News Release from Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office
Posted on FlashAlert: August 13th, 2024 4:15 PM
With the County Fair and several rescues in the rear-view mirror of July, the Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue team continued to serve our community at full speed. The community events, trainings, and missions not only highlight their dedication to serving our residents, but also the depth the team has built.
On Saturday, August 3rd, SAR personnel provided medical and communications support for the Waldo 100 Ultramarathon. This event provides volunteers with excellent experience and real-world application of their training. Often, their skills are needed for rescues or to locate lost runners.
In the afternoon, a call came in of an injured 72-year-old hiker on the Mt. Fuji Trail. SAR volunteers who were already stationed at Waldo for the race responded and were able to make contact with the patient and provide medical care. Youth SAR also responded from Waldo, and the patient was carried to the trailhead where a friend was able to drive her to further care.
On Saturday, August 10th, Eugene Mountain Rescue (EMR), a group within Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue that tackles high angle 
problems, held a training at Sahalie Falls along with Linn County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue. Volunteers constructed a highline rope system, a technique used to traverse between two cliffs. The area is ideal for this type of training, and not terrible for photos, either. EMR recently conducted a high angle rescue of a hiker at the same location, making the training very applicable.
In the afternoon, a call came in of a missing 63-year-old female ATV rider in the Cummins Ridge area near Florence. Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies responded along with area fire departments. The ATV rider was located approximately 200 feet below the road. Sheriff’s Search & Rescue personnel assisted the Lincoln County Technical Rescue Team (TRT), Western Lane Fire and Yachats Fire & Rescue with a rope rescue, which took about 3 hours to complete. Due to the remote location, the patient was transported to Corvallis by Life Flight helicopter for treatment of her injuries. She had been operating a side-by-side and wearing a helmet, which likely saved her life.
Nearly every week, Sheriff’s Search & Rescue volunteers assist our residents in all types of environments. Learn more about our Search & Rescue program and other volunteer opportunities at www.lanecounty.org/government/county_departments/sheriff_s_office/volunteers
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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