MetaFilter posts tagged with rescue

First person video of a skier buried, then rescued from an avalanche.

maudlin — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:48:48 -0800

Not for want of a glove: first person video of a skier buried, then rescued from an avalanche. He also got very lucky to be honest. In the time that he's buried, you can hear his breathing already accelerate. The ruffling noise back and forth is his chest rising and falling and the noise that his jacket makes. The intermittent whimpering noise you hear is him trying to swallow and get some air since the avalung wasn't fully in his mouth and instead just to the corner of his mouth. Avalanche at 1:19. Blue sky and view of the rescuers starts at 6:07.

Bathtub IV

KokuRyu — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:28:31 -0800

Man swept out to sea, incident caught using tilt-shift miniturazing technique: Bathtub IV More Keith Loutit here.

Past the Point of Safe Return

rtha — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:36:36 -0800

In 1999, Dr. Jerri Nielsen was the only doctor in the winterover crew at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. While there, she discovered and treated her own breast cancer until she could be airlifted out. She died yesterday of breast cancer at age 57. Chemotherapy drugs were airdropped in July of '99, and with the help of specialists (via satellite) and fellow winterover crew members, who helped her biopsy her lump and administer chemotherapy, she began treatment as best she could. She was airlifted out at the earliest possible opportunity (it was only 58 degrees below zero). She wrote a book about her experience.

Out of their gourds without catnip

maudlin — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:05:00 -0800

Tigers and leopards and pumpkins, oh my! (Metacafe video, will autoplay on page load). So your little kittycat loves cantaloupe, eh? Then you should see how these rescued big cats descend upon the leftover Halloween pumpkins and assorted gourds distributed to them each year. (via)

I will make you fishers of men

benzenedream — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:56:32 -0800

"What began as a defensive movement by local fishermen has evolved into a complex amalgamation of banditry, organized crime, freebooting, and insurgency targeting all types of vessels from fishing trawlers to oil tankers." Somali pirates holding an American captain hostage were killed during a rescue yesterday. The lack of effective governance in Somalia allows massive vessels from Europe and Asia to decimate the local fish population, which may have forced Somali fisherman into piracy. Other ships use the Somali coast as a toxic waste dump. [previously]

The Pups of War

Dipsomaniac — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:16:50 -0800

Sergeant Pen Farthing of the Royal Marines likes dogs. So he rescued some. Then he founded a charity to try to rescue the rest.

How To Find Yourself In One Easy Step

scrump — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:33:44 -0800

Approximately two years ago, James Kim died after he and his family were stranded, snowbound, in their car on the Oregon coast (Previously, previously, and (selflink) previously). But what if he'd had a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)? PLBs are a subset of emergency locator transmitters, which have been in mandatory use on aircraft since 1973. Somewhat more recently, Mo Nickels posted in 2001 on the COSPAS-SARSAT program. Founded in 1982, it's still going strong twenty-six years later, as you can read in their reports on rescues. In 2003, PLBs became available for nationwide civilian use: prior to that time, only Alaskans could use them. According to ACR, a major PLB manufacturer, PLB use has exploded since the Kim tragedy in 2006. As of October, 2008, NOAA credits emergency beacons with helping to save almost six thousand people in the US and over twenty-four thousand people worldwide, including 236 people so far this year. You can rent them, you can buy them, and, most importantly, you can find out how well they work from the gearheads at Equipped.org. Finally, if you already own a PLB, you can register yours with NOAA.

"I wanted to hug him, for him to meet my son."

WolfDaddy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:23:15 -0800

"Girl, he died a hero with tons of people loving him." A jack-of-all-trades worker from Florida came to Houston to help clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, and was killed while trying to save three dogs on a freeway. At first, it seemed the man, while praised as a local hero, and receiving tons of support in death from animal lovers, would remain an unknown loner in death as he had been in life. Then a Google search and an exchange of e-mails led one Houston woman to the man's daughter, living in Pittsburgh. The young woman had been searching for her father for thirteen years.

Documentary about a rescue helicopter crew on their tour of duty in Afghanistan.

krautland — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:05:38 -0800

Above Enemy Lines (youtube 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) is a BBC Documentary about a RAF Chinook crew on their tour of duty in Afghanistan. Part 4 and 5 of the film deal with the crew attempting to rescue a wounded 19 year-old soldier from a combat zone.

Biker puppy rescue

Forktine — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:10:51 -0800

Awww-Filter: Tattooed bikers, puppies, and tiny kittens. What's not to love? The New York Times goes for a ride-along with Rescue Ink, complete with awww-inducing slideshow. You can see them on YouTube, too: TV news clip; MFA thesis clip; another thesis clip; visit to the shelter. More media clips available on their website. As the article mentions, and the website suggests, they have been focusing on branding along with the animal rescue — is a reality TV show next?

Princess Chunk - she ain't heavy, she's my fuzzy buddy

porn in the woods — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:31:53 -0800

Are you looking for a nice, big kitty to let into your heart? Princess Chunk, at 44 pounds, might fit the bill nicely. Just two pounds shy of the world's record, the pudgy kitty was roaming sans collar in Voorhees, NJ and is now in good hands at the Camden County Animal Shelter. Chunker's owners have until Saturday to claim their big pal - after that, this big quarterback of a kitty is ready for a loving home.

How to destroy 4,700 new cars?

allkindsoftime — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:31:32 -0800

Remember the FAIL boat (also prev)? Now Mazda's in the midst of trying to efficiently dispose of approximately $100 million worth of factory-new automobiles.

