San Rafael Fire requested SAR’s assistance with a Mountain Biker who had taken a significant fall in China Camp. This was the second response of the day for SRFD in the same area. As SAR was arriving on scene, a CHP helicopter was able to extricate the patient and flew them down to a waiting ambulance in the parking lot. 30 members were ready to assist if they had to go to Plan B.

A 20 year old college student was hiking in Yosemite Valley when he became separated from his group near Lower Yosemite Falls on Saturday afternoon. Marin SAR along with other SAR teams were requested on Sunday afternoon to respond for a Monday operational period. Marin was split into two teams searching the area near the falls and behind the ranger housing in Yosemite Valley. A family of hikers located the subject with severe injuries, and he was also suffering from exposure. Rangers along with Marin SAR responded to the subject and conducted a carryout to a waiting ambulance. He was then transported to a medical helicopter and flown to the hospital. It appears he climbed up an area and fell causing the injuries. Marin sent 16 members to assist.

Point Reyes National Seashore Rangers requested SAR’s assistance with a carryout off of the Olema Valley Trail. A park worker sustained a fall with a leg injury well off trail. By the time SAR members arrived in the area, the subject was assisted by co-workers and rangers to the fire road and was transported out by UTV. 11 members were on scene or responding when the team was cancelled.

Marin SAR was requested to conduct a limited objective search for a missing truck driver after his truck was found on the side of the road near Muir Beach. SAR conducted a hasty search of the area and during the search, the subject walked into the command post. He was confused, wet and mildly hypothermic. He said he wasn’t feeling well, pulled over, got out of his truck and then became disoriented and separated from his truck. 21 members responded along with GGNRA rangers and the US Coast Guard.

5 Marin SAR members assisted the Marin County Office of Emergency Services in the Emergency Operations Center during a large storm the came through Marin. Members assisted in various functions throughout the day and were released when the storm passed.

Marin SAR was requested to assist in locating four hikers who called in to say they were lost, in the dark with no equipment near the cataract trail on the North Side of Mt Tam. The missing subjects phone died shortly after the initial 911 call. Initial searching by rangers was unsuccessful. Marin deployed several teams from Cataract, Bon Tempe and Laurel Dell in an attempt to contain the subjects. Shortly after a team was deployed on a hasty search, the subjects were located on the Helen Markt trail near the junction of the Cataract trail and were walked out with the assistance of the SAR team.

Marin SAR along with Marin Municipal Water District, Marin County Parks and Marin County Sheriff Office’s deployed to support the annual Pine Mountain Thanksgiving day ride where nearly 1000 riders rode the Pine Mountain Loop. Teams were deployed into several strategic locations. There were no major injuries or incidents and only one rider was treated for a minor abrasion. 21 Marin members assisted on Thanksgiving day.

Marin SAR assisted Mill Valley PD with an evidence search for a weapon near the public safety building in Mill Valley. 23 Marin members assisted along with a K-9 and metal detectors, but no items were located during a thorough search.

Marin SAR was requested along with several Northern California SAR teams for a missing 65 year old male in the Magalia area of Butte County. We were requested to respond the following morning. The subject was located in the mid afternoon on the day before Marin was going to respond.

Sonoma County SAR requested assistance in the search for a missing 53 year old male who had been reported several days earlier. The subjects vehicle was located and an active search was initiated in the Forestville area near the Russian River. Team members were deployed on several assignments while dive teams were searching the river. Early in the afternoon, a dive team located the deceased subject in the Russian River.

3 Marin SAR members responded on Sunday afternoon to continue the search for the missing hunter in Trinity County. Members arrived on scene and completed set up of the command post and familiarized/finalized plans for the next day. The search was lightly staffed but several challenging assignments were completed. Many friends and family also searched the area with GPS tracks turned into the command post at the conclusion of the day. Trinity County suspended the search on monday evening. After this, the subjects family hired a helicopter which flew the area and noticed a few small smoke columns. They followed these and eventually located the subject. He was attempting to return to the search area (after being outside the search area for some time) and was barely visible in his camouflage gear until he waved his hands. The subject was rescued and was in good condition overall.

