HED: Answering the Call

(Dek: A small Washington County has a big search and rescue responsibility

Written by Gabriella Sgro

Photos by Maia Rosenthal

At the North Bonneville Firehouse in Skamania County, Washington, Jon Himes tossed the body of Rescue Randy in the bed of a red pickup truck. Randy joined an array of waterproof bags filled with cords, carabiners, and pulleys.

Himes and seven other volunteers loaded into two cars and went off-roading near the Bonneville Hot Springs. When they got to a trail with a steep dropoff, they strapped into harnesses and got ready to throw Randy off the side of a cliff.

Of course, Rescue Randy isn’t a real person. He’s a heavy vinyl manikin that has sustained over 100 simulated injuries during training sessions with the Skamania County Search and Rescue Team.

The Skamania County Search and Rescue team is available to the Skamania County community year-round. They train for all types of situations as they may be needed in any weather and at any time. Their mission is to respond to every call effectively and with urgency.

The advanced ropes training helps Skamania Search and Rescue members prepare for rescues with challenging terrain. This group of eight includes experienced team members as well as people who are newer to the ropes team, gaining hands-on experience in the field.

“We use [Rescue Randy] to simulate our subject that we’re going to go get,” Himes said. “We’ll just grab him and throw him off the edge.”

At the monthly advanced ropes training on April 20, Randy was the victim of a spinal injury. Volunteers practiced wrapping him up in a Sked Stretcher, tying secure knots, and rigging a pulley system between sturdy fir trees.

The Skamania Search and Rescue Team is one of the most active in the state of Washington, despite being in one of the least populated counties.

In 2025, the team received 43 calls for rescues and recoveries, compared to 28 calls in 2024.

Kent Krumpschmidt is the commander of the team and has been volunteering with them for 23 years. He said that there’s still times when he’s surprised by the circumstances clients get themselves stuck in.
“People seem to challenge Darwin on a daily basis,” Krumpschmidt said.

With the rise in outdoor emergencies, it’s never been more important to have a team of able-bodied rescuers who can drop it all, venture out into the wilderness, and be prepared for anything.

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