On March 27, 2006, a 51-year-old man went missing in the Fortuna Mine area of Placerville. A one-day SAR started with a bare minimum of management—Cathy C. by herself for awhile, I think. No radios at first and some teams had to resort to FRS—Cherie B. did relay work. At some point all the Canine Teams were down searching the property. Paul D. did communications and Dan H. was Plans/Ops for awhile. That evening, the command post was moved away from local residences and under some power lines. The subject eventually showed up at a neighbor's house.
Several mounted team members attended but only one mule was brought out because there was no callout for the equines. Mounted members drove the roads, observed for OHV, worked with foot teams, and helped in management. My team included the mule and rider along with me. We made our way all the way down to Chili Bar from the subject's residence. Steep terrain, open mine shafts, and thick brush greatly inhibited the use of the Mounted Unit in the area. The subject's dog was happily running around the command post all day, having left his master to come home. The subject arrived at home the next morning.