5 members were ready to respond to Trinity County to assist in the missing person search but stood down when the search was temporarily suspended.

Trinity County requested mutual aid assistance for a missing 58 year old male hunter. The subject became separated from his hunting party on wednesday. The team arrived on scene very early on friday morning and set up facilities including a yurt and technology to support the search. Teams woke up early and were deployed onto challenging assignments by 0700 friday morning. Several teams were deployed and extricated via winch from a National Guard Helicopter. The search was suspended for the following day due to a large weather system that was predicted to arrive in the area.

Solano County SAR requested mutual aid assistance for a missing 85 year old male in the Rio Vista area. He recently moved to the area and was suffering from early signs of dementia. No clues were located during previous searching. Through investigative work, it was determined that the subject had a desire to return to sacramento. Two reports came in matching the description of the missing subject near I-5 and highway 12, many miles east of the point last seen. He had spent the night in that location in an attempt to return to his previous home in sacramento. During the search, several, separate items were located that were of interest to the Police agencies in the area.

Marin SAR along with Southern Marin Fire, NPS, Coast Guard, CHP, Mill Valley Fire and Marin County Fire responded to Conzelman Road in the GGNRA for a report of fisherman in the water. Units responded and found one subject clinging to the rocks and was rescued. A search was initiated by water, land and air. A second subject was located and transported to Coast Guard Station Golden Gate but was pronounced dead. SAR members then searched the beach and located several personal effects. 16 Marin SAR members were on scene before the balance of the team was cancelled.

26 Marin SAR members responded to Mendocino County for a missing 15 year old hunter who became separated from his group. The search area was extremely rugged and lacked roads and trails. Many teams were deployed along with helicopters searching from the air. Around noon on monday (subject went missing on saturday), a 911 call was received down at the eel river about the missing subject. He was able to descend over 14 miles down the drainage and was in good condition overall. Teams from throughout Northern California assisted in this urgent search.

While conducting our fall boot camp, a team of new members encountered a hiker who had sustained a fall. They treated the patient and waited for fire personnel to arrive and tranport the patient.

San Rafael Police requested Marin SAR to assist in an evidence search following a shooting in the Canal area of the city. 19 members responded and conducted a grid search and focused area search of the area’s near where the shooting was thought to have occurred. Potential evidence was located and processed by San Rafael Police.

As mission #14-50 was wrapping up, a hiker called in from her phone saying she was lost and dehydrated and was somewhere near Rock Springs on Mt Tam. 17 members responded to assist Deputies, State Park and MMWD Rangers and Marin County Fire in the search. As members were being briefed, a deputy located the subject in Stinson Beach in good condition.

Marin SAR conducted a search in the area where a missing persons vehicle was found. 27 members and two K9’s were deployed in GGNRA land off of Rodeo avenue in Sausalito. Both K9 teams and ground teams were deployed on various assignments after a morning briefing. Shortly into the search, a K9 discovered human remains not far from the trailhead and they are thought to be those of the missing person.

San Rafael PD requested assistance in the search for a missing 81 year old female. San Rafael Police conducted a hasty search while SAR was responding. SAR members began arriving on scene and two teams were quickly deployed in high probability areas nearby. Shortly into the initial assignments, the subject responded to voice calls. She was found about 10 feet down an embankment not far from a fire gate. She was in generally good condition and was evaluated by fire units.

Simultaneous to the missing swimmer in Drakes Bay, a 15 year old male was reported missing in the area of Dillon Beach in the Northwest portion of Marin County. The subject of the search was looking for his overdue parents and became lost. He ended up hiking all the way to Bodega Bay, about 7 miles. 11 Marin members responded and more were on there way when the subject was located.

The search continued for the missing swimmer in Drakes Bay. The focus of the search was primarily on the water, using boats and specially trained K9’s to look for any sign of the missing swimmer. Dive teams were also used to search area’s that the K9’s alerted on with no success. The day’s efforts were unsuccessful in locating the subject and limited searching was conducted on subsequent days.

