CBSAR General Information About The Team

Crested Butte Search and Rescue, Inc.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEAM

November 12, 2006

A) BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF CBSAR:

From at least the early 1980's, CBSAR was a loosely organized Team.

On May 4, 1988, Articles of Incorporation were signed by then-President, Paul S. Barnett, and sent to the Colorado Secretary of State, Natalie Meyer, with Bylaws and an attachment listing the nine Directors.

On May 5, 1988, Natalie Meyer prepared and signed a "Certificate of Incorporation to Crested Butte Search and Rescue, Inc., a nonprofit corporation."

CBSAR applied for and received an Employer Identification Number (EIN) 74-2504794 dated July 18, 1988 from the internal Revenue Service at Austin, Texas.

Later in 1988, an Application was sent to the IRS requesting non-profit status under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). A "Ruling Letter" granting such status was dated December 1988.

CBSAR has remained in good standing with the IRS and the State of Colorado.

B) GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP:

From original incorporation, the Team has been governed by a nine-member Board of Directors. The Officers are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Equipment Officer, and Training Officer. There are three non-officer Directors.

There are seven experienced, year-round residents of the area who are specially trained to serve as "Team Leaders" and are the first point of contact by Sheriff's Department representatives when the Team needs to be activated.

C) BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS OF AND VISITORS TO CRESTED BUTTE:

CBSAR provides a fully-trained and equipped, all-volunteer, certified mountain search and rescue team continuously available on an emergency-response, page-out status, 24 hours per day, seven days a week throughout the year.

D) FUNDING FOR OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT:

Unlike law enforcement, Fire, and EMS, we DO NOT directly receive any tax-based financial support. We do not charge for our services.

We have no paid staff. All training leaders, Team Members, and Board Members serve without pay.

We greatly depend on Service Grants from the Towns of Crested Butte and Mount Crested Butte, contributions from individuals, and miscellaneous fund raising efforts.

E. HISTORY OF THE CACHE:

In 1990, the Cache building was donated to CBSAR by the Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and then moved from Mount Crested Butte to its present location on land made available by the Town of Crested Butte.

The Cache must be relocated in the Spring of 2007 to make way for an expansion of the adjacent bus maintenance facility.

It is hoped that the relocation will be to a place which may allow for improvement of CBSAR facilities, including a possible future new building.

F. ABOUT THE CURRENT TEAM:

Recently, the Team Rosters have tended to show as many as 40 individuals. Nine are the Members of the Board of Directors.

At any point in time, about 12 to 15 Members meet the definition of Active per Team Bylaws. Included on Rosters are often several seasonal individuals, some here only in summer, while others are here only in fall and winter.

New and untrained individuals are put on the Roster soon after their first attendance at a Training Meeting.

Ages of Team Members currently range from about 25 to 74. Several Active members have had over ten years experience with the Team.

A high percentage of Team Members have wilderness medical training and experience.

With rare exceptions, Training Instructors are Members of the Team.

G. ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASSOCIATION (MRA):

For more details and Frequently Asked Questions, see www.MRA.org

The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) is "an organization dedicated to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education."

"The MRA, with about 80 teams from United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom - most of which are comprised of expert volunteer members - - work through or for a local government search and rescue authority."

H. ABOUT CERTIFICATION BY MRA:

Based on the nature of our service area, the MRA examines our Team for the following skill areas:

1. Searches for overdue/missing individuals. Some are just lost, while others have incurred a range of injuries, including fatalities.

2. Avalanche scenarios in which one or more individuals are buried and often deceased immediately by force of the snow or obstacles which they hit if caught in a moving snow mass. Although survivors are a small percentage of the total, there is a high sense of urgency to locate victims.

3. As other backcountry activities have become increasingly popular all year round, people are injured riding snowmobiles, skiing and snowboarding, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, riding ATV's, and "dirt bikes."

Crested Butte Search and Rescue, Inc. was originally Certified by MRA in 1991. As the MRA requires that teams be re-examined at least every five years, CBSAR was re-examined and Recertified in 1996, 2001, and 2006.

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