Many teams and incident base staff have participated in the following missions. In our area there are other great teams that regularly participate in missions. What we have reported here is what we saw and in no way do we intend to take full credit for any of these missions.
2008 Mission Statistics
- Mission # 08-04-03 - March 20th, 2008: OMTRS and MVSAR responded to a 72 year old male hiker in the Organ Mountains. The subject was hiking a trail, miss-stepped, and fractured his ankle in several places. OMTRS hasty team located and stabilized subject. He was subsequently evacuated out of the area by helicopter. FC - Bob Rodgers.
- Mission # 08-04-02 - February 27th 2008: OMTRS and DACSAR responded to a 25 year old injured male hiker in the Organ Mountains. The subject was attempting to climb a waterfall in Fillmore Canyon when he slid and injured his leg. Family members and friends were unable to walk him out. Team members located subject, secured him in a litter and carried him to incident base. FC Bob Rodgers.
- Mission # 07-04-06 - January 6th 2008: OMTRS, MVSAR and Radium Springs volunteer Fire Dept responded to a subject who had climbed up Miss Piggy Falls and could not climb back down. OMTRS had fourteen team members in attendance for this mission. Ropes and Anchors were placed on the water fall and the subject was lowered to the ground without incident. Mike Selves FC
2007 Mission Statistics
- Mission # 07-04-05 - December 27th 2007: Search for missing walk away 12 year old male in the Baylor Canyon Road Area. OMTRS had four members attend this mission. Subject walked to LC. Grady Viramontes FC
- Mock Training Mission # 07-12-06 - November 3rd 2007: OMTRS participated in a Mock Search on invitation from Grant County Search and Rescue to Silver City. The scenario included two missing subjects. One subject was reported to be injured. Both subjects were located and one subject required a low angle technical extraction and medical attention. OMTRS had four team members attend thie Mock Search. BF acting FC
- Mission # 07-12-05 - August 8th 2007: Search for a missing pair of Hikers in Aquirre Springs. OMTRS provided a Hasty Team on site if needed. The hikers were located on the trail after dark by the Local fire Dept and escorted out.
- Mock Training - July 28th 2007: OMTGRS participated in a joint Mock Mission on invitation from Luna County Search and Rescue in Deming. This was a joint grid search using ATV, Horses, and trackers. Afterwards, OMTRS provided complimentary gear check for Luna County SAR. OMTRS had four people in attendance for this training.
- Mock Training date June 30th 2007: OMTRS participated in a joint Mock Mission and training sponsored by Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue. Thirteen members of OMTRS participated in Ground Line Search Techniques. Immediately after the ground search ended a approximately 9 pm OMTRS entered into a second scenario to locate and extract an injured subject that was located in a rocky cliff buttress area where the subject was extracted from 100' cliff face. we finished off with this exercise at about 3am. RG acting FC
- Mock Training - June 17th 2007: OMTRS participated in a joing Mock Mission on invitation from Grant County Search and Rescue in Silver City. We had ten team members participate in a joint Technical Training to Demonstrate low angle technical extration of subjects. The Silver City Hot Shots Crew were also in attendance in the scenario. FB acting FC
- Mission # 07-04-04, Aguirre Springs, Organ Mountains - June 7th 2007: OMTRS rapid response team (8 members) responded to hike the Pine Tree Trail and locate two women who became lost after sunset and had no lighting to locate or follow the trail in the dark. Subjects located by Organ Fire Dept, Los Alturas Fire Dept. NASA Fire Dept. Subjects walked with assistance to incident base. Mike Selves FC
- Mock Training - April 14th 2007: SOMTRS participated in a joint Mock Mission on invitation from Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue to particaiate in a Civil Air Patrol Training to locate a downed aircraft. Eleven members from OMTRS participated in ground search on foot and ATV's and ELT Tracking Techniques. RG acting FC
- Mission # 07-12-04, Fort Bayard, NM - July 26th 2007: Search for two females 36 and 15 years old. Subjects found prior to OMTRS arrival at scene. FC FB
- Mission # 06-04-06, Modoc Mine Road: Search for Male subject who was reported lost and injured by friend who received a phone call from the subject. Subject LKP never located. Teams searched by vehicle to locate subjects insertion point. Team of 14 responded. OMTRS, DACSAR, MVSAR. Mission suspended. Robert Rossow FC
- Mission # 06-04-12, Falkner Canyon Area: GV & MS responded to missing family in the Falkner canyon Area. Subjects found at or around 2 am west of the Border Check Station South of Hatch, NM. DAC Mounted Patrol. Subjects Found. Mike Selves - FC
- Mission # 07-04-03, 3/3/07: Search for lost male hiker. Teams responding: OMTRS, Mesilla Valley SAR, Dona Ana County SAR. Subject called a friend in Dexter, NM saying he was in the Organ Mountains somewhere near Baylor Canyon Rd and he was injures. Teams were sent over Baylor Pass and up Stone House Canyon with negative results. Mission was suspended due to lack of PLS/LKP (place last seen and last known position). Additional investigation suggested the subject might be in White Sands National Monument. The subject self extracted and mission was closed.
