Last week, the Summit County Sheriff awarded commendations to seven C-RAD members and three avalanche dogs for separate backcountry rescue missions performed during the 2017-18 winter season. We’re extremely proud to work with these folks, and the commendations are well-deserved. Awards were given to Bob Nothnagel, Hunter Mortensen, Greg Dumas, Keith Hiller, Dom Vallone, Jake Ziemski, and John Reller, along with validated dogs Loki, Sasha, Max and Recco.
C-RAD is supervised by and works closely with Colorado Sheriff’s Offices (and sometimes agencies outside the state, as was the case with a rescue in Montana last winter). When an avalanche incident is called in and it’s determined a rescue is necessary, the local Sheriff’s Office helps to deploy a dog team, which consists of an avalanche technician, avalanche dog and dog handler. These teams are generally on-call at a ski area. Usually Flight for Life Colorado and other search and rescue personnel are also part of these missions. You can read our public missions reports here.
