ICS SAR Map Exercise: 'Jeremy Wilson Search' Howe Sound Crest Trail, North Vancouver, B.C. (A 3 hour Large-Scale Search exercise = 53 hours field time, i.e. 1min exercise = 18min field) Pre-fill a Missing Person Questionnaire for each exercise group. Encourage the use of ICS forms. Maps: 1:50,000 92G6 and 92G11, or 'Vancouver's North Shore Recreation Map' by ITMB Publishing, World Wide Book & Maps at (604) 687-3320. Sunday April 15th 2100hrs: (00min) Initial Request: Call received from Joanne Wilson of Lions Bay. Her husband, Jeremy, with his small poodle named 'Tiger', is overdue from a day hike from Cypress Bowl to Lions Bay. Jeremy has hiked the trail in summer only and was expected home by 1700 hrs. He was dropped off by Joanne at the Cypress Bowl Downhill Ski Area at 0815 hrs this morning. Subject Profile: Jeremy Wilson - Age 47, in good physical and mental health. Moderate local knowledge, a small red daypack, a packed lunch, some fruit and a light nylon windbreaker. Jeremy has 'Hitech' hiking boots but no map or flashlight. Has hiked up Black Mountain in the summer a couple of years ago. Jeremy requires medication every 24 hours for the control of diabetes. He took his last pills before leaving for the hike on Sunday morning. Without this medication he could eventually fall into a coma. See attached Missing Person Questionnaire for other details. Weather: Heavy overcast, low cloud (500m) intermittent rain and snow. Snow line: Down to 300 meters elevation. the snow pack is heavy and wet. Steep hard old snow covered with lots of forest debris. Very hazardous for off-trail searchers. 2100 hrs: (15min) Tonight's Organizational Chart and Incident Objectives are documented and the Operations Plan prepared. 2130 hrs: Resource Status: 12 trained local searchers from Lions Bay SAR are available and Checked In immediately. 2200 hrs: The searchers are given an Incident Briefing and their Team Assignment Sheets. Monday April 16th 0100 hrs: (30min) Footprints found circling in snow south of Unnecessary Mountain, however many hikers have been along the trail. 0330 hrs: Major trails completed. No specific clues or signs of the subject have been found. Jeremy's brother Mark becomes concerned. 0530 hrs (35 min) Resource Status: North Shore Rescue team is unavailable, as they currently searching for a young woman in Lynn Valley. 0600 hrs: 4 searchers from Surrey SAR, 6 from Coquitlam SAR and 5 from Maple Ridge SAR are available to be at Cypress Bowl by 0800 hrs. Skill level - unsure, limited local knowledge. 2 persons are available to operate the mobile base. 0800 hrs: (45min) Weather: Low cloud with mixed rain and snow, very poor visibility. Gusting winds. Difficult to follow the trail due to forest debris, clouds and rain. 0900 hrs: CBC, BCTV & UTV request an interview with the deputy Incident Commander. A Press Release should be prepared at a suitable time. 1100 hrs: (55min) - Mobile base at Cypress Bowl suffering radio transmission problems. Suspect moisture. - Difficulties in maintaining radio communications with the northerly field teams. A Communications Plan is required. 1315 hrs: (65 min) An empty polyethylene water bottle found near the summit of St. Marks. 1620 hrs: One searcher cuts himself on own ice axe, team renders first aid and to returns to base. A Medical Plan is required. 1700 hrs: All major trails and creekbeds were searched. No clues found and no response to sound. 1800 hrs: (70min) The returning searchers are given a Team Assignment Debriefing on their return to base. 2200 hrs: (75min) News broadcast on BCTV states that more searchers are needed. Heavy emphasis was placed on the plight of the subject and his missing poodle. - Two cross-country skiers report seeing a man matching Jeremy Wilson's description south of the summit of Black Mountain, on Sunday at 1500 hours. He was at the 920m elevation and was seen "sitting down eating an orange". 2300 hrs: Jeremy Wilson's brother Andrew is becoming quite agitated at the lack of progress and accuses search management of not making an adequate effort to find his brother. Tuesday April 17th 0330 hrs: (80min) An Incident Status Summary is prepared for the replacement ICS overhead team, along with new Incident Objectives and a new Operations Plan. 00430 hrs: Today's Organizational Chart, Incident Objectives and an Operations Plan/Worksheet are prepared. Based on this plan the necessary manpower is requested. 0500 hrs: (95min) The Cypress Bowl access road is extremely slushy and slippery. Temperature drops during the night making the road very icy. A Transportation Plan is required. 0600 hrs: (100min) A Resource Status for the current day is prepared: - 32 winter-skilled searchers plus 3 trackers available at 0700 hrs from Lower Mainland SAR teams. - No helicopters, no search dogs or FLIR, due to continuing low clouds, rain and snow. - 8 additional Sunshine Coast searchers ask Base for hovercraft to bring them to Lions Bay. - 26 additional searchers from Vancouver Island seek permission to catch a ferry & join the search. (These two additional groups of searchers will arrive at Cypress Bowl by 0900hrs today) 0615 Hrs: (105min) - Base rescue vehicles arrive from North Shore Rescue and Maple Ridge SAR. A Communications Plan is required to coordinate the various SAR teams and agencies expected. - Photocopies of the search assignments are urgently required, but there are no photocopiers in the Base vehicles. - Electric power supply from the buildings dies, due to frozen slush and a faulty circuit breaker. - The toilets are starting to freeze and everyone is cold and wet. A Food & Shelter Plan is required. 0645 Hrs: (110min) - The 32 Lower Mainland SAR volunteers and 3 trackers arrive at Cypress Bowl and are Checked In. - The Planning Section Chief requests the latest Resource Status for today's operations. 0700 hrs: (115min) The SAR teams are given an Incident Briefing prior to being given their Team Assignments. 