EAGLE, Colo. | Hundreds of search and rescue volunteers are getting their training at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site this year, gearing up for the busy summer season for search and rescue crews that cranks up between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Instructors say there are many things that can go wrong at high altitudes flying rescue helicopters in the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains, including litters that spin too fast when they’re being pulled up and patients who can fall out of the basket. There is also a risk for rescuers who climb up and down rocky mountainsides.
They fly dozens of rescue missions a year. Many people have been rescued after becoming stranded in groups.
According to the Vail Daily (https://tinyurl.com/z6pnnuw ), the rescue operations are funded by donations.
Information from: Vail Daily, https://www.vaildaily.com/