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Valley County winter response team reports growth, training and equipment needs to commissioners
Summary
At the June 23 meeting the Valley County winter response team and sheriff’s office outlined a third season of response activity, growth to 17 team members, 11 mission requests in 2024–25, training totals and equipment and interagency needs including a proposed MOU with Air St. Luke's.
Heather Theory, a paramedic and presenter for Valley County’s winter response team, told the Board of County Commissioners Monday that the team completed its third operational winter season with expanded membership, multiple rescues and outstanding training needs.
The winter response team grew to 17 members for 2024–25, Theory said, with 10 off‑trail responders, 12 hasty‑avalanche responders and four on‑call mission coordinators. The team reported 11 requests for assistance this season: five completed missions, five stood down or canceled and one declined because the unit could not staff a response, Theory said. Incidents ranged from mechanical or stuck snowmobiles to two fatal incidents (one avalanche fatality and one snowmobile fatality) and several overdue or lost-person searches.
The team logged about 400 total training hours for the…
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