Yesterday at Cannon Mountain I attended an annual training for various search & rescue groups in NH, organized by NH Fish & Game. Groups in attendance were Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), Mount Washington Observatory (MWO), Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), New England K-9 Search and Rescue, Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team (UVWRT), The Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team (PVSART), and Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), of which I am a member.

Mountain Rescue Service is ‘on call’ 24 hours per day, all seasons, with volunteers being mobilized for a full range of incidents: complicated multi-day and nighttime searches in the depth of winter throughout the White Mountain National Forest; technical rope rescues on the region’s many rock climbing cliffs; swift water rescue assistance; and lift evacuations at area ski resorts. Keeping 40+ primary team members prepared requires not only constant training, but also vigilant equipment monitoring and annual investment to ensure team and patient safety.

This volunteer technical rescue service depends on donations to operate.  Donations are allocated for the purchase of search and rescue equipment (ropes, sleds, radios etc) and technical training that enables the MRS team to be mobilized as needed.

Find out more about Mountain Rescue Service and how to donate here: http://www.nhmrs.org