Heggie Travis W
University of North Dakota, Recreation and Tourism Studies Program, 225 Centennial Drive, Mail Stop 7116, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA.
Travel Med Infect Dis. 2008 Nov;6(6):355-61. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2008.07.002. Epub 2008 Sep 11.
Recreational travel to wilderness destinations such as national parks is increasing. The inherent risks present in such destinations can result in injury and illness, have a significant impact on local medical resources, and end with expensive search and rescue operations. In order to increase our understanding of the activities and situations which lead to wilderness search and rescue incidents, this study examines search and rescue operations from National Park Service units in Alaska.
A retrospective review of all search and rescue incident reports filed by National Park Service units in Alaska during 2002.
During 2002 there were 25 reported search and rescue incidents involving 38 individuals. The majority of incidents (19 of 25) occurred at Denali National Park and Preserve. Thirteen fatalities were reported in six incidents, nine incidents involved traumatic injuries, eight involved illnesses, and two involved both injuries and an illness. Mountain climbing (20) and hiking (8) were the most common subject activities at the time search and rescue assistance was required. Climbing solo (4), uneven and wet terrain (4), falls into crevasses (3), and a lack of experience or ability (3) were the factors most commonly contributing to search and rescue incidents. Nineteen helicopters were utilized in 15 operations and fixed-wing aircraft were utilized in seven operations. Males accounted for 33 of the 38 individuals involved in all search and rescue incidents and United States citizens accounted for 74% of the individuals involved. The mountain environment higher than 4500m was the most common search and rescue environment (11). The average cost was USD $6253.
Search and rescue operations in Alaska can be expensive and end with severe health consequences. Preventive education efforts at park visitor centers and at the lower and upper base camps on Mt. McKinley should be continued. In addition, pre-departure travel education efforts via the internet should be expanded for all park units and match the detail provided on the Denali National Park and Preserve website.
前往国家公园等荒野目的地的休闲旅行正在增加。此类目的地存在的固有风险可能导致受伤和患病，对当地医疗资源产生重大影响，并以昂贵的搜索和救援行动告终。为了增进我们对导致荒野搜索和救援事件的活动及情况的了解，本研究调查了阿拉斯加国家公园管理局各单位的搜索和救援行动。
对2002年阿拉斯加国家公园管理局各单位提交的所有搜索和救援事件报告进行回顾性审查。
2002年报告了25起搜索和救援事件，涉及38人。大多数事件（25起中的19起）发生在德纳里国家公园和自然保护区。在6起事件中报告了13人死亡，9起事件涉及外伤，8起涉及疾病，2起涉及受伤和疾病。在需要搜索和救援援助时，登山（20起）和徒步旅行（8起）是最常见的相关活动。独自攀登（4起）、地形不平和潮湿（4起）、掉入裂缝（3起）以及缺乏经验或能力（3起）是导致搜索和救援事件的最常见因素。15次行动中使用了19架直升机，7次行动中使用了固定翼飞机。在所有搜索和救援事件涉及的38人中，男性占33人，美国公民占涉及人员的74%。海拔高于4500米的山区环境是最常见的搜索和救援环境（11起）。平均成本为6253美元。
阿拉斯加的搜索和救援行动可能成本高昂，并以严重的健康后果告终。应继续在公园游客中心以及麦金利山的上下大本营开展预防教育工作。此外，应通过互联网扩大对所有公园单位的出发前旅行教育工作，并与德纳里国家公园和自然保护区网站提供的详细信息相匹配。
