Searching for burial victims: companion rescue after an avalanche

HELPING A COMPANION

It helps if you were able to observe the point at which the victim was caught in the avalanche and the last seen point, i.e. the point where the person disappeared. This can narrow down the “primary search area” in very large avalanches.
The first thing to do is clarify who will coordinate the rescue, who will conduct an avalanche transceiver search, and who will help by preparing shovels and probes and supporting the searchers. The specific allocation of roles depends on how many rescuers are available in relation to the number of burial victims.
Finally, everyone involved in the rescue must switch their avalanche transceiver to either “search” or “standby”, or “off” if they preparing the shovels and probes and following the searchers.
If enough helpers are on site, one person should report the accident and alert the organized avalanche search and rescue (emergency call 112 ) while the search is underway. This person should also switch their avalanche transceiver to “standby” or “off” and make the emergency call away from the avalanche deposit zone; during this call, they must provide the exact location (coordinates) and number of burial victims.
If there is no cell phone signal, the companion search has priority. If there are not enough rescuers or you are alone, you must decide whether you should first alert search and rescue or first try to rescue the accident victim(s).
The searchers stand side by side in a line and walk systematically over the avalanche deposit zone (or the primary search area) in parallel search strips. According to the number of rescuers and the size of the search area, the search-strip width can be between 20 and 40 meters. If you are alone, you must walk down the search area in an S-shaped or zigzag pattern (meandering).
If you observed the accident from above, the primary search area is searched from the top down. If you are below or to the side of the avalanche deposit zone (2), you start searching from there.

SAVING TIME SAVES LIVES

The survival curve shows that most burial victims are alive once the avalanche comes to a stop. This survival curve drops rapidly after 15 to 18 minutes. This is why it is so important that the search for avalanche burial victims goes smoothly and quickly. And that is exactly why practice is so essential. (Source: Brugger et al.)

COORDINATING THE COMPANION RESCUE

As a rule, the most experienced person should coordinate the rescue and make the emergency call. However, in individual cases someone else can be appointed to call the search and rescue service.

APPOINTING ROLES SWITCHING OVER AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS EMERGENCY CALL EMERGENCY NUMBERS NO SIGNAL

APPOINTING ROLES TO RESCUERS

First, the coordinator assigns the searchers and ensures that everyone has set their avalanche transceivers to either “search”, “standby” or “off” and are taking up the relevant positions. The coordinator also assigns helpers and instructs them to follow the searchers with shovels and probes at the ready.

If there are enough rescuers, the search-strip width can be narrowed down to 20 meters; if the search area is very large, modern avalanche transceivers can handle a strip width of up to 40 meters. Another person is instructed to make the emergency call. If resources are tight, the leader should coordinate the rescue and make the emergency call.

SWITCHING OVER AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS

The decision about whether the helpers can switch their transceivers to “off” must be made by the coordinator, depending on whether there is danger of a secondary avalanche. As a rule, secondary avalanches immediately after an initial avalanche are extremely rare. However, if they cannot be ruled out, all helpers should switch their devices to “standby” or “search” mode. In standby mode, modern devices will automatically switch to “transmit” after 1.5 to 2 minutes in the event of a burial.

MAKE AN EMERGENCY CALL

When alerting the emergency services, you must first and foremost provide the exact location of the accident; the best way is to provide the coordinates shown on your cell phone or determined using a map. To help, remember the “Four Ws and How Many”:

WHAT happened? Avalanche accident with burial or a fall?
WHERE did it happen? Provide coordinates, give an exact description of your location using a map
HOW MANY people are affected? Provide the number of burial victims
WHO is reporting the accident? Provide your contact details and remain available for calls and questions
WHEN did it happen? Provide the exact time of the accident

IMPORTANT EMERGENCY NUMBERS

In Europe, the pan-European emergency number is 112. This number will always connect you to a rescue coordination center that will forward the accident report to the appropriate rescue services.

The various alpine states also have their own alpine emergency numbers that will connect you directly to mountain search and rescue:

Austria: 140 – Mountain search and rescue (in Vorarlberg you can also dial 144)
Switzerland: 1414 – Swiss Air-Rescue Rega (if using a SIM card that is not from a Swiss network operator, call +41 333 333 333) / 144 – Valais mountain rescue
USA: 911

EMERGENCY CALL WITH NO SIGNAL

If your cell phone has no signal, you should turn it off. When you turn your phone off it usually asks whether you would like to make an emergency call. It should show an emergency call option once it is switched back on at the latest. In this mode, every cell phone can access all of the networks available in the reception area without the need of a pin.

If an emergency call is still not possible, you must seek another location with better network coverage (e.g. on a hill or closer to infrastructure).

AVALANCHE SEARCH PROCEDURE

When it comes to speed and precision, the procedure used when searching for avalanche burial victims can be compared to the “airport approach”.

The closer an airplane gets to the airfield, the slower it flies, so that it can descend just before landing, land on the runway and come to a stop. (Source: mountainsafety.info)

Avalanche burial victims

THE FOUR PHASES OF SEARCHING FOR AVALANCHE BURIAL VICTIMS

The four phases in the search for avalanche burial victims are:

Signal search:
In the signal search, the searcher systematically walks along the avalanche deposit zone awaiting the first reception of a signal from the burial victim.

