March meeting of Pine Cove Property Owners association

The March meeting of Pine Cove Property Owners association included two guest speakers, Richard Yocum of Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, and Woody Henderson of Mountain Community Fire Safety Council. They shared a wealth of essential information about safety on the trail and at home.

Yocum, a retired physician, is President of RMRU. He shared some history of the organization, explained the group’s structure, displayed the gear they use, and talked about a sample of their missions. He also shared a list of trail safety tips.

RMRU is entirely staffed by volunteers, who must pay all their own expenses. They currently have 43 members, 36 field members and seven support members. The membership is scattered across the southland counties, and members often must drive two hours or more to arrive at a search location trail head. They are on call 24/7, and these calls usually come when the weather is stormy or hot, or when it is getting dark. They must leave whatever they are doing and be prepared to spend the night outdoors, in all types of terrain and weather. The group works throughout Riverside County and is also called to join searches further afield. On the day of Yocum’s presentation, team members were assisting in the fourth day of search for a missing man in Murrieta.

Volunteers receive training in human tracking, navigation, radio use, medical assesment, technical rope rescue, helicopter tactics, snow and ice, mission management, and trail familiarity. They also do what Yocum called “preventative search and rescue,” outreach to schools and clubs (like PCPOA) to provide information that helps in “keeping people from getting into trouble.”

The history lesson contrasted RMRU’s first vehicle, a donated Helms Bakery truck, with their current three vehicles, including their Sprinter communications van with large video displays and Starlink internet. Yocum noted that the County’s helicopters are also an improvement: modern dual engine aircraft allow a patient and rescuer to be winched up along with a litter and other equipment. This “rescue load” may be up to 600 pounds. The newer helicopters have lightened the load on RMRU: they formerly did about 60 missions every year but now respond to closer to 40. Over half of these missions are in the greater Idyllwild area.

The work is “messy” and “inherently dangerous.” Often hikers have left trails and searchers must hike through dense brush. Team members are not immune to the dangers of the back country, and their mishaps are called “Incidents Within Incidents.” Yocum recounted that during one extended search six team members had to be transported for heat exhaustion.

One was PCPOA member asked how RMRU knows where to look. Yocum explained that search and rescue crews need a place to start, usually the Place Last Seen (PLS) or Last Known Position (LKP.) This may be a car left at a trailhead, a tent left up, or coordinates from a 911 call or satellite beacon.

Yocum concluded with a list of recommendations for trail safety.

Don’t hike alone, unless you are very experienced.

Check the weather. Use the NOAA website, which allows you to “drop a pin” on the actual location you will hike. Check the weather the night before and again in the morning. High country weather changes quickly.

Be realistic about your own ability, and those of your companions. The goal is not your destination, it is getting home safely.

Leave plans and an itinerary with friends or family. Specify how long they should wait before alerting authorities.

Bring the “hiker’s ten essentials.” These include tools for navigation, sun protection, warmth, illumination, first aid, fire starting, repairs, food and hydration, and shelter. Read more at: nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm

Bring a radio beacon. Yocum is an experienced hiker, and he always carries one.

If you must split up a group, never leave one member alone. Make a plan. How will you reunite?

If lost, stay where you are after using a phone or radio beacon. That is where rescuers will look. Stay near the route that you have left with others. The exception to this is if no one knows where you are, and you have skills to find your way out.

Woody Henderson briefed the group on the activities of the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. He emphasized actions that residents can take to make their homes and yards fire resistant, also protecting neighbors and providing space for firefighters to work.

Henderson noted that there are now three zones around structures, with a new “zero” zone in the first five feet. This zone is focused on intense fuel reduction to protect from embers. Best practice is gravel or pavers in the zero zone. This area includes rain gutters, keep them clear. Outdoor furniture and fencing should be nonflammable, and firewood should be stored in zone 2. Zone 1, out to 30 feet, is often called “Lean, Clean and Green,” with no dead plant matter, and good separation between shrubs and trees to prevent fuel ladders. Outbuildings and propane tanks also need 10 feet of clearance. In zone 3, extending to 100 feet, tree canopies should still be 10 feet apart. Grass should be no higher than four inches. To read more about defensible space zones, visit: readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/defensible-space.

A big part of MCFSC’s work is administering grants to help homeowners with abatement. Homeowners are invited to call and schedule an inspection. Trained inspectors will survey your land and create a plan. Some of the work you will be able to do yourself. For the heavy work, three licensed and insured contractors will bid. When the work is done, grants will pay 75% of the cost. They also provide a list of workers to do lighter abatement and tree work.

Henderson noted that MCFSC is presently waiting for a large payment from CalFire, and so inspections are on hold, but homeowners should still call and get their names on the list. He also said that the group has been meeting with CalFire representatives, asking them to restart home inspections in Pine Cove. There is a form to request this service, a LE100. They can be found at: readyforwildfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/d-space-inspection-Notice-le100a-1.16.24.pdf.

Henderson also said that MCFSC is presently pursuing grants for home hardening, things like metal roofs and double paned windows. Windows, and curtains or other flammable window treatments, are a major path for outdoor fires enter homes.

To learn more about RMRU, donate or volunteer, visit: RMRU.org. To learn more about MCFSC, donate, volunteer or get on the list for an inspection, visit mcfsc.org.