Marin SAR was requested to assist Point Reyes National Seashore Rangers with a missing swimmer between Limantour Beach and Drakes Beach in Drakes Estero. The subject of the search was with a larger group who had waded across the waterway earlier in the day. When returning, the tide was higher and the group swam across. During the swim, one of the subjects went missing. 26 members responded and conducted shoreline searching and overall search management while the Marin County Water Rescue team and Coast Guard conducted water and air searching. The search was suspended at sunset with a plan to start again at first light.

Marin SAR responded along with several other Bay Area SAR teams in the search for a missing woman who had been reported missing on 8/27. Teams were deployed on various assignments in the Norris Canyon area near the border of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. During the afternoon, a CARDA K9 team located the subject alive. She was found in a drainage and was transported to the hospital. 20 Marin members responded to assist. Prior to the saturday search effort, several Marin members assisted with planning.

Marin SAR was requested to respond with the North Bay Incident Management Team to assist Napa County following a large earthquake that struck the area. As Marin was mobilizing equipment, the IMT request was put on standby and eventually cancelled. Marin SAR would have supported the IMT with maps, planning and logistical support.

13 Marin members responded to Monterey to assist in the ongoing search for the missing backpacker. The group was split into two teams tasked with searching high probability trails but expanding coverage on either side of the trail. Teams spike camped in the field that night and continued searching the next day. No clues were located and the large scale active portion of the search was suspended, pending any clues or further information.

The search continued for the missing backpacker in the Ventana Wilderness. Marin’s team along with others were deployed via a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter. They once again searched various drainages for any signs of the missing subject.

5 members responded on day 2 to assist in the helicopter supported mission for the missing backpacker. All members were tasked with searching large, treacherous drainages that pass through the area. Nothing relevant was located.

Monterey County SAR requested Mutual Aid assistance for a missing 58 year old backpacker in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. The missing backpacker was overdue from a solo 8 day backpacking trip. Six Marin SAR members responded to assist. They were configured into two teams and were both deployed via helicopter. Members searched throughout the day and no relevant clues were located.

25 members responded along with Marin County Fire, Southern Marin Fire, Muir Beach Fire, Mill Valley Fire and National Park Rangers for a report of five subjects stuck on the cliffs near Muir Beach. One of the subjects was able to climb off the cliff, but four were remaining. Two plans were implemented. The first was to request a helicopter to extricate the subjects. The second was to set up a rope rescue system down the 800’-1000’ slope to rescue the subjects. Cal Fire copter 104 was able to respond and hoisted the victims into the helicopter and transported them to the Muir Beach Parking Lot.

Napa County requested assistance in the search for a missing 55 year old from the veterans home in Yountville. The subject was an insulin dependent diabetic who had been missing since the previous afternoon. Shortly after Marin began their search assignment, the subject was located on a transit bus.

Five members responded to assist Nevada County in the search for a missing person after his vehicle was found. The vehicle was found at Boca Reservoir near Truckee about two weeks after the subject was reported missing. Shortly after teams were deployed, a K9 team located the remains of the missing subject.

Alpine County requested Mutual Aid assistance for a missing 58 year old male hiker in the Tamarack Lakes area of the county. This was going to be a very remote search. As our team was about to leave after packing, we received word that the missing subject was located by teams on scene and was in fair condition. 12 members were ready to deploy.

Marin SAR was requested by Marin County Fire for a possible trail rescue for an injured hiker. The exact location was not known, but thought to be near the Fire Lookout on the East Peak of Mt Tam. The hiker ended up being lower on the trail after being found by a State Park Ranger. Four members of the team assisted with the carryout to a waiting ambulance.

Marin sent six members along with Contra Costa County and BAMRU to do follow up searching for a missing 59 year old hiker in the Trinity Alps. Teams were deployed into high probability areas that were refined after further investigations. No clues were located during the weekends search effort.

Marin had 12 members on scene who continued the search for the missing 59 year old hiker. Teams continued to search rugged terrain in the trinity alps and were deployed by National Guard Helicopter. No relevant clues were located.

The search for the missing 59 year old hiker continued with 11 Marin members assisting with the search. Teams were deployed by a National Guard helicopter and searched large area’s in rugged terrain. No relevant clues were located.

