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With a helicopter, Teton County Search and Rescue more than doubles missions by assisting others

Four people stand alongside a red helicopter on a concrete pad. The sky is overcast and mountains loom in the distance behind them.
Dante Filpula Ankney
/
Jackson Hole Community Radio
Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers prepare to fly before a training run on Nov. 14.

With less than an hour until takeoff, six volunteers slipped into harnesses and insulated layers at a hanger overlooking Jackson. Carabiners, slings and a good amount of gear and gadgets hung from their hips.

It’s a routine weekly training for Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR). This week brings short haul training, a rescue technique that requires hanging a person from a line directly beneath a helicopter for transport to a safer location.

A volunteer packs bags in preparation for a short haul training at the TCSAR facility near the “Y” junction just outside Jackson.
Dante Filpula Ankney
/
Jackson Hole Community Radio
A volunteer packs bags in preparation for a short haul training at the TCSAR facility near the “Y” junction just outside Jackson.

Thirty minutes until takeoff. The group circled up to go over the plan and any risks they may encounter, like weather or hunters and hikers in the area. They decided the potential for something to go wrong is low today. But remember, the helicopter pilot Steve Wilson said, stay close to the helicopter and away from the rotors.

With fifteen minutes until takeoff, Wilson opened the hangar door. He used a remote-controlled landing platform, a “heliwagon,” to wheel the custom helicopter outside beneath the patchy clouds. He looked over the multi-million-dollar ride and the other volunteers followed suit, running their hands over all sides of the aircraft from top to bottom and end to end before sliding into their seats.

Wilson has worked for TCSAR for six years, but he has been flying for decades. He’s part of the team planned for years to make a helicopter a permanent part of the hangar.

The organization said the new ride was necessary to meet the increase of rescue calls as the county grows and more recreationists file into the backcountry.

“Year round, 365 days a year, we can respond to any needs that this community has,” Wilson said.

Over a year ago, nabbing a helicopter for a rescue could have been simple, if one was under lease. For six years pre-chopper, TCSAR leased a helicopter from the U.S. Forest Service to fight wildfires in the summer.

But without a lease, TCSAR was occasionally left locating the nearest “ship” via a cascade of phone calls to partners, such as the Forest Service. When every minute counts, longer waits mean higher stakes.

Cody Lockhart, chief advisor for TCSAR and a lifelong Jacksonite, has been with the organization for about 15 years.

“Every time we needed one, it was like banging on your neighbor's door, borrowing a lawnmower,” he said.

Now when the bell goes off or the phone rings, the pilot and the helicopter are there, ready.

It’s a new reality that’s unique to the region.

In Colorado, a state that responds to some of the most search and rescue incidents in the country, no volunteer search and rescue operations have their own helicopter, according to the Colorado Search and Rescue Association.

A representative from the organization said “it’s a money thing,” especially for those without a special foundation.

Teton County’s Search and Rescue Foundation, led by then-executive director Stephanie Thomas, was able to raise over $7 million in less than a year to buy their own custom-made search and rescue helicopter in its largest capital campaign ever.

“There are some economic realities to living in Jackson Hole,” Lockhart said, “The money was here and people were willing to come to the table and pony up.”

The organization flew 67 missions in the first year with the new ride – over double the number of trips in 2023.

But rescues themselves didn’t double. TCSAR just had the ability to help out other search and rescue operations without their own helicopter. About half of those missions were in partnership with Grand Teton National Park and the Jenny Lake Rangers.

In the first year, TCSAR has flown missions into Idaho, Colorado and Yellowstone National Park. Rescues outside the county, Lockhart said, happen only when the helicopter is not needed in the county. Others pay for use, like a business, which contributes to upkeep and maintenance.

“Taxpayers are paying for this helicopter one way or the other,” Lockhart said, “but it helps when we get federal dollars in there, not just county dollars.”

Lockhart said the helicopter not only helps Teton County, but the entire region.

“We definitely saved a bunch of lives,” he said.

Back on the launchpad, pilot Wilson slowly lifted the helicopter with a gust strong enough to knock someone from their feet. About 50 feet up, the helicopter leaned, turned and within a minute, became a speck.

A man wearing a puffy jacket stands in the front of the image looking off to the left. Behind him is Teton County Search and Rescue’s helicopter on a heliwagon pad.
Dante Filpula Ankney
/
Jackson Hole Community Radio
TCSAR helicopter pilot Steve Wilson opens the hangar door, preparing for training. Wilson flew the “ship” into Jackson in October 2023.

Wilson said the job is demanding. On duty, he stays 15 minutes away from the facility in case a call comes in. It’s risky at times, like flying in hazardous winter weather. But there are perks.

“I've been fortunate enough to fly in some of the most beautiful places on the planet,” Wilson said, “and there's no better place than here in the Tetons for me.”

Winter is the busiest time for TSCAR. No one is wishing for calls from the backcountry. But, inevitably, when they come in, the new blades will be there.

Dante Filpula Ankney comes to KHOL as a lifelong resident of the Mountain West. He made his home on the plains of Eastern Montana before moving to the Western Montana peaks to study journalism and wilderness studies. Dante has found success producing award-winning print, audio and video stories for a variety of publications, including a stint as a host at Montana Public Radio. Most recently, he spent a year teaching English in Bulgaria through a Fulbright Fellowship. When he isn’t reporting, you can find Dante outside scaling rocks, sliding across snow or winning a game of cribbage.

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