Bannock County Sheriff's Office forms backcountry team to assist in wilderness rescues

POCATELLO — The Bannock County Sheriff's Office has formed a backcountry rescue team that will provide aid to anyone stranded in the mountains or other areas away from nearby cities.

People have been trying to put this team together for a few years now. Sgt. Nick Zwiegart said the sheriff's office officially started putting the team together last fall.

"We finally got it up and running a few months ago," he said.

The team is made of volunteers. Its focus will be only on people in the mountains who are either injured or are in need of rescue. Zwiegart said the existing search and rescue team usually handles traffic accidents.

"That's the majority of our calls," he said. "Lost people needing to be recovered in the mountains isn't as frequent."

Each of the members of the rescue team have skills that will serve them well in this kind of work. They have already been utilized several times since the team became official.

"This team is a group that came together from all different backgrounds, but they all have experience in medical aid and training," Zwiegart said.

Luke Nelson, team leader of the rescue team, said the team currently has 11 members. Each member has extensive backcountry and rescue experience.

"It's a new team within Bannock County Search and Rescue," he said.

The team was created after Nelson and others saw a need for emergency personnel who specialized in wilderness and backcountry rescues.

"We had seen this history of existing teams who were great with highway rescues but were not always able to respond to backcountry accidents," he said.

The team will use a combination of electric mountain bikes and foot travel to respond to calls.

"These will be supported by the rest of the search and rescue team using ATVs," Nelson said. "This will enable the team to quickly and efficiently find, care for and evacuate injured individuals."

Anyone needing assistance from the team should call 911, and they will be dispatched. The team is prepared for any situation and hopes they will be able to support the community.

"We want to be able to help when something bad happens and we have the skills to do so," Nelson said.