Lessons Learned: Reflecting on an Emergency Response in Big Sur
On March 30, 2024, our Wilderness First Aid class in Pfeiffer/Big Sur State Park wrapped up early with soaked students and wet gear from a torrential downpour on the Big Sur coast. One of the instructors and half the class drove north to dinner and accommodations in Carmel and Monterey. Along the way, six California Highway Patrol cruisers were seen racing south with lights and sirens.
After dropping wet equipment at the local fire station, the instructor received a phone call to check and see if everyone was okay. Okay? What happened? Turns out during the short drive north a slide undercut Highway 1 just south of the Rocky Creek bridge, the outer edge of asphalt crumbling down the cliffside. Highway patrol closed the road in both directions. This left the other half of the class and the assistant instructors trapped in Big Sur with no way to get out due to slides north and south of town.
While we have a Risk Management Plan for the Big Sur area, this incident gives a chance to reflect on how well it is working and improvements that can be made. Historically, we’ve dealt with medical emergencies, wildland fires, high winds, atmospheric rivers, and pre-existing rock slides in the weeks leading up to and during classes, but never one where half a class was stranded in Big Sur and the other half outside of the evacuation zone. Our real-life experience had all the hallmarks of every disaster incident: a lack of leadership, poor communications, limited accountability, and no access to information. Luckily, everyone was okay, and we’re able to use the experience as a chance to review our processes and learn.
Most emergencies start with denial. People think, “This can’t be happening to me,” or “It can’t be that bad.” We tried not to do this. Administratively, class was canceled so everyone could focus on evacuations. In some ways this was a tough sell because some students needed their certifications for work and were willing to keep going inside and out of the evacuation zone, but it was decided to prioritize getting everyone out and we would make up the class hours later. It was great to see such motivation but, through experience, we knew the window to evacuate could be short-lived.
Leadership and Accountability
“It was incredibly helpful for me to have John Taussig [BMG’s executive director] immediately begin the group text chain,” says lead instructor Emily Singer. “I had very spotty reception until I found a location and stayed put where I had good service. In retrospect, I think having this group chat pre-programmed in my phone prior to class would be super helpful for many reasons, not just in disaster situations.”
With the lead instructor out of the area, the assistants did a great job stepping up and keeping the administration apprised of the current situation and potential solutions. Having a point-person established at BMG was extremely beneficial to the situation, and thankfully John was in cell service and available. BMG is now developing an administrative protocol for events like this.
“I was hesitant to call John, hoping I could handle the situation on my own,” Emily says. “However, when I was unable to reach the ‘southern’ part of the class and my intel was telling me they might be trapped, I reached out to him. Had Mike Deleo [a fellow BMG instructor and CAL FIRE Battalion Chief] not called me, I don’t think the class would have known for quite a while that the road had slid.
“Additionally, after the fact, I had a lot of questions regarding responsibility—I felt guilty that I was on the other side and a sense of failure for leaving my students. Of course I couldn’t have known what was to come. If anything happened to any other instructor or student, I felt, as their primary instructor, they were my responsibility and I should advocate for them. It was a helpless feeling with the inability to communicate and not being physically at the same location as them.”
Communications and Information
Communications in Big Sur is tough on a good day with limited cell service, line of sight for radios, or satellite access in the steep canyons, and this incident was no different. Texting seemed to be the most effective resource.
“I was getting updates from Deleo and the first responders' debriefings,” says Emily. “Additionally, I was monitoring the California Highway Patrol traffic website, which was updated regularly. John also sent the link to Big Sur Kate’s updates, which were helpful.”
Furthermore, after class hours, accountability is tough because we don’t monitor students especially when they make their own arrangements for food and housing. A tally of those north and south of the slide had to be made, which took some time.
What did we learn?
Make sure all the instructors know the risk management plan before the class. We’ve emphasized the leader understanding the plan but realized all the instructors need access. It’s a good reminder that everyone needs to know the role of the person above and below. Our instructor meetings discuss what to do when everything is going right but will now include what to do when things go wrong.
Make sure students know expectations in an emergency as part of the class introduction. We have always talked about the real world hazards that will be encountered by students during a class but not thinking about external factors interrupting a class.
Create a rally point. Some locations have a formal written Emergency Evacuation Plan but we need to evaluate one for every class. If something happens “after hours” when we have no communications, students and instructors know to meet at location X to maintain accountability.
We are looking at ways to establish a group text before class.
We have been looking at risk management from the instructor perspective. They are often out of communication with the office so we were providing direction for them. We weren’t looking at it from the administrative point of view.
One of the things that went right was funneling information about evacuation times to the class. From the administrative side, we should have links to resources such as the Office of Emergency Services, State Parks, CHP, CAL FIRE, and Caltrans because, without the internet, the instructors would have to wait for the incident command to disseminate information.
A satellite phone, radio, or InReach would have been great. But, because of the prohibitive cost to buy one for every instructor, it would have been assigned to the lead instructor who, in this scenario, was no longer at the site. We are discussing the alternatives.
While Risk Management Planning has become an integral part of our Wilderness First Responder curriculum, this incident was a reminder that it is a living document not meant to be completed once only to die on a shelf. It is meant to be used, reevaluated, improved and ready for next time.
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