Castlewood Canyon – Tom O’Keefe flopped onto his couch and flipped on the TV news.
A hiker was lost in Waterford Canyon, off a trail O’Keefe sometimes explored. It had been just days since he had heard reports of a young child lost in another predator-infested wilderness.
“I thought, ‘Why am I sitting here on the couch? I should be out helping find those people,”‘ O’Keefe, a Parker resident, recalled from a year ago.
The 70-year-old Army veteran recalled the revelation Saturday as he trained for rescue missions with 20 other members of the Douglas County Search and Rescue Team in 95-degree heat in Castlewood Canyon.
They are a fading breed – volunteers who give up their time, risk injuries and spend thousands of dollars from their own pockets for the opportunity to save strangers lost or injured in the wild.
But the need for rescue is greater than ever, authorities say. Calls for help in Colorado are climbing, just as volunteers and money are getting harder to find.
The all-volunteer Douglas County team went on 142 missions last year, up from 98 the year before.
Statewide, 64 local search-and-rescue teams went on 1,427 missions in 2004, the most recent count, busting the 10-year average of 1,229, according to the Colorado Search and Rescue Board.
Meanwhile, mountain communities and well-populated regions alike struggle to find rescuers when they are desperately needed.
“They’re essentially recruiting all the time,” said Howard Paul, president of the state Search and Rescue Board and a member of Evergreen-based Alpine Rescue.
With an average of nearly three calls a week in Douglas County, about 13 members show up for each mission when 20 are needed, said Bruce Fosdick, president of the team.
The team has 35 members but needs 50, he said.
When recruiting, Fosdick has some tough realities to overcome. Those who sign up will endure at least six months of basic training in mountaineering, emergency medicine and equipment.
On Saturday, O’Keefe took his rock-climbing orders from Dave Kriz of Castle Rock, a shaggy-haired 31-year-old who climbs like a cat. Kriz’s wife, Diane, trained with another group nearby.
Volunteers come in all ages and both genders and from all walks of life. While some conquer mountains, others type up reports and fix trucks and equipment, said Fosdick, a 55-year-old accountant.
“You don’t have to be Spider-Man to be important to us,” he said.
Douglas County Sheriff Dave Weaver called the volunteers “priceless.”
“Search-and-rescue volunteers are true heroes, professionals who faithfully serve the community during times of emergency,” he said. “You cannot put a value on their selfless dedication.”
Douglas County picks up the insurance cost for its volunteers, about $120 a person annually. Other counties don’t, as premiums have quadrupled over the past five years, forcing volunteers to raise money for insurance.
Since 1993, state law has provided 25 cents from most recreation licenses to help search-and-rescue teams pay for training and equipment. In 2004, the fees raised $386,857, a decline of 21 percent from the previous year because of accounting changes.
Paul said part of the dilemma is a shift in culture in mountain communities.
More mountain folks are former city folks who “are used to having those services provided for them because they pay taxes,” he said.
The aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina created greater expectations for emergency response, even from volunteer rescue teams, said Tim Kovacs, past president of the national Mountain Rescue Association.
Underfunded volunteers need a hand-up to meet that challenge, he said
“In the next six or seven years, search and rescue will change more than it has in the previous 100,” Kovacs said.
Congress should classify search-and-rescue volunteers the same as National Guardsmen, allowing time off work for training and missions, he said.
But for now, volunteers’ rewards are internal.
“It’s like the band of brothers,” Kovacs said of rescuers. “It’s not war, but it’s certainly life and death in the balance. It’s a special thing to be a part of.
“You give up a lot to be a part of it, but it brings a lot into your life, too. It challenges us in ways we would never otherwise see ourselves challenged.”
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
