The Washoe County Sheriff's Office had a hand in rescue efforts after 15 people were caught in a deadly avalanche in the Castle Peak area.
Nevada County called on them for their search and rescue resources.
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam says, "So they call us putting in a request for our search and rescue team and all of their equipment to go up and assist in getting the six that had made contact and then helping them locate the other missing individuals."
They used various pieces of skiing equipment and their snow cat to help in the search.Â
He said that their team is primarily made up of volunteers.
"That team, like many other sheriff's offices, are all volunteers. And when that call came out at noon, they understand the importance. And they quickly grabbed all their equipment, recognizing the need. And they deployed. So that's the amazing thing I think really needs to be stressed besides a tragedy," says Sheriff Balaam.
They roughly had about a dozen search and rescue personnel, in addition to their supervisors, who assisted them.
The staging area was located in the Boreal Ski parking lot. It took the crew three hours to get up the mountain.
"So our biggest challenge was just getting there, and then once they got there, the extreme, volatile situation with possible new avalanches and unstable snowpack that you know, unfortunately, had just landed in the hills over the last couple of days, and the snowstorm. So as they started to deploy up the mountain, they were not only worried with the deep snow but also the high potential for additional avalanches."
The team came back at 4 a.m. after helping to rescue six people who were found injured.
They told us they had to come back because the avalanche danger remained high, and they were waiting for those extreme conditions to lower before continuing the search.
The Sheriff told us they will continue to help Nevada County in this search as long as they need assistance.
"We will be with them until this comes to a complete end and everybody is found and removed from the mountains."
He went on to say, "During these times of tragedy, jurisdictional boundaries go away. And so when a sheriff or a police chief puts out that call, just like in this one, this was across state lines. Everybody grabs the resources that they have, and they deploy because in the end it's about serving our communities."
The sheriff tells us that having a team like this that steps up to help save people's lives when needed is something he doesn't take for granted.
"The entire Sheriff's Office team is amazing. But when you talk again about search and rescue, knowing that we have people that are capable of urban searches, natural disasters, out in the rural extended missions, snow missions, and avalanches since we are in a winter or a mountainous area, for me, that makes me feel safe, that I know that I have the resources when our surrounding counties or states need that help."
Sheriff Balaam tells us that when tragedies like this happen, it's hard to have those conversations with friends and families.
"It is one of the most emotional situations anyone can be in because you have to look that family member or members in the eyes and say, 'We're not going to rescue now, we're moving to a recovery.' And for them, they know what that means. They know that the odds of their loved ones being alive still are minimal. And so they now have to deal with the emotions that anybody experiences when they find out a loved one has passed."
