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JOSEPHINE COUNTY Josephine County emergency crews weather tough month Plane crash, drowning, fatal accident take a physical and emotional toll Comment By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Aug. 1, 2016 at 4:51 PM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Aug. 1, 2016 at 4:51 PM » Social News Deputy Cory Krauss, Josephine County Search and Rescue coordinator, worked 21 hours July 3, helping locate a father and son lost in the Marble Mountains of Northern California. People in the search-and-rescue business help their neighbors in other counties — even in other states. The next day, a plane carrying three Grants Pass residents crashed off the Southern Oregon coast, setting off a three-week search that isn't over yet, with one person's body still not recovered. A rafter drowned in the Rogue River canyon a couple of weeks later, requiring a back-breaking, 20-person recovery effort. It's been the roughest month in memory for Krauss, Sheriff Dave Daniel, Marine Deputy Ernie Fields, search-and-rescue divers, rope-team members and others in the department. "To say the least, it's been a nasty July, and the summer is not over," Daniel said. Until a three-day break earlier this week, Krauss had worked all but one day in July. It's about the same for Daniel and Fields, who also led a jetboat training class on the lower Rogue River in addition to all the water searches. "I know Cory's family at one point asked him how they could join Search and Rescue so they could be with their dad and husband," Daniel said. "They said that in jest, but that's the reality of it." Daniel also dealt with tragedy in at least two other incidents: an all-terrain vehicle crash that killed an Illinois Valley man and a motorcycle crash in which 19-year-old David Walker died in Daniel's arms. "Law enforcement work, whether it be in recoveries or on a day-to-day basis, you deal with bad things — often not happy things," Daniel said. "I don't know if people realize that's a component of what we do. Our people are incredibly driven, but it comes at a cost. People don't understand that. We've held critical incident debriefings with mental health people." It never seems to end on the river, either. On Wednesday, a wave of fear spread near Indian Mary Park that three people could have drowned, and Daniel jumped into that fray. Luckily, no one drowned. Daniel said he's blessed to have Krauss and Fields on the front lines. "Cory and Ernie are both incredibly skilled in their positions. It's fair to say (Ernie) is the No. 1 marine deputy in the state of Oregon. I'll say that with all truth. Cory is also incredibly organized and skilled, so the Sheriff's Office is so lucky to have retained that amount of knowledge and skill." As part of the search for pilot John Belnap, his son, Max, and friend Ryan Merker off the coast near Brookings, Daniel and Krauss maintained daily contact with the families during multiple trips to Brookings. "I received a fair amount of criticism for going over there," Daniel said. "Every time I've gone, I've made absolutely sure that we've had the personnel here to conduct the daily business that the sheriff does. I've never left this county short." Daniel said Lt. Travis Snyder led operations in the sheriff's absence. He said he was reluctant to use the county's dive team to look for the Belnap crash victims because John Belnap was a member of that team. "They were extremely determined to find that plane, in an effort to bring our boys home," Daniel said. "In fact, our dive team was the team that found the plane. They did it incredibly well and safely." Conditions were so turbulent at times that one of the dive team members surfaced after a long spell 50 feet down and vomited, Daniel said. "It's incredibly fatiguing," he said. The trip to Wildcat Rapids to retrieve the body of Mark Templeton of California involved two 14-hour days with long stretches of rowing. "It felt like I was running on adrenaline most of the month," Krauss said. "With the Belnap and Merker families, it was really hard. I had a personal connection there. I just stayed focused on finding them. I was over there eight or 10 days, and Ernie was over there five or six days." Daniel said everyone has had to bear down through difficult emotional times. "I'm not immune. We're all human. You just keeping going," he said. "The Sheriff's Office isn't going to quit. We're not going to stop," he added. "We rebound. Sometimes it takes time. All we ask for at the Sheriff's Office is support, and every now and then a thank you is good for the men and women who work here." Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]. By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Aug. 1, 2016 at 4:51 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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