Wildlife rehabilitation videos

Upton O'Good — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:11:02 -0800

Wildlife rehabilitators take care of wounded or orphaned animals, nursing them back to health and preparing them for a life back in the wild. This leads to a lot of cute baby animal videos. (Roll over for descriptions.) On a more serious note, if you find an injured or orphaned animal, here are a collection of tips to follow; you can find a wildlife rehabilitator near you by searching here.

Saved By Jesus!

ShawnString — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:56:21 -0800

Saved By Jesus! Incrediable story out of the Arizona desert. I just feel really bad for the kid in all this. And wonder how both sides of the immigration debate will handle this.

Last Man Out!

augustweed — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:13:48 -0800

William Rodriguez gave a captivating presentation in Seattle on 11/07/07. William is believed to be the "Last Man Out" of the north tower of the World Trade Center alive, but not before reentering three times with the master key after the first plane impacted the north tower to help rescue a countless number of people. Here is an interview with William after the presentation. His Ricky Ricardo impersonation at the end is pretty good.

Teen saves life, with help from Mythbusters.

micketymoc — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:56:27 -0800

Paging asavage, congratulations are in order. Thanks to quick thinking and an episode of Mythbusters, 14-year-old Julian Shaw saves a man from death by train. "[As the train roared past] the noise pierced your ears and there was a suction that pulled us in… I'd seen that on MythBusters, so I stayed right back and pulled Mark back towards me."

Saving Lives at Sea

TwoWordReview — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:21:38 -0800

Join the volunteers and become a virtual crewmember of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by downloading the desktop pager. The pager can be set to monitor all stations in the UK and Ireland or just specific stations. If you had it running in 2006 it would have gone off 8377 times (PDF).

Save Me!

dersins — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:00:57 -0800

Top 10 rescue videos from the US Coastguard, which celebrated its birthday by announcing it has saved 1,109,310 lives in its 217-year existence.

"If you stop, you will die"

rom1 — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:10:24 -0800

Fifty years ago today, the bodies of Jean Vincendon and François Henry were finally being brought back to Chamonix. The two young mountaineers had set-off for the ascent of Mont-Blanc and found themselves blocked in an ice storm on their way down. A rescue team found them several days later, sitting on the glacier by temperatures of -30°C at 4000 meters of altitude. They were alive, photographed even, but could not be brought down and died later on, abandoned in the wreckage of the old Sikorsky rescue helicopter which had crashed beside them. The operation fiasco caused a total reorganization of the mountain rescue service in France.

At what cost?

googly — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 09:06:45 -0800

Rescuers plan biggest search yet, using helicopters, a C-130 aircraft, infrared equipment, and scores of volunteers to search for 3 climbers trapped on Mt. Hood. But at what cost in dollars and lives? A 1998 rescue of two climbers on Mt. McKinley cost $221,818. And Mt. Hood is no stranger to climbing accidents: in 2002, an Air Force helicopter crashed [youtube] while trying to rescue nine climbers swept into a crevasse. Is it time to revisit the debate over who should pay for dangerous, high-profile mountain rescues? [More inside]

Becoming A Lion In Winter

scrump — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:49:56 -0800

Making an emergency car kit for road trips, especially in winter conditions.

How to travel safely in winter.

What to do if you're lost.

How to survive in the wilderness, according to the US Army. How to build an igloo. How to make emergency snowshoes.

equipped.org reviews personal survival kits, provides the story of five people stranded within sight of one of the US's largest cities, and blogs on the topic of emergency survival. And, last but not least, the equipped.org forums weigh in on the Kim emergency.

Requiescat in pace, James Kim.

No Sweeping Exits Or Offstage Lines

fandango_matt — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:50:14 -0800

Horse Rescue in the Netherlands--after a heavy storm in October, 100+ horses were standed on a small island. Here's how they were rescued.Google video; alternate YouTube link. Warning: Vangelis music.

"I love my job, but I need a place to put those little things that cause breakdowns and burnout."

hindmost — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 13:26:34 -0800

"Ever since I got certified to perform euthanasias I have been having crazy dreams where basically I'm just killing everything. I don't really know how to deal with it." Tales of your Local Animal Shelter. Of particular interest is the four phases of rescue.

Stories Of Moral Courage

hortense — Wed, 17 May 2006 00:25:53 -0800

A Story of Survival. The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous was established to fulfill the traditional Jewish commitment to hakarat hatov, the searching out and recognition of goodness .

Missing man’s pack rescues lost hikers

445supermag — Thu, 11 May 2006 09:12:25 -0800

Allen, 24, and Brandon Day, 28, of Dallas, were in Southern California for a financial convention. They got lost Saturday west of Palm Springs after wandering off a trail during what was supposed to be a day hike. [On the third day] they discovered a campsite in a dead-end gorge. Day and Allen were elated, thinking someone there could help them find the way out. But something was wrong. A radio and flashlight were corroded. They realized the place was deserted. ``His last journal entry was one year ago to the day that we found it, which was very eerie,' Day said. ``Nobody knew where he was, nobody knew to come looking for him, so he was preparing for the end. We were looking at the words of a man who was passing.' The missing man was John Donovan, who had disapeared a year earlier while hiking the pacific crest trail. "Even in his death, he was helping people," Donovan's longtime friend, Chris Hook, said from Richmond, Virginia.