History

* Denotes record 

Rescue Squad members volunteered a total of 28,093 hours in 2019, shattering the previous record (25,282 in 2006) by almost 3000 hours!

Wilderness Operations -- Includes searches for lost and missing people as well as wilderness rescues such as trauma and medical emergencies, including snowmobile and ATV accidents not involving collision with a motor vehicle on a roadway. 

The record total of 153 includes 80 searches (72 for people; 8 for evidence), 69 wilderness rescues (including 40 snowmobile and ATV accidents), 2 aircraft crashes, and 2 rope rescue operations. 

Number of Subjects -- The Rescue Squad keeps separate numbers on the people we assist in land SAR operations, mainly to track direct “customer service.”  People frequently ask, “How many searches did you have last year?” which is a complicated question to answer.  Not all operations involve human subjects (evidence searches, property recovery, etc.) while some operations involve multiple missing or injured parties.  Tracking the number of subjects captures the “people we helped” element as opposed to looking for a gun used in a crime or recovering a stolen snowmobile, which are certainly important operations, but different in the way we handle them.  The overall total of 156 is the highest in the Squad’s history.

Plane Crashes – This category reflects confirmed aircraft crashes only, not calls that prove to be unfounded or calls to stand by for emergency landings.  The Squad averages about one per year over our 61-year history. 

Water Operations – This category includes water fatalities, watercraft accidents, and the water component of wilderness searches and rescues.  Although this definition is slightly different from the DNR reporting criteria, it paints a more realistic picture of Rescue Squad water activities.  The 2019 total of 99 falls second to the record 124, set in 2012, the year of the flood. 

Water Fatalities -- This category includes drownings, as well as hypothermia and trauma-related water deaths.  Our annual average is 7.6.  There were seven “in-county” recoveries, as well as five mutual-aid calls to other agencies. 

“Saves” -- This is a hard category to pin down, since the common perception of a save is often the rescue of an arm-waving, panic-stricken swimmer about to drown.  While what constitutes a “save” is certainly arguable, the Rescue Squad views it as having made a critical difference in terms of not only the preservation of life and limb, but also in preventing further gross personal hardship due to complications of trauma or medical emergency.  For example, a capsized boater may swim to an island, but if he is stranded there, injured and suffering from hypothermia, he’s certainly not “safe.”  He is still in a life-threatening condition requiring outside intervention.  The year-end total of 20 is typical in the modern era.  The record (101) occurred as a direct result of the 2012 flood. 

Vehicle Accidents -- The number of road responses has fluctuated greatly over our 61-year history due to changes in dispatch protocols, as well as the evolving role of field care providers.  The record total of 188, while typical in the era of 911-Dispatch and auto-page protocols, also captures the effects of several early-season winter storms. 

Extrications -- This number is based on the call, not the person (we extricated 9 from one vehicle some years ago), and includes the use of hand, pneumatic, and hydraulic tools to facilitate the removal of patients trapped in vehicles or by other conditions (cave-in, industrial accidents, etc.)  Fifteen extrications reflect a return to “average.” The Squad has seen lower numbers in the face of more rural fire departments obtaining extrication tools. 

ALZ Set-ups -- Includes only Aircraft Landing Zones where Rescue Squad personnel led the effort, served as Landing Zone Officer (LZO), or communicated LZ conditions and navigation information directly with the helicopter.  It does not include simply blocking traffic around the LZ, which is included in the “traffic control” outcome code in the spreadsheets.  The 2019 total of 11 LZ’s is right on average.

Medical Calls -- The Rescue Squad is the primary dispatch agency for townships that do not have first responder networks, and we are the secondary dispatch agency for those that do.  Moreover, many of our medicals occur during first-aid standbys such as the Duluth Air Show or Grandma’s Marathon.  The 2019 total of 55 is a new record.

Miscellaneous Calls -- As the title implies, these can be anything; however, typical calls in this category include assisting fire suppression support (grass, forest, structure), motorist assists (engine trouble, flat tires), deputy assists, and anything that doesn’t readily fit into another category. 

Call Volume – Total call volume for the year was 542, shattering our previous 2016 record of 437 by more than a hundred operations!