Marin SAR responded to assist Trinity County with a 59 year old missing hiker in a remote area of the Trinity Alps. The hiker was last seen two days prior after hiking to the top of a peak with other members of his church group. On the descent, the subject became separated from the rest of the group and did not return to camp. Marin SAR members assisted with key management roles and also deployed teams into the field. The terrain was rugged and at times technical. 11 Marin members responded along with other agencies from throughout Northern California. No relevant clues were located.

During Marin’s annual training in Yosemite, the El Portal Fire started on 7/26. Most rangers were assisting with the fire which left Marin SAR to be the primary responders for trail calls in the valley. The team was already doing preventive SAR patrols on various high use trails on a busy saturday. Marin responded to five callouts for various injuries and illnesses as well as a search that was quickly resolved. Another team deployed to place trail closed signs on a trail due to rockfalls. On sunday, while most of the team returned to Marin, a crew of 12 members stayed the day to provide standby coverage for the valley due to the continued fire.

Marin SAR assisted the Sheriff’s office at the county fair providing basic medical aid and performing searches for missing children and parents. Marin responded to well over 30 calls for assistance and put in about 300 volunteer hours supporting the fair.

Inyo County SAR requested Mutual Aid assistance for a high altitude search on Mt. Whitney for a missing 60 year old hiker. 16 Marin members drove down the night before and were deployed via National Guard helicopter in the morning. Marin members searched for two days in type 1 terrain. On the same afternoon that the Bay Area teams left, an National Park Service helicopter located the remains of the missing subject in a very steep gulley high on the slopes of Mt. Whitney.

As the Samuel P. Taylor search was wrapping up, Marin SAR responded to assist with a possible carryout for an injured hiker off of the Corte Madera Trail above Mill Valley. When fire units arrived on scene, the patient was able to walk out and SAR was cancelled.

The search continued with various search agencies from throughout the bay area and 34 Marin SAR members. A large briefing was conducted and teams were deployed by priority of assignment. The goal was to area search segments in an increasing radius from the campsite. Later that morning, a pair of bicyclists heard cries for help about 1.5 miles west of the point last seen along the cross marin bike path. Searchers quickly responded, the subject was evaluated by paramedics and was reunited with her parents.

The Sheriff’s office and State Parks requested SAR’s assistance in locating a missing 9 year old girl who disappeared from her campsite at Samuel P. Taylor park in West Marin. 41 members responded and due to the urgency of the search a request for Contra Costa County to respond that evening was made. Searchers covered a large area around Samuel P. Taylor park including thoroughly searching the entire campground multiple times. Teams were deployed into the early morning hours with no relevant clues found. A complete plan for the second operational period was completed overnight so arriving searchers could deploy quickly in the morning.

The North Bay Incident Management Team was deployed to assist with a vegetation fire on Mt. Barnabe in West Marin. Marin SAR was requested to help with plans and logistics. The fire was about 40 acres and SAR resources were released that evening.

Marin SAR was requested to assist in the search for a missing 23 year old male near Pollock Pines in the vicinity of the American River. Marin sent 15 members and provided overhead and ground support. Extensive plans were written and many teams deployed. A overhead group made up of various agencies put together an extensive plan for the next day. No significant clues were located and El Dorado County suspended the search after many days of searching.

25 Marin SAR members assisted in the support of the annual Dipsea race along with numerous other public safety agencies. Our team was split up into two groups covering areas where injuries are common. The team responded to 10 runners needing assistance. They were suffering from heat stroke and other minor injuries and 3 were transported to the hospital.

Marin SAR was requested by the San Rafael Police Department to conduct a focused evidence search following a possible assault. 15 members responded and searched for over two hours. Several potentially relevant items were located by Marin SAR.

Marin SAR was requested by Cal OES to respond to a missing person search near the community of Paradise in Butte County. Shortly after the request and the team notifcation, the subject was located and Marin’s response was cancelled.

The Point Reyes National Seashore Rangers and Marin County Sheriff requested SAR’s assistance with a missing person search after the subjects vehicle was located at the Palomarin Trailhead in Bolinas. The subject of the search was known to have a firearm, so SAR provided support and management only while Law Enforcement officers conducted the search. Marin assisted with Plans, Operations, Mapping and communications and also provided a UTV for searcher transport. The subject was located deceased during the first full operational period. Various law enforcement agencies from Marin and Sonoma assisted along with the North Bay Incident Management Team and the Marin County Water Rescue Team.

