by John Dowd
With snow finally hitting the valley, a local survival expert offers some things to keep in mind regarding winter safety on the roads. Lee Scharff spent many years with Search and Rescue in Ravalli County, and spent a career training Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel and other members of law enforcement in wilderness survival. He was a Hasty Team member and president of the Ravalli County Search and Rescue. For him, survival has been more than a hobby.
Scharff’s passion for keeping people safe is what led him to help others after he retired. When looking forward to the upcoming winter months, Scharff looked back at a lot of accidents and numerous rescues he has been on during the winter. According to him, many people going to and from work and regular daily activities could be at risk. Montana is generally known to have severe cold weather conditions during the winter. With this year’s snowfall looking like it may live up to past years, Scharff is worried.
The first week of the year saw significant snowfall late in the week. It was so bad that local tow company owner and manager, Justin Lattin, with Ambrose Creek Towing, had a lot to say on the matter. According to him, that Friday he pulled out over 20 cars. He also mentioned some important things to note, for example, how some calls to the tow truck company are given higher priority. Anything determined unsafe to other pedestrians, such as vehicles and wrecks directly on the highway, are given first priority.
This means, if a person goes off the road and calls for a pull or a tow, they could be waiting a long time.
“If you go off the road, and you’re not prepared for the winter, you could be in trouble,” said Lattin. At very busy times, it could be more than six hours before a tow truck could get to a person, which bolsters Scharff’s point that being prepared for winter on the roads of Montana is essential. If a car dies, or runs out of gas, a person may have no way of generating heat other than by their own body.
Scharff says that survival comes down to being as prepared as possible. His motto is, “Survival favors those most prepared.” Much of Scharff’s career was winter survival related. He spent a lot of time on snowmobiles, and recalled doing law enforcement training for a number of agencies in the state. It was a significant course, near Hungry Horse, and he led the survival portion of it. One of the big things he harped on, and still does, is the compounding of mistakes.
A person can probably survive doing one or two things wrong, but as the weather gets worse, and things get hairy, that safety window closes. Survival then comes down to making as few mistakes as possible, and using a person’s most valuable tool: their head.
Scharff recalls that many of his notable rescue searches involved a person who fell into this category of compounding mistakes. Scharff said, proceeding on stubbornly can end in death. He spoke of a circumstance that occurred many years ago on Thompson Pass, where a mother and son were trying to go over the pass in the winter. They were from out of town, and got stuck in the snow. Instead of turning around, or even walking back the way they came on foot, they decided to go forward, further into the wilderness. They probably thought civilization was just over the next hill. They both perished.
Scharff said winter survival around a vehicle comes down to a couple of things. Having a separate way to create heat, other than the vehicle, is key. A person should have the tools to create fire, or produce heat if their vehicle is down and they are stuck for a long time. In the wilderness, it’s important to consider the why, where or how. Having the right tools, doing so near the fuel and not creating a raging fire for no reason are good things to think about. He also said, a person should have the skills beforehand. It’s a mistake to buy equipment and not use it until it is needed. Practice, practice, practice.
The second important thing to have in a vehicle during the winter is extra clothing. Scharff recommends boots, coats and even pants that are designed for the weather outside. If a person gets stuck, they can throw those on and survive until help arrives, which could take many hours. He also recommends carrying clothing enough for anyone else that may be riding along. For parents, that includes their children, and for couples, it includes their spouses. Scharff reminisced about always bringing an extra pair of long thermal underwear, and always needed to buy new ones after lending them out. He said he preferred that scenario over seeing people freeze.
Finally, he recommended a candy bar, or something to boost one’s energy after waiting a long time in the cold. The human body burns a lot of calories when it is trying to keep warm. This can speed up the process of starvation, but more immediately, a person can run out of available calories. Trying to stay warm on an empty stomach is much harder.
For those interested in getting a little more involved in their survival and emergency education, Scharff will be holding survival courses in late January and early February. “I really enjoy teaching people,” said Scharff. “If I can teach two classes and make a difference in one outcome, I’ve won.”
These courses are done through the Lone Rock Adult Education program. They are each four days, split up over two weeks. There are no overnights, and Scharff will bring all equipment. The first course will take place January 22, 29, February 3 and 5. The second course will take place February 10, 12, 19 and 24.
Classes are $25 per person, and participants must be adults. Registration for courses should be done through Lone Rock School. Interested participants can call (406) 210-5129, or go to the Lone Rock School website, lonerockschool.org. Parties can also email registration to adulteducation@lonerockschool.org, including name, address, phone number, email address and the course name and times.
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