286
00:14:40.946 --> 00:14:43.315
Marilynn!

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00:14:43.349 --> 00:14:44.416
Davis: Yeah?

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00:14:44.450 --> 00:14:46.318
Urban: Can you give
a patient update?

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00:14:46.352 --> 00:14:48.520
Do you got a radio handy?

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00:14:48.554 --> 00:14:52.024
They want that
sooner than later.

291
00:14:52.057 --> 00:14:54.593
I'm coming. Okay.

292
00:14:59.632 --> 00:15:01.467
It was very clear
what we needed to do.

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00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:04.904
Narrator: They need to
get him warm, splint his leg,

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and stabilize his body
for transport.

295
00:15:07.573 --> 00:15:09.875
Davis:
Give him some pain meds and go.

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00:15:09.909 --> 00:15:12.044
[ Indistinct talking ]

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00:15:12.077 --> 00:15:14.580
Urban: Marilynn continues
with patient care,

298
00:15:14.613 --> 00:15:17.850
giving update, and then I begin
working on some of the logistics

299
00:15:17.883 --> 00:15:20.486
in regards to
what the extraction's

300
00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:23.122
going to look like for getting
this patient out of there.

301
00:15:23.155 --> 00:15:24.757
Narrator: Nightfall cloaks
the steep terrain,

302
00:15:24.790 --> 00:15:26.258
making it increasingly difficult

303
00:15:26.292 --> 00:15:28.360
to navigate the patient
off this slope.

304
00:15:28.394 --> 00:15:30.596
It might seem like
a routine bone break,

305
00:15:30.629 --> 00:15:31.830
but this injury can lead

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00:15:31.864 --> 00:15:34.400
to a fatal blood clot
or internal bleeding.

307
00:15:34.433 --> 00:15:35.868
Davis: Okay? Okay.
Ready?

308
00:15:35.901 --> 00:15:38.537
On three. One, two, three.

309
00:15:38.570 --> 00:15:41.340
Good job, Dave.
You're doing awesome.

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00:15:41.373 --> 00:15:43.208
[ Patient moans ]

311
00:15:43.242 --> 00:15:45.010
[ Indistinct talking ]

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00:15:45.044 --> 00:15:48.013
Man:
Okay. Okay, Dave.

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00:15:53.953 --> 00:15:57.056
Urban: Go, go.

314
00:15:57.089 --> 00:15:59.758
All hands on deck
over here, please.

315
00:16:00.793 --> 00:16:04.029
Once we moved the patient
that 150 to 200 feet,

316
00:16:04.063 --> 00:16:07.399
we had a receiving platform

317
00:16:07.433 --> 00:16:11.203
where we transitioned
to a steep lowering.

318
00:16:11.236 --> 00:16:12.905
Narrator:
Overseeing the lowering

319
00:16:12.938 --> 00:16:15.774
is veteran volunteer
Tim Ciocarlan.

320
00:16:15.808 --> 00:16:17.476
Ciocarlan: You're going
to use a Prusik as a break?

321
00:16:17.509 --> 00:16:18.577
Man: Yep.

322
00:16:18.610 --> 00:16:19.611
Ciocarlan:
Somebody's going to mind it?

323
00:16:19.645 --> 00:16:20.846
Urban:
We transitioned the patient

324
00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:24.483
into an upright, feet-first.

325
00:16:24.516 --> 00:16:25.985
Narrator: The challenge
is to slide the patient

326
00:16:26.018 --> 00:16:30.155
horizontally across the slope,
away from steep cliffs below.

327
00:16:30.189 --> 00:16:33.325
Next, the patient's fate
is tied into a rigging system

328
00:16:33.359 --> 00:16:37.296
designed to lower him
down toward the highway.

329
00:16:37.329 --> 00:16:40.866
Urban: Okay, here we go.
One, two, three.

330
00:16:43.402 --> 00:16:46.872
Okay, let's get tension
on main, if we can.

331
00:16:46.905 --> 00:16:48.607
[ Patient moans ]

332
00:16:48.640 --> 00:16:50.809
Narrator:
And with the storm increasing

333
00:16:50.843 --> 00:16:53.479
and avalanches threatening
the road back to town,

334
00:16:53.512 --> 00:16:55.748
Tim spots a problem
with the rigging.

335
00:16:55.781 --> 00:16:57.616
Ciocarlan:
We have a problem.

336
00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:01.387
They're going to do a pretty
steep lower with two ropes,

337
00:17:01.420 --> 00:17:03.722
and have to pass a knot,
and I look at it,

338
00:17:03.756 --> 00:17:06.392
and it's rigged
not really the best.

339
00:17:06.425 --> 00:17:09.461
[ Patient moans ]

340
00:17:09.495 --> 00:17:11.330
Ciocarlan: Hang on a second.
Man: Stop!

341
00:17:14.433 --> 00:17:16.402
Narrator: Teton County
Search and Rescue volunteers

342
00:17:16.435 --> 00:17:19.171
Jake Urban and his rookie
EMT wife, Marilynn Davis,

343
00:17:19.204 --> 00:17:21.273
rush to transport
an accident victim

344
00:17:21.306 --> 00:17:22.841
down steep terrain to safety.

