2021 Applicant Information Sessions
If you are interested in joining the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit, the first step is to attend one of our Applicant Information Sessions. This one-hour meeting (held three times per year) will explain what it takes to be a successful volunteer with IMSARU, and will answer any questions you have about the team. Attending an Information Session is required before applying for membership. Membership applications will be available at the end of the session.
The following Applicant Information Sessions are scheduled for 2021:
Thursday, May 20th at 6:30pm
Thursday, September 23rd at 6:30pm
Meeting locations will be updated on this page approximately one month prior to the meeting date.
Latest Posts
Important advice from our partners from the Boise County Sheriff's Office. UTV/ATVs are incredibly fun and useful tools, especially in this state that we love. But with six different serious injured persons just this past weekend involving ATV/UTVs, including one fatality, it's very important to review general safety steps with friends and family before you head into the backcountry.
Most often, the applied skills of a search and rescue unit have uplifting and rewarding outcomes. Sometimes, those same specialized skills are put to work to help families and communities find closure.
Yesterday in Umatilla County, Oregon, in a large multi-agency effort coordinated by the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office, IMSARU members were instrumental in locating Star resident Deb Hendrichs, who had been reported missing in January. Over 90 searchers participated in the search, which concluded with one of our K9 teams locating Ms. Hendrichs shortly after 1:00PM.
We're always grateful for the opportunity to serve our community as best we can, and while we always aspire to a positive outcome, at times that's not possible. We at IMSARU offer our deepest condolences to the Hendrichs family, and hope that they and the communities of Star and Meacham may find peace.
Home | DEB HENDRICHS SEARCH May 8 - 9, 2021
sterrinward.wixsite.com
Umatilla County Search and RescueThe search for Deb Hendrichs in the Meacham area was concluded on May 8, 2021 at approximately 1pm after searchers notified Incident Command that a body had been found on the east side of I-84 south of Meacham near milepost 238.Been on a couple of those ..sad
It's that time again! Idaho Gives season!
As an all-volunteer organization, IMSARU relies on fundraising for our annual budget. In order to offer the Idaho outdoors community with the very best in search and rescue readiness, skills, and equipment, we need your support.
Please consider IMSARU in your plans for Idaho Gives this season. You can do so by clicking through the link below. THANK YOU so much in advance for your donation!
www.idahogives.org/donate?campaign_id=107852
Do you love the outdoors in Idaho? Would you like to support IMSARU directly while doing your daily Amazon shopping online?
IMSARU is approved for donations through Amazon Smile! If you're not familiar with Amazon Smile, all you have to do is to visit smile.amazon.com and in the top left corner, under the Amazon logo, choose "Supporting:..." search for "Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue", and save that choice.
From there, anytime you shop on Amazon, use smile.amazon.com instead of the main Amazon page. A small percentage of your purchase, at no additional cost to you, will be donated to IMSARU by Amazon.
It's a win/win/win!
If you have any issues getting it set up, or if you have any questions, please just use the message button below and we're happy to help.
Thanks so much! We're grateful in advance!
Recently IMSARU's Public Relations Director Scotty Perkins had an opportunity to talk with backpackingroutes.com about our mission and what it's like to be a member of a search and rescue team. Members of the teams from New Hampshire's Mountain Rescue Service and Colorado's Alpine Rescue Team also contributed.
Please take a moment to read through, and don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to participate or otherwise support us or these other two fine organizations.
backpackingroutes.com/whats-it-like-to-be-a-member-of-a-backcountry-rescue-team/
Backcountry Rescue Teams Put Their Lives on Hold When Accidents Happen - Backpacking Routes
backpackingroutes.com
What's it like to be a member of a backcountry rescue team?Nice work Scotty!
Great article and PR for IMSARU, Scotty Perkins!!
Always inspiring to hear about the collective efforts of other SAR teams around the country. 🇺🇸 Great responses Scotty. 👍
IMSARU is proud to be a charter member of the Mountain Rescue Association, founded in 1959. For more than 60 years, IMSARU and the MRA have been at the ready to assist those who need us in the outdoors. Here's a short introductory video as to what the MRA is and what we're about.
Members of the IMSARU technical rescue team "brushing" up on their anchoring and rappelling skills this weekend near Boise.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.At IMSARU we are blessed to have many members who are heroes outside of search and rescue. Among those is Colin Sesek, IMSARU's medical coordinator, who is also a combat medic who has served in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne.
Colin wrote about his experiences and shares them in a new play he co-wrote called Bent Compass. Please click through the story below to learn more.
We're proud of Colin and his service in so many different capacities.
Bent Compass tells the story of a combat medic from Boise
www.kivitv.com
Colin Sesek joined the army as a combat medic straight out of high school, in 2006 he deployed to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne and now there's a play about his experience.That is Sooo cool! Colin, you are awesome!!
On February 13, 2021, members of IMSARU conducted a training exercise above Mores Creek Summit in Boise County. The purpose of the training was to allow members to test building and sleeping in emergency winter shelters as well as to certify newer members to participate in winter mission operations.
Follow along as the team braves the winter weather and has a bit of fun while they were at it!
Thanks for pulling together the video Scotty! Brought back some cold memories!
Great film and posting. Loved the humor. 👍
Earlier today IMSARU President Mike Rowe was interviewed by Wren Nicks as one of the #100days100heroes she's highlighting.
Mike is indeed a true hero with a full lifetime of service, first as a former active duty US Army soldier, 25-year law enforcement officer with the Ada County Sheriffs Office, and currently assisting patients and staff with St. Luke's.
