*** Hypothermic Boy Rescued after Sub-zero Temperature Search ***

Fri Mar 15 09:43:36 1996
Letter  : 10405610    From: Patrick J. Keane
Address : pkeane@slip.net
Subject : Illinois Search 3/9-10/96

To: sarinfo@mindlink.bc.ca

Illinois Search Ends Happily
by: Patrick J. Keane
Illinois Emergency Management Agency

On Saturday, 3/9/96 at 2315, the Fulton County Sheriff's Department received
a report of a missing 13 year old boy. He had last been seen at his
Grandfather's farm at 0930 that morning. He had indicated that he intended
to go into the wood on the edge of the 2,000 + acre farm to hunt for shed
deer antlers. He did not return.

As the day had progressed, the family started a search for the missing boy.
When they had no immediate success, they enlisted the help of neighbors in
the immediate area. Without any luck at all, and temperatures dropping below
20 degrees, they had finally called for help.

At 0003, 3/10/96, the Sheriff's Department contacted the Illinois Emergency
Management Agency (IEMA) for assistance in the search. The IEMA presently
serves as the State Rescue Coordination Center and provides technical
assistance, resource allocation, coordination and, upon request, on-site
SAR planning and management assistance.

The IEMA SAR Duty Officer, after reviewing the information with the Incident
Commander, dispatched a Department of Transportation, Division of
Aeronautics Bell 206 L3 helicopter with a FLIR to the search area. The
aircraft completed an initial FLIR search of the identified high priority
areas by 0330 and returned to base. The Sheriff's Department during this
period also employed 30 searchers and a dog team. The dog team was unable
to follow a track, however, because of the high degree of "scent
contamination" caused by the initial actions of the family and neighbors.
The search was suspended at 0030 by the Incident Commander out of concern
for the safety of the searchers.

At 0800 on Sunday, 3/10/96, the search resumed with 50 searchers and a 2nd
Bell 206 L3, configured for visual search, from IDOT-Aeronautics. The
aircraft was dispatched with an IDOT/IEMA flight crew. The search strategy
for the second day was to conduct a type II search concentrating on the
areas of former strip mining located approximately one mile from the PLS.

Just as the helicopter was preparing for its first grid search
of the day, ground searchers located the subject, alive and extremely
hypothermic, with an apparent head injury, laying in a creek in a fairly
inaccessible area approximately 1.25 miles from the PLS.

Rescuers on-site estimated that it would take about 30-45 minutes to
evacuate the subject from the area due to the density of the vegetation and
the terrain at the rescue site. The helicopter repositioned to the area, and
finding an area near the rescue scene, barely larger than the aircraft,
landed and evacuated the subject to the ambulance personnel waiting at the
search base for treatment and transportation.

As of 3/15/96, the subject had been moved from intensive care to a normal
room, and prospects are good for a complete recovery.

As a result of this experience, the Fulton County Sheriff's Department, and
the County Fire Association have requested the IEMA provide SAR Awareness
training and reserve 2 places for Fulton County in IEMA's next SAR Planning
course.

Patrick J. Keane
Illinois Emergency Management Agency

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