Marin SAR was requested to assist with a vehicle accident on Highway One above the Zen Center in Muir Beach. The driver was located deceased inside the vehicle approximately 400 feet below the roadway. Fire units were already on scene and had set up a rope system. SAR members assisted raising the rescuers back up to the road. After that, an evidence search was conducted along the path the vehicle travelled. Several pieces of the vehicle were located. Other responding agencies included the CHP, US Park Police, NPS Rangers, Marin County Fire, Mill Valley Fire and Southern Marin Fire. 28 Marin SAR members assisted.

A technical search team was requested to conduct a follow up evidence search in daylight of the area adjacent to where the woman was located the previous day. Several potentially relevant items were located and processed by 8 members who assisted.

Marin SAR was requested for a missing person search near the Throckmorton Ridge Fire Station. The subjects dog was located that morning along Panoramic Highway. Family members conducted their own search before notifying the fire department in the early afternoon. Marin SAR responded at set up a command post at the fire station. Several teams were deployed tasked with searching off trail. A short time later, the subject was located deceased in a creek drainage off of the Matt Davis Trail. After the area was processed, the SAR team recovered the victim by performing a technical carryout and steep and rocky terrain. 33 SAR members assisted along with Marin Sheriff, Marin County Fire, MMWD, State Parks and NPS.

As we were wrapping up the first weekend of our new member bootcamp, there was a dispatch for a bicyclist down on the Pine Mountain Fire Road. SAR 4 along with the UTV responded from Bon Tempe Lake to Azalea Hill where the UTV was offloaded and five members proceeded out the Pine Mountain Fire Road to the intersection with the Poison Spider Tank. Ross Valley Fire, a Marin SO deputy and CalSTAR were already on scene evaluating the patient. The patient was placed on a backboard, packaged in a litter and loaded onto the UTV and transported to the waiting helicopter.

Simultaneous to the search on Mt Tam, Novato Police requested an evidence search following a suspected homicide in the Loma Verde area of Novato. The victim was discovered by a hiker and we were asked to conduct an evidence search for any relevant evidence in the area. Because of the Mt Tam search we requested mutual aid assistance. Contra Costa County SAR sent 23 members along with 12 members from Marin and grid searched a large area. No relevant clues were located.

After an agency planning meeting that included various agencies, it was determined to conduct a large scale search, focusing on the trail runners report and the immediate area around pantoll and bootjack. Over 150 searchers responded from various agencies. Teams were briefed a quickly deployed. A short time after all teams were in the field, a grid search team located the remains of the missing subject well off trail, on the mid slope of a drainage. This brought to a close the largest missing person search in Marin in many years that included thousands of volunteer search hours. Agencies that assisted in this search include California State Parks, Marin County Sheriff, Marin Municipal Water District, National Park Service, CHP, Marin Air Patrol, CARDA, the North Bay Incident Management Team and SAR teams from Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo/BAMRU, Sonoma and Solano Counties.

After reviewing search coverage and considering a possible sighting, Marin deployed 31 members from Stinson Beach Fire to search off trail areas of the lower section of the Matt Davis Trail. Covering social trails, game trails and drainages in the area is challenging. Unfortunately, nothing was located.

Based on a tip from the news coverage, a trail runner reported seeing the missing subject on the day she set out for her hike. Based on this report, 23 Marin members conducted a focused area search of an area near Pantoll Campground. All assignments were off trail and in drainages. Nothing relevant was located.

Marin along with various other Bay Area SAR teams continued to search the south side of Mt Tam focusing on drainages and off trail assignments. The media ran several stories about the search in hopes of finding someone who had contact with the missing subject. No clues were located. Over 100 searchers assisted.

