To provide search, technical rescue, and medical services in wilderness areas throughout the state of Maine.
OPERATIONS
The Wilderness Rescue Team responds to requests for wilderness search and rescue services from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine's Baxter State Park, the Maine Department of Conservation/Bureau of Forestry, and other state and federal park authorities. Service is initiated when a designated representative from one of these agencies contacts the operations officer and issues a request for service. That team officer will then activate a response by calling members from a call list. Members who are available to respond call the operations officer, indicate their response availability, and receive further instructions.
In order to assure that we maintain the highest level of operational proficiency, all team members must maintain expertise in at least one of three operational specialties. These specialties are described below. All team members have a solid foundation for the search specialty and some members are particularly focused either medically or technically. Additionally, all members of WRT are specialized in wilderness SAR; as the name suggests, we operate in a wilderness context. This means we get to see some of the most beautiful areas of Maine while doing our trainings and while responding to callouts, but it also means we get some of the nastiest weather. We do operate and train 24/7, 365. Just so you have an idea of what Mount Katahdin is like in the middle of the winter in a storm, here's a clip from a training.
You can read more about each of our team's specialties below. For more info on how we train, check out the training page.
Search Specialty
- Participating in search operations
- Providing support to Technical and Medical Specialists during technical and medical operations
- Adopting, developing, or modifying search protocols that are used by the team
- Maintaining search equipment that is owned by the team
Technical Specialty
- Accessing patients who are in locations where technical climbing skills are required to reach them
- Helping support personnel to reach said patients by establishing fixed ropes and climbing routes
- Supervising the establishment of any technical rescue systems that may be necessary
- Adopting, developing or modifying technical climbing and rescuing protocols that are used by the team
- Supervising the maintenance of all technical equipment that is owned by the team
- Providing technical climbing and rescuing training to non-technical team members
Medical Specialty
- Providing primary medical care whenever required during search and rescue operations
- Adopting, developing, or modifying all medical protocols that are used by the team
- Supervising the maintenance of all medical equipment that is owned by the team
Ocober 15th, 2011
BANGOR, Maine ― WRT was called out today to help with a search for a missing individual in Bangor today. Four members responded at 6 AM for a 8:30 arrival time; Members of the team were 10 miles from Bangor at 7:55 when we received a call informing us that the search was ended and the individual found. Thanks for all the support! Great job MWS.
JUNE 13TH, 2011
BAXTER STATE PARK, Maine ― Rescue workers hope to have a 20-year-old hiker at Millinocket Regional Hospital if he needs to be by midnight Sunday after taking him by stretcher to an ambulance. About 30 rescue workers, including members of the Wilderness Rescue Team, Lincoln search and rescue team and park rangers, had carried a litter to the man and were on their way down from Chimney as of 8:30 p.m. They hoped to meet an ambulance at Roaring Brook Campground at about 11 p.m. The stretcher team was traversing about 3.3 miles of difficult terrain and descending about 1,400 feet.
October 11th, 2010
MILLINOCKET, Maine—An injured hiker has been rescued by helicopter from Maine's Mount Katahdin.The Maine Forest Service landed a helicopter near the top of the mountain Monday afternoon to assist 61-year-old Chip Loring of Old Town, who had injured his knee. Loring was flown to the Millinocket Regional Airport at 3:50 p.m. and then driven to the hospital for treatment. Baxter State Park Director Jensen Bissell said portions of trails had been closed because of snow and ice and said staff had been warning hikers about slippery, windy conditions above the tree line. He said Loring was above 4,500 feet in elevation and nearly five miles by steep trail from the road when he slipped and injured his knee on the Saddle Trail.
Donations are critical to the success of our team. If you are interested in supporting our mission, please visit the Sponsorship section of this web site or you can make a donation via Paypal by clicking on the Pay link below. All donations are charitiable, so save the reciept for your taxes.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS