How to Rescue an Avalanche Victim

Accidents involving avalanches occur numerous times every year. Whether you are snow skiing, snow boarding or snowmobiling, you are at risk. If you witness someone being trapped in an avalanche, it is extremely important that you get to them as soon as possible. The following steps will help you rescue this individual much easier.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Pay attention to where the victim ends up after the avalanche. Even though the situation may be very difficult to watch, while the disaster is occurring, watch the path of the victim very closely. This will mean the difference in life and death for the victim. Also, immediately contact the emergency medical services about the avalanche. Most rescue workers in avalanche prone areas are familiar with this kind of search and rescue.
2. Make sure the avalanche is over before you enter the disaster area. In the process of rescuing someone, you want to be sure not to be caught in the same situation.
3. Look for any sign of the victim on top of the snow before you begin a blind search. An arm, leg or head may be protruding from the snow and will make the search much easier.
4. Use emergency beacons if possible. Many individuals who spend a great deal of time on snow slopes will equip themselves with emergency beacons. These are devices that will emit a 121.5 megahertz signal that allows rescue workers to hear this high pitched frequency for up to 3 miles. This alarm is usually set off by the victim when they sense there is trouble.
5. Stop periodically and listen for the person. Many times the victim will try to cry out and in a hectic environment and search, many times this outcry is not heard.
6. Mark the location of the victim as soon as they have been found. Use a probe to mark this location and to also measure the depth of the buried victim.
7. Dig the hole to the victim as quickly as you can to free the trapped avalanche victim. Once you can clearly see the person, uncover their head immediately. They may be suffocated under the weight of the snow and by providing air to them, you can save their lives.
8. Begin CPR immediately if the victim is not breathing. Do not attempt to move the victim anymore than necessary because they can have a neck injury, broken bones or internal bleeding.