- Mission # 07-04-02, Vado, NM, 01/13/07: Search for lost Alzheimer's subject in a rural area. OMTRS Team of 12 responded. OMTRS, DACSAR, MVSAR. An elderly woman reported missing in urban area. A man called Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch and reported that a woman had entered his yard and asked for transportation to the Mexico border. The citizen gave her a ride to the international bridge. Subject believed to be in Mexico. The mission was closed before teams were sent into the field. Grady Viramontes – FC
- Mission # 07-03-03, Carlsbad, NM: SK -TL Search for missing Male Subject who's car had been located. Team of 6 responded. OMTRS, DACSAR, MVSAR responded. Subject not found to date? RG - FC
2006 Mission Statistics
- November 12th 2006, Falkner Canyon (Subject Search): OMTRS responded to a search for a lost hunter and his family who had become stuck in the desert west of the Boarder Patrol Station on Highway 185. Subjects were located using DAC Sheriffs Officers, Dona Ana County Mounted Patrol, and a few ATV’s to search roads. Subjects were found and returned to IB. MS - Mike Selves IC
- October 29th 2006, Gila, Lake Roberts Area (Subject Search): OMTRS responded in the early morning of the 30th with 6 team members to search for a lost hunter. Subject was found and returned to IB. Grady Viramontes IC
- October 28th 2006, Organ Mountains (Modoc Mine Rd Subjects Search): OMTRS responded with 14 team members to locate two subjects who had run out of light and supplies while returning from an Organ Needle hike. Subjects had been trapped by nightfall and cacti. They had lost trail and were bogged down. OMTRS with the help of DACSO located both subjects and returned them to the trail and out to the incident base (IB). Bob Rodgers IC
- July 31st 2006, Ruidoso, NM, (Subject Search): OMTRS responded with 5 team members and searched for two lost subjects who got lost while hiking. Subjects went over the west side of the mountain and hiked out through the Three Rivers Campground. BL IC
- May 29th 2006, Columbus, NM: (Subject Search & Recovery) OMTRS responded with 8 team members to search for an undocumented subject who had passed away in the desert. GZ IC
- April 24th 2006, Chimney Springs Cloudcroft (Subject Search): OMTRS responded at around 11 am with 11 team members to search for a lost subject who was never found. It was later determined that the subject had been picked up on the highway. No info to date on the outcome of this. Robert Rossow IC
- March 18th 2006, Gila, Percha Creek (Subject Search): OMTRS responded on a search for 2 overdue subjects. Subjects walked out on their own at day break and were met by searchers entering the field. IC RG and Mike Selves
- February 10th 2006, Alzheimer’s Patient: (Subject Search) Called out at or about 6pm, OMTRS responded with 6 team members and began searching the area, subject located within 30 minutes. Bob Rodgers IC
- January 21st 2006, Dripping Springs (Subject Recovery) Called out in the early evening to help extract subject who died in a fall while hiking up Ice Canyon in the Dripping Springs area. OMTRS responded with 11 team members and worked with MVSAR, BORSTAR and DACSAR through the night. The terrain was such that the subject needed to be lowered on rope for over a mile of travel. Once reaching level, solid ground the subject was extracted without the use of belay ropes. Mission Ended at or about 8 am. RG IC
2005 Mission Statistics
- July 17, 2005 Gila National Forest, RG IC: We responded to help searcj for a missing male Mtn Biker in the Gila. Subject spent the night out and found his way into town the next morning. Responders from OMTRS included David Toledo, Steven Kelam, Jon Murphy, and John Burtz.
- April 6, 2005 Dripping Springs, RG IC: We responded to a call at approximately 8 AM to assist Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue on a recovery of a Male in his early twenties who died from injury’s sustained in a fall from a cliff in Dripping Springs Canyon. We responded with 6 team members. RG IC
- Feb 25, 2005, Soledad Canyon: at 1820 hrs we were called out to support a mission in the Soledad Canyon area. This was first thought to be an assist of two subjects out of a steep and rough area. Upon arrival to the scene we realized the subjects were up above two rock faces. The face on which the subjects were resting on was 80 to 90' above the ground and did not have much solid rock on it. The climb up to the subjects was a 5.7 on a ridge to the left of the upper water fall and pool area at the back of Soledad Canyon. Local Sheriffs deputies and members of the Los Alturas Volunteer Fire Department were on scene and assisted us throughout the rescue. An anchor was placed on a very large rock above the subjects. Subjects were then harnessed and helmeted before getting lowered to the top of the first shelf. They were then re roped & lowered to the bottom of the first shelf where they exited on their own power while being escorted out to the Incident Base. The last team out reached IB around 0000 hrs and the mission was terminated at 0040 hrs. Team members who participated in this rescue were Mike Selves, Kurt Anderson, Sue Willliams, Grady Viramontes, Jon C Murphy, John Burtz, Juan Figueroa, Rhonda Figueroa, Steven Kelams, and David Toledo.