Coarse search:
In the coarse search, the searcher gets closer to the burial victim (three to five meters away). To do this, they follow the display on their avalanche transceiver, which will lead them in an arc along a field line to the burial victim.

Fine search:
In the fine search, the suspected location of the victim is determined using an avalanche transceiver. To do this, the transceiver is moved in a “cross” pattern over the victim at close range, searching for the lowest distance value. This point marks the suspected burial location.

Pinpointing the location:
The victim’s exact burial location is now determined using an avalanche probe. Following the search, the burial victim is systematically shoveled free and given first aid. Each of the basic search phases has its “crucial points” that you should know and practice.

VIDEO

COMPANION RESCUE WITH ONE SEARCHER

If the rescuer is alone in the avalanche deposit zone, or if they are the only person experienced in avalanche transceiver search, they must conduct the entire search and, if necessary, the probing to pinpoint the location, then do the shoveling on their own.

SIGNAL SEARCH SIGNAL SEARCH COARSE SEARCH COARSE SEARCH FINE SEARCH FINE SEARCH

WITH THE EYES AND EARS

In the signal search, the rescuer searches the avalanche deposit zone or primary search area using their avalanche transceiver, walking in a meandering S-shaped or zigzag pattern . Depending on the search-strip width of their device (generally between 20 and 40 meters), they do this while rapidly descending the avalanche deposit zone. The search speed should be adapted to the hardness of the snow in the deposit zone; you can jog or run, but at the very least walk quickly. While doing so, the device is to be held steadily in front of the body (without rotating).

Important: The searchers should not stare at the transceiver display during the signal search. Instead, they should focus on the avalanche deposit zone (searching with their eyes and ears), because parts of the burial victims may be visible (arm, ski, pole) or calls for help might be heard. The avalanche transceiver will sound a loud beep when it receives the first signal.

ARE ANY OBJECTS VISIBLE?

If one of the searchers sees objects in the snow, they should rush over and check whether they receive the first signal there. The objects should be pulled out of the snow and stuck back in the same place in a way that makes them clearly visible. The searcher then continues their planned meander (search strips).

FIRST RECEPTION

If your avalanche transceiver registers a first reception, it will signal this with a loud, rhythmic sound. Now you will see a directional arrow and the distance displayed on the screen.

If the signal continues rhythmically, this is known as a “stable first reception”. If the signal is not constant, you should continue your search strip until the signal is permanent, rhythmic and a directional arrow and distance value are displayed (stable first reception).

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONAL ARROW

Now the searcher can follow the arrow. At the beginning, they should check whether the distance is actually decreasing. If not, they are moving away from the burial victim, because the directional arrow only ever shows the “field line axis”. Only some avalanche transceivers recognize whether you are actually moving in the right direction after a certain amount of time.

Once you are moving in the right direction, you can move swiftly along the field line (in an arc) toward the burial victim – always following the directional arrow.

Caution: once the display reaches 10 meters, you should move significantly more slowly and follow the arrow exactly. Once it reaches five meters, you should move the avalanche transceiver slowly down to the snow surface until it is directly above the snow at three meters distance.

The last phase of the coarse search is prone to error. For this reason, you must move slowly and precisely to avoid “running over” the burial victim or missing the “runway” (the first axis of the cross in the fine search).

AT THE SNOW SURFACE

In the fine search, the avalanche transceiver is moved directly over the surface of the snow. The best way to do this is to kneel and move very slowly – at a speed of around 25 to 30 centimeters per second.

While doing so, the device must no longer be rotated and you should search the first axis (“runway” to determine the point of lowest distance. This requires first moving over and past the point of lowest distance to ensure that you don’t “cross” too early. Once you have received an increasing distance three times in a row, you can be sure you have found the point of lowest distance in the axis.

SUSPECTED BURIAL LOCATION

The point of lowest distance should be marked with an object (glove, beanie, etc.). You then immediately move the avalanche transceiver back to this point and “scan” the second access at a right angle to the first axis (“making a cross”). As with the first axis, you should determine the closest distance and mark it as the suspected burial location, provided this point is no more than around a meter to the side of the first axis. If the point is significantly further to the side of the first axis, it means that you didn’t work precisely enough at the end of the coarse search; you should therefore now search a third axis at a 90 degree angle.

Once the closest distance has finally been determined in the fine search, this phase ends. Now comes pinpointing, or probing.

COMPANION SEARCH WITH SEVERAL SEARCHERS

If the avalanche deposit zone is very large or there are several burial victims and enough rescuers are available, the deposit zone should be searched by several people. Here, the coordinator has the important job of maintaining an overview of which areas of the deposit zone have already been searched and which have yet to be searched.

SIGNAL SEARCH SIGNAL SEARCH SIGNAL SEARCH COARSE SEARCH FINE SEARCH FINE SEARCH

SEARCH STRIPS

For the signal search, the searchers stand at the edge of the avalanche deposit zone or the search area at intervals that correspond with the search-strip width (20 to 40 meters). If there are several searchers, it’s often betters to choose a narrower search-strip width (20 meters). Because as soon as the first searcher receives a signal and follows it, the searchers next to them must take over their search strip and close the gap; in this area, the search-strip width is then widened to 40 meters.

The search speed should be adapted to the hardness of the snow in the deposit zone; you can jog or run, but at the very least walk quickly. While doing so, the device is to be held steadily in front of the body (without rotating). All searchers walk or run along their search strips until they get the first reception of a signal.