State Parks requested the assistance of Marin SAR in the search for a missing woman who’s car was found in the bootjack parking lot on Mt Tam. The woman’s car had been in the lot for several days and immediate searching of the area found nothing. A planning session was conducted the night before using sartopo.com. Mutual Aid was requested and over 100 searchers assisted in covering a large area of the south side of Mt Tam. During the day, surveillance footage found that the subject paid her parking fee on the previous sunday afternoon. Using other cameras, the search area was refocused, but no further clues were located.

The Marin County Sheriff requested Marin SAR to help locate an overdue adult male in the area of the civic center. Shortly after our initial notification, the subject was located.

Marin SAR was requested by San Rafael Police to conduct an evidence search after the discovery of a body in the area. Marin members searched the hillside and paths adjacent to the location, but no relevant clues were located. 17 Marin members assisted.

Marin SAR responded with various other Northern California SAR teams to assist in the search for a missing trail runner on the Western States Trail near Auburn, in Placer County. The subject had become separated from his group the previous day during a training run. Marin arrived to several inches of snow on the ground with continued rain and snow in the search area. A Marin team was deployed to search an area adjacent to the American River while other teams searches areas off of the Western States Trail. Later that morning, another team encountered the runner, cold and tired, but otherwise okay. Marin members used our 6 passenger UTV to extract the subject and numerous teams out of the field on a narrow slippery fire road. 28 Marin members responded to assist Placer County in this search.

A elderly woman was reported missing from a large retirement community in Mill Valley. Marin SAR was requested to respond along with various other agencies. Police officers and facility staff conducted an interior search while the SAR team and other agencies searched the areas outside of the buildings. The woman was located inside an unoccupied room asleep, but in no apparent distress.

On a Sunday afternoon, Marin SAR responded along with Southern Marin Fire, NPS Rangers, Marin County Fire, the US Coast Guard and CHP to assist in the rescue of a surfer who got stuck on the rocks and in a cave to the north of Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. The surfer has suffered some head trauma and numerous water based rescue efforts failed. As the SAR team was setting up pickets for a high angle technical rope rescue system, a CHP helicopter arrived on scene. The helicopter was able to lower a floating horse collar and float it into the cave. The subject was able to grab onto it and was lifted into the helicopter and was transported to a waiting ambulance. This was a great demonstration of a multi agency rescue with multiple rescue plans occurring simultaneously.

16 members responded to assist the San Rafael Police Department in a follow up search to the shooting in the downtown San Rafael restaurant. Based on new information, an additional area was grid searched by the SAR team.

Early in the morning, San Rafael Police requested an evidence search following a shooting at a restaurant in downtown San Rafael. 8 members responded while another 25 members were heading to Auburn for the annual MRA recertification test. Members searched the immediate area looking for anything related to the crime.

On the same day of the Placer Search, a CalTrans road inspection team discovered a vehicle off of Highway One south of Olema. The vehicle belonged to the subject of a vehicle search we conducted in the Corte Madera area a month prior. Marin SAR was requested to search the area adjacent to the vehicle for any relevant items to the car. During the search, several items were located. The driver of the vehicle was also found deceased a short distance from the car. An additional 8 members responded to assist in the search that brought closure to the family.

Marin SAR assisted San Rafael Police with a search for a missing vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was last seen after having dinner in Corte Madera but never made it home. Members split into various vehicles to search roadsides leading out of the area. Unfortunately, nothing was found and the subject remains missing.

San Rafael Police requested the SAR team to assist in an evidence search in the late evening following a shooting in the Canal area of San Rafael. 13 Members responded at searched a park and other areas near where the shooting occurred. Nothing relevant was located after the area was thoroughly searched.

Marin SAR was put on standby for a missing high school student. The subject was in the hills near San Marin High School, was lost and had potentially suffered a fall. One member was en route to advise on the search when the subject borrowed a phone and called his mom to tell her where he was. Novato Police located the subject and cancelled any further response.

Marin was requested to do a large scale area search based on new clues that had developed in the search for the missing 81 year old. 8 members responded and were deployed on various assignments. No new clues were located and the subject remains missing.

10 Marin Members responded to assist Butte County in the search for a missing 81 year old in the Oroville area. Teams from throughout Northern California assisted in the search. Teams scoured various areas in an attempt to locate the subject. No relevant clues were located.

