01/22/2001 03:45 PM Senate RES

                 SCR  1-AVALANCHE AWARENESS MONTH                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  announced SCR 1 to be up for consideration.   He                                                            
recommended  two amendments.   One was that  the resolution  be sent                                                            
the Governor, since he  declared the proclamation.  The other one is                                                            
to change "Major Randy Crawford" to "Colonel Randy Crawford."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. JERRY BURNETT, Aide to Senator Lyda Green, sponsor of SCR 1,                                                                
explained  that Major Crawford  had been  promoted to Colonel  after                                                            
the bill had been  drafted.  He noted that as many  as 14 people had                                                            
been killed  in a year in avalanches  in Alaska, although  this year                                                            
there has  been only  one.  They  hoped participation  in  avalanche                                                            
safety  programs would  increase  and that  it would  result in  the                                                            
saving of lives  in the winter. The Backcountry Avalanche  Awareness                                                            
Response Team  (BAART) brought the need for the resolution  to their                                                            
attention.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  noted that the misspelling of  Ms. Arthur's name                                                            
on page 2, line 4 was another  technical amendment and asked her how                                                            
it was spelled.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. AEDENE ARTHUR  gave him the correct spelling and  explained that                                                            
she got  started in this  movement because  she lost her son,  Aaron                                                            
Arthur, in  the Turnagain  Pass avalanche of  March 1999 along  with                                                            
five other  Alaskans.  She  was speaking on  behalf of the  recently                                                            
formed Mat-Su Emergency  Search and Rescue Council and BAART.  Their                                                            
three main goals are to  promote avalanche awareness and urge people                                                            
to have basic avalanche  gear of beacon, clothes, and a shovel. When                                                            
the Council united with  BAART, their goal became to collaborate and                                                            
coordinate  efforts in  education,  training, and  other efforts  to                                                            
help rescue efforts.  If  it weren't for volunteers, no matter where                                                            
people were  lost in Alaska, there  would be no searches.   She said                                                            
that in 1999 there  were 14 people killed in avalanches  and in 2000                                                            
there  were five.   It  is hard  to measure  progress  when you  are                                                            
measuring prevention,  but people  have reported to her that  others                                                            
are using  a beacon,  clothes,  and shovel.   The word  needs  to be                                                            
spread through all the  areas in Alaska that are prone to avalanches                                                            
so there are no  more injuries and death.  In the  long run it saves                                                            
money, because rescuers are not being sent out to help people.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 1654                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TAYLOR  moved to pass SCR  1 from committee with  individual                                                            
recommendations.   There were no objections  and it was so  ordered.