We are grateful to Mike for his service and his leadership, not just to our unit, but to the Idaho community writ large. Thank you, Mike!
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.This past Friday evening just before midnight IMSARU was called out by the Boise County Sheriff's Office to locate and rescue an overdue skier in the Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area. The unit responded to the resort, and with the help of the Bogus Basin Ski Patrol on snow machines, inserted two search teams in the area near Shafer Butte just after 2:00AM.
From two different insertion points, the teams descended through powder that was approaching waist high until both teams were able to make distant verbal contact with the subject across the canyon. The teams relayed their positions and the bearing to the subject back to the IMSARU base where the subject's position was triangulated. Just before sunrise the subject was located and extracted safely. The subject was then evaluated by EMS staff from Air St. Luke's.
The search teams were extracted shortly after sunrise and returned safely to the IMSARU compound at approximately 9:00AM.
We at IMSARU are always grateful for a happy outcome in situations like this. To help optimize for this, the unit members have been training in winter conditions throughout the season, including our winter overnight certification above Mores Creek Summit just last weekend.
We'd also like to thank the Boise County Sheriff's Office for their leadership and trust, and to the Bogus Basin Ski Patrol and staff for their collaboration and professional coordination. It was a good morning indeed!
Great job Jim, outcomes like this makes all the training worthwhile!
Heroes among us. You all are awesome!!
Well done winter’s warriors!
Great job and a great outcome
Fantastic group of people!
So great to hear of fantastic outcomes like this. Those of us who have had to rely on your services are extremely thankful for all your training and hard work!
Great job!
We're so very grateful for Idaho Power and their generous support for IMSARU. Thank you!Safety is a value we share with our communities. We recently delivered a donation to the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit, a group of volunteers who are dispatched when someone goes missing in the Idaho wilderness.
We're proud to support their live-saving work!
Worked with you guys on a mutual aid call a few years back. Very professional and your ground pounders (who I was paired with) were awesome and covered some serious country effectively! Glad your continuing to get community support.
Earlier today, the Idaho Army National Guard held a memorial service for three of its own:
Chief Warrant Officer Jesse Anderson
Chief Warrant Officer Geoff Laubhan
Chief Warrant Officer Matt Peltzer
These three heroes were killed in training one week ago today in the Danskin Mountains east of Boise. Four of our board members were able to attend this service in person, and pay our respects to the fallen.
IMSARU once again expresses our deepest condolences to the families of these aviators and their fellow unit members. We are so grateful for the service the Guard provides, not just to members of the SAR community but to all Idahoans and Americans.
Rest In Peace.
Great work by the Boise County Sheriff's Office coming to the aid of snowmobilers near Pilot's Peak. Bravo Zulu!Feb 6th, 2021 Real time night rescue operations using the new department snowmobiles.
Two snowmobilers were stuck in the Pilots Peak area and called dispatch for help. Deputy Crawford and Sheriff Turner were able to find them and get them unstuck and on their way home safely.
Boise County Sheriffs Office
Well done.
Just after 9:00 PM last evening, IMSARU received a page to assist Elmore County law enforcement and search and rescue in a search for an Army National Guard aircraft that had broken contact. More than 40 members of our unit responded to the call, and shortly after we learned what the world now knows, which is that our incredible partner, the Idaho Army National Guard, had lost three of its own.
We at IMSARU want to share our profound sadness for the loss of these three service members, who died in service of our country. Many of us in the unit have been deployed on missions where these pilots were the only means of getting our subject to safety, a task which they consistently execute with professionalism and expert skill.
We express our deepest condolences to the families and fellow service members of these three heroes for their loss.
May they rest in peace.
EDIT: We also want to express our gratitude and support for our brothers and sisters at Elmore County Search and Rescue for their leadership in both the search and recovery efforts.
Elmore County Search and Rescue Team
3 Idaho Army National Guard members killed in helicopter crash
www.ktvb.com
The pilots were on a routine training flight when their Black Hawk helicopter went down near Lucky Peak.Heroes in every sense of the word.
Well said. ☹️
Rest in peace heroes
Another great day of training. In this case members of the unit were training winter rescue skills in avalanche country north of Boise.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Seven IMSARU members and K9 Eli traveled to Wendover, Nevada to assist the Elko County Sheriff's SAR team in a search for a missing 76-yo man. A lot of ground was covered, but the subject has not yet been found.
Thank you for your service.
Hopefully he is found soon.
Marla Ruhter
Our Tech Team was out at Jump Creek this past weekend doing some training on complex anchor scenarios.
Marsing Ambulance Service and Marsing Marsing Rural Fire District appreciates all you do and hope we don't see you in 2021, but glad u are available when we make the call!!
A report today from Idaho News 6 with an interview with our very own Christopher Weltner!
We hope everyone who can take the opportunity to enjoy Idaho's amazing winter outdoors does so. It's beautiful out there! But we also ask every party heading out to do a little bit of pre-planning in anticipation of what might go wrong, either on the roads or on the trails.
One of the best preparedness steps one can take before leaving is to let a friend or family member know where you’re planning on going, which route you’re planning on taking, and when to expect you back. That way, if you get stuck, or lost, or otherwise are unexpectedly overdue, law enforcement knows when to call us in and where to begin to help look for you.
Enjoy the beauty that is Idaho! Happy Holidays from all of us at IMSARU!
www.kivitv.com/news/outdoors/snow-in-the-mountains-encourages-families-to-get-outside-after-chris...
Snow in the mountains encourages families to get outside after Christmas
www.kivitv.com
While it rained in Boise this weekend, the snow came down in the mountains giving families an opportunity to enjoy some fresh powder and some fresh air.