Marin SAR was requested to assist in locating a developmentally disabled 15 year old who had left her home on her bicycle. Sheriff Deputies and Officers from Novato and San Rafael conducted hasty searches of the area. As SAR was responding, the subject was located by San Rafael Police in Downtown San Rafael. 23 members were already en route, when we were cancelled.

Based on new information, San Rafael Police requested a follow up search of another area after a shooting in the Canal neighborhood. 16 members responded and conducted a focused search of an adjacent area and located a potentially relevant piece of evidence.

San Rafael Police requested the SAR team to search an area near where a shooting occurred the night before. Members conducted a thorough search of the area around the crime scene in the Canal neighborhood, but no relevant clues were located. 14 members assisted.

Point Reyes National Seashore Rangers and Marin County Sheriff’s Deputies requested the assistance of the SAR team in the search for three missing hikers. The hikers went for a day hike in the late afternoon and left from Palomarin and went to Alamere Falls. While returning, they took a wrong turn and were able to call for help but didn’t know where they were. While the SAR team was responding, rangers conducted a hasty search in the Olema Valley based on information they received from the missing party. Team members set up a command post in Bolinas and just prior to SAR members getting in the area, a Ranger located the subjects and transported them back to their vehicle. 20 Marin SAR members were on scene or en route at the time the subjects were located.

Marin Municipal Water District Rangers requested the assistance of Marin SAR in assisting people and clearing the Cataract Trail of hikers following a bridge washout. Our team was split into two main groups. One team went to the lower trailhead and hiked up the trail, while the remainder of the team went to the upper trailhead at Laurel Dell. A team then hiked down the trail to meet up with the lower group while other team members set up a barricade with a trail closed sign. After the teams met up, the trail was cleared to the satisfaction of the rangers. 11 team members assisted with this mission.

Mill Valley Police requested our assistance following the discovery of a vehicle over the side of the road. They couldn’t locate the driver of the vehicle who had last been seen the night before. 31 members responded and set up a command post at Mill Valley Fire, Station #6. Most members were sent to the location of the crash and were broken up into smaller teams to thoroughly search the area around and below the vehicle. About two hours after SAR resources began to arrive on scene, the subject was located by a SAR team well below the vehicle near a home. Mill Valley Fire was dispatched and confirmed that the subject was deceased.

Marin SAR along with other mutual aid resources were requested to assist in the search for a missing hunter who became separated from his group the night before. Our team was just about to be paged out when we received word that the subject was located mildly hypothermic, but otherwise okay.

19 Marin SAR members responded to a request from San Rafael Police to conduct an evidence search in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael following a shooting. Team members searched several blocks in an attempt to locate any relevant evidence. Nothing notable was found and the detectives were satisfied and appreciative of the efforts of the team.

Marin SAR was requested by the Sheriff to assist in an evidence search in Mill Valley. This was following an alleged kidnapping and assault that originally occurred at the Kentfield Campus of the College of Marin. SAR members were tasked with searching a large area where evidence was previously found. Additional evidence was found and turned over to the detectives on scene. 27 members assisted with this mission.

Novato Police requested assistance from the team for an evidence search following an alleged attempted kidnapping and assault in the South Novato area. 29 members responded and searched the area for any relevant clues or evidence.

Marin SAR was requested to help locate a missing trail runner who got lost off trail near Tennessee Valley at night. The runner had gone on a run and when it started to get dark, attempted to take a shortcut back to his vehicle. He was reported missing by family members. Initial search efforts helped to locate the subject, but they were unable to actually reach him. Just as SAR members were getting close to the subject, GGNRA rangers made contact with the subject and were able to walk him out.

20 members responded on the first mission of 2014 for a missing woman and her infant son. The were hiking with the womans husband and became separated. Local fire units along with Sheriff Deputies and Rangers began a hasty search. Shortly after the SAR team was called out, some mountain bikers located the missing subjects and called in the location. A fire unit responded directly to the location and transported the subjects off the hill. Other participating agencies included, Mill Valley Fire, Marin County Fire, Marin County Sheriff’s Deputies, Open Space, State Parks and MMWD Rangers.