0715 hrs: -The RCMP Mobile Command Post arrives at Cypress Bowl, along with a crew of four senior officers, and request an immediate briefing. - Bellingham Mountain Rescue trailer arrives with 10 fully-equipped searchers. 0730 hrs: (120min) Searchers complain that their radios and GPS units are getting mixed up with everyone else's. They want to make sure that their loaned equipment gets returned to them. An Equipment Inventory needs to be prepared. -The Safety Officer issues a Safety Plan requiring: That all field searchers must carry ice axes - and that all searchers performing area Sound Sweeps must each have a radio and a whistle. 0830 hrs: (125min) - The Cypress Bowl facilities remain closed for the season, due to poor weather and that 6 cms of rain and snow slush covers the parking lot. - Field team report bridge over Harvey Creek washed out by the heavy rains and that safety ropes are required before a creek crossing can be made. - UTV's live broadcast trailer arrives at Cypress Bowl and requests an interview with the Incident Commander and his deputy. A Press Release is required from the Information Officer. - Only half the number of grid-searchers planned for the first gridsearch assignment of the day have actually turned up on site at Cypress Bowl. 0930 hrs: (130min) - 12 friends (from hockey team) arrive at Cypress Bowl to volunteer their services. - The RCMP, PEP and arrive at Cypress Bowl to offer assistance followed by eight family members who arrive shortly afterwards with Victim Services. 1015hrs: - Public volunteers arrive at Cypress Bowl, at the rate of 10/hour, to volunteer their services. Some are wearing running shoes or 'Sorrel' type boots. Many insist on being allowed to help with the search and start walking onto the Howe Sound Crest Trail. A General Message is required. - One public volunteer slides car into ditch at parking lot, sustains some bruises and lacerations. A Medical Plan is required for this eventuality. 1045 hrs: (135min) Highway 99 south of Lions Bay is closed for 3 hours due to a washout at Charles Creek. The Coast Guard are unavailable through the Rescue Coordination Center, due to performing 'Aids to Navigation'. There is a need to refer to the Transportation Plan. 1100 hrs: (140min) - The 442 Squadron Labrador helicopter crew from Comox AFB suggests that they can fly in heavy cloud, however they can only remain in the area for 30 minutes, due to fuel limitations, and they are not permitted to carry civilian passengers. - PEP-Air phone for the third time this morning, asking for another weather briefing. - The RCMP FLIR is also available from the North Vancouver waterfront, - if the cloud ceiling lifts. There is obvious need for an Air Operations Plan from the Air Director. 1120 hrs: - The Northwest Bloodhound team of 6 handlers and 3 bloodhounds arrive from Seattle. - The washrooms at Cypress bowl freeze up again and will not function. 1130 hrs: (145min) - Fresh orange peel is found above the headwaters of the Newman Creek drainage, 80m west of the Howe Sound Crest trail (GR 852756). - Returning searchers find a small chain dog collar 200m due east of Mt. Unnecessary (GR 861769). No name tag or dog tracks are found. 1145 hrs: - Nanaimo Municipality on Vancouver Island radio in that the one-minute Sound Sweep (if performed at any time today) is interfering with their municipal communications. 1200 hrs: (150min) - A sodden copy of the 'Seagull' newspaper (A Lions Bay publication) is found in the cleft of a tree 1.4Km northeast of St. Marks at 1000m elev. (GR 865756) by any search team that is in the area of the southwest Sisters Drainage. - The clouds break enough to permit 20 minute flying time for helicopters. 1230 hrs: (155min) - Warming weather melts the fresh snow on the trees, showering the searchers with icy water. - The three local television stations and two newspapers immediately request an interview with both the Incident Commander and with Joanne Wilson. - The clouds close in again and the helicopters are grounded at the North Vancouver waterfront for the rest of the day. (None of the helicopters found any sign of the subject) 1245 hrs: (160min) Radio communication into the lower elevation Sisters Creek drainage becomes badly broken-up from both the Lions Bay and Cypress Bowl search bases. Refer to the Communications Plan. 1330 hrs: - The fourth field team dispatched today have completed an unauthorized assignment, one kilometer to the south of the one they were tasked by Base. - A searcher on the Howe Sound Crest trail suffers concussion when she slides down a steep bank and hits a tree. She is conscious but complains of an aching back and a sore neck. The Medical Plan needs to be brought into action. 1315 hrs: (165min) - A small green daypack is found at Strachan Meadows. The pack contains an empty coke can, an apple, a Cross-Country Ski brochure of Cypress Bowl and a pair of men's grey socks. - Psychic Mary Connolly arrives at Lions Bay from Whistler as the highway reopens. She is certain that "Jeremy can see the ocean but cannot reach it". 1430hrs: Searchers on the Howe Sound Crest Trail report finding a pair of grey ski gloves 200m west of the summit of St. Marks. They are wet but seem fairly new. 1545 hrs: (170 min) Jeremy Wilson responds to searchers grid/sound searching the Sisters Creek drainage. He is found with his poodle 1.4Km southeast of the summit of Unnecessary Mountain, at the 860m elev. (GR 869761). He is wet, exhausted and was unable to continue. Being not far from a creek he had not heard any calls from searchers until he was found today. After being given dry clothes and rewarming he is able to walk down to the logging road into the Sisters Drainage near Lembke Creek, which is covered with heavy wet snow and is undriveable. Refer to the Transportation Plan. 1700 hrs: (175 min) The search teams are starting to return from the field, they need to be given a Team Assignment Debriefing before the Demobilization Plan is implemented and the Incident Report completed. 1900 hrs: (180min) All the final ICS forms are completed. Conclusion of the exercise. M. Colwell. icsmapex.lit --------------------- April 30, 1996