345
00:17:22.875 --> 00:17:27.046
But veteran rescuer
Tim Ciocarlan just spotted

346
00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:30.582
a big flaw in the rigging system
used to lower the injured skier

347
00:17:30.616 --> 00:17:32.151
down a 40-degree slope.

348
00:17:32.184 --> 00:17:35.454
Ciocarlan: My big concern
is safety of my team.

349
00:17:35.487 --> 00:17:38.490
Everybody has to be safe.
There is no excuse.

350
00:17:39.958 --> 00:17:42.494
Okay.

351
00:17:42.528 --> 00:17:45.297
Let me get this out of here.

352
00:17:45.330 --> 00:17:46.665
Rigged the rope where there is

353
00:17:46.698 --> 00:17:48.300
an anchor on one side
of the knot

354
00:17:48.333 --> 00:17:49.635
and a blade of ice on one side,

355
00:17:49.668 --> 00:17:51.770
and a blade of ice
on the other side of the knot,

356
00:17:51.804 --> 00:17:54.606
and, seamlessly, you kept
that rope moving

357
00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:56.241
and we passed that knot

358
00:17:56.275 --> 00:17:59.111
and we moved right down
the slope without a problem.

359
00:17:59.144 --> 00:18:01.947
Advise on speed.

360
00:18:05.984 --> 00:18:12.991
Just advise them, they
are at the end of the rope.

361
00:18:13.025 --> 00:18:14.993
Narrator: Even if the team
can safely lower the patient

362
00:18:15.027 --> 00:18:17.129
to the waiting ambulance
at the highway,

363
00:18:17.162 --> 00:18:21.967
avalanches threaten
the road back to town.

364
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:24.336
For Jamie, the team's
explosives expert,

365
00:18:24.369 --> 00:18:31.443
this is how his day job overlaps
with his volunteer time.

366
00:18:31.477 --> 00:18:32.711
Yount:
Fire in the hole, Glory Bowl.

367
00:18:32.744 --> 00:18:34.646
Narrator:
This is Jamie's specialty --

368
00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:39.751
blasting safe routes
out of the mountains.

369
00:18:39.785 --> 00:18:41.553
The patient is nearly
to the ambulance,

370
00:18:41.587 --> 00:18:43.155
but now he must endure

371
00:18:43.188 --> 00:18:46.058
the pain of being transferred
into the rescue toboggan.

372
00:18:46.091 --> 00:18:48.227
Davis: Two, three.

373
00:18:48.260 --> 00:18:52.264
[ Patient groans ]

374
00:18:52.297 --> 00:18:54.766
[ Patient yells ]

375
00:18:56.869 --> 00:18:58.971
Narrator: Thankfully, the
approaching blizzard stalls,

376
00:18:59.004 --> 00:19:02.574
and the avalanche danger drops,
allowing the highway to open.

377
00:19:02.608 --> 00:19:03.976
Now there's safe passage

378
00:19:04.009 --> 00:19:07.212
for the ambulance
down to the hospital in town.

379
00:19:13.986 --> 00:19:15.387
Urban:
I say it all the time.

380
00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:17.389
We need a good technical rescue,

381
00:19:17.422 --> 00:19:21.627
and if you want to build a team,
if you want to build leadership,

382
00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:25.731
if you want to build camaraderie
amongst the membership,

383
00:19:25.764 --> 00:19:28.033
the best way to do that is
to have a technical rescue

384
00:19:28.066 --> 00:19:30.302
and to have a favorable outcome.

385
00:19:30.335 --> 00:19:32.571
If we can get
those two things together,

386
00:19:32.604 --> 00:19:35.707
it makes our team better
every time.

387
00:19:35.741 --> 00:19:37.609
It increases
our level of confidence.

388
00:19:37.643 --> 00:19:38.844
It re-engages people.

389
00:19:38.877 --> 00:19:41.146
It makes people
want to train harder.

390
00:19:53.058 --> 00:19:54.359
Narrator:
Mission accomplished.

391
00:19:54.393 --> 00:19:56.962
Not everyone's idea
of a perfect Sunday night,

392
00:19:56.995 --> 00:19:59.531
but Jake is elated
with how it all came together,

393
00:19:59.565 --> 00:20:01.600
especially
the side-by-side teamwork

394
00:20:01.633 --> 00:20:03.435
with his wife, Marilynn.

395
00:20:03.468 --> 00:20:07.573
Davis: Yes. I got to be
a principal caregiver.

396
00:20:07.606 --> 00:20:08.974
It was great.

397
00:20:09.007 --> 00:20:12.544
Definitely room for improvement,
but the patient fared well,

398
00:20:12.578 --> 00:20:14.479
and we got him out fast.

399
00:20:14.513 --> 00:20:17.416
Jake and I worked well together.

400
00:20:17.449 --> 00:20:21.787
He wants to see me succeed,
so he's super supportive,

401
00:20:21.820 --> 00:20:26.291
and he's, at times,
making sure I'm a success.

402
00:20:26.625 --> 00:20:29.761
♪♪

403
00:20:29.795 --> 00:20:33.031
[ Horn honks ]