Cover, April 1:“Isolation Guide”
Explore your hood
While New Mexico has some spectacular wilderness areas presenting hiking, skiing, and other recreating opportunities, please consider staying closer to home for any outdoor exercise activity. No one plans to have an accident or become lost, it happens to the most experienced backcountry individuals. When it does, law enforcement deploys Search and Rescue personnel to assist.
NM Search and Rescue Teams are comprised of volunteers who routinely put themselves at risk to help people in need. Many of the risks they face are foreseeable and readily apparent, and can be mitigated to tolerable levels through training, techniques, and procedures. However, these brave volunteers now face an insidious and non-apparent risk that is extremely difficult to mitigate—the COVID-19 virus. Whether it's the person requiring rescue, or the rescuers coming to help, either can become infected without knowing it or presenting any symptoms. One rescue could potentially expose numerous Search and Rescue volunteer Team Members to the virus, they in turn taking it home to their families.
We understand the desire to explore the outdoors, but we would hope that during these uncertain times you explore your neighborhoods, while still practicing social distancing. Search and Rescue resources may become limited, may become delayed in response time, or the number of responders may become limited. For your own safety, and that of all of our first responders, we ask that you remain thoughtful during this time, remembering that no one plans on needing our help.
Jack Fulton
President of Santa Fe Search and Rescue
New day, same trust
Our first mailed Reporter arrived yesterday!
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David Laplantz
Santa Fe
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