Thursday was a busy day on Vail Pass as crews from nearly a dozen different emergency response agencies gathered to practice joint search and rescue drills in a display of cooperative rescue tactics, as well as education for the public.
“Part of this is an awareness campaign, part of it is also an opportunity to work together,” Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek said Thursday from the popular backcountry area. “Accidents don’t recognize county lines. … We have to work with our partners and these are the ones with matching skill sets, so it’s a good opportunity to get to know each other.”