Episode 107 · Jan Friedrichsen · February 8, 2026
Jan Friedrichsen talks about a life shaped by Humboldt, from campus days and trail work to years in search and rescue. She walks through how dog teams get called out, how they track people in the field, and what it takes to bring someone home safely.
Watch the conversation
What this episode covers
- Jan’s path to Humboldt and how she moved from student life into work around athletics, natural resources, and local land and trail projects
- Her role with Humboldt County Search and Rescue, including serving as commander and one of the team’s canine handlers
- How a call comes in, how the sheriff’s department triages it, and how volunteer teams get deployed
- The way trailing dogs work with scent articles, UTVs, drones, and air support to search for missing people
- How rescue work has changed over time, including more local cases, mental health crises, and human remains detection
- What happens when someone is found: keeping them calm, checking for injury, and helping them get out safely
Listen to 100% Humboldt on
Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Amazon Music · Buzzsprout
Transcript
Read full transcript
Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, it's Scott Hammond with the 100% Humboldt Podcast, with my new best friend, Jan Friedrichsen.
Scott Hammond: Hi, Jan.
Jan Friedrichsen: Hello.
Scott Hammond: How are you?
Jan Friedrichsen: I'm well, thanks.
Scott Hammond: Tell us the Jan story. What do you, what's your day job, and what do you do with Search and Rescue?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, I'm happy to say that I'm retired, yet I have a very full day job.
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, currently, uh, it is with Search and Rescue, the Humboldt County Search and Rescue
Jan Friedrichsen: team.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I'm the commander of the team, as well as one-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … of the two canine handlers.
Scott Hammond: So that's all under the County Sheriff's Department?
Jan Friedrichsen: They oversee us.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes, we are part of the Sheriff's Department, but the key is we get no money from the Sheriff's Department.
Scott Hammond: Ah. What do you wanna say to Billy Honsal about that?
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, interestingly enough, I just saw him yesterday.
Scott Hammond: What a nice guy.
Jan Friedrichsen: He is a great guy.
Scott Hammond: Yep. Hey, Billy. Everybody, everybody likes Billy. I don't know. I- that's probably not true.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm.
Scott Hammond: Let's say most everybody l- loves you, Billy.
Scott Hammond: So-
Jan Friedrichsen: He does the best he can, I'm sure.
Scott Hammond: Is he your boss necessarily, or are you just-
Jan Friedrichsen: Um-
Scott Hammond: … in the sense that he's over the agency that's over y'all?
Jan Friedrichsen: He… Yes, that's more of it. We, the Search and Rescue team works with the Special Services Department of the Sheriff's Department.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So that is a sergeant, Sergeant Gums, and three
Jan Friedrichsen: deputies-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … Willoughby and Norton and Hunter Etheridge.
Jan Friedrichsen: So-
Scott Hammond: I think I know Willoughby's parents.
Jan Friedrichsen: You do.
Scott Hammond: Ez- Ezzy and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep
Scott Hammond: … Carl?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes, you do.
Scott Hammond: Hi, Ezzy. She's great.
Jan Friedrichsen: Great people.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: She's super good friends and haven't seen them for a minute, but special folks. So, um, so you guys do rescue back country and water b- and bay as well?
Jan Friedrichsen: We do… I'm kind of involved in two search and rescue
Jan Friedrichsen: groups.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: One is the Humboldt County.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And the other is the California Rescue Dog Association.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Which is the certifying agency that many counties use for dog teams.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: S- it's one of the larger dog teams in the nation. I think I was trying to find the numbers. I think we're around 120 certified dogs.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, and that could be one dog that does two things.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: But, um-
Scott Hammond: Do you mean like
Scott Hammond: Daisy?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes, like my little black lab, Daisy.
Scott Hammond: There's Daisy. What a… Black labs are so g- We had a Jake that was amazing.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: He was part of our family, and then we had a son named Jacob, so. And there's Rowdy.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's-
Scott Hammond: Hey, Rowdy. What's up?
Jan Friedrichsen: … the border collie, Rowdy.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: Who owns, who owns Rowdy?
Jan Friedrichsen: Maya Conrad is Rowdy's handler and best friend.
Scott Hammond: Maya Conrad, hi. We knew that Maya was gonna come in the show, uh, verbally, 'cause Joni said, "Don't forget," Maya's part of your team, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: You're right, yeah.
Scott Hammond: And here's Shadow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And Shadow is our elder ambassador, uh, another one
Jan Friedrichsen: of, uh,
Jan Friedrichsen: Maya's dogs.
Scott Hammond: Wow. That's cool. So how does it, uh… Well, I guess we'll get into how it works. I wanna know how you got here. Where'd you grow up, and how'd you get to Humboldt?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Well, I grew up in the Bay Area in the '60s and '70s-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … in Foster City-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … which in those days was only 500
Jan Friedrichsen: homes.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's not like that anymore.
Scott Hammond: 500,000.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. It's, it's a whole different place, but-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, hindsight is that wasn't too bad of a place to grow up.
Scott Hammond: I bet.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, every summer I went to a summer camp for a
Jan Friedrichsen: month.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, so I got older. Um, my counselor said, "You know, Jan, you're gonna v- you might like Humboldt State as your college."
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so that, um, was the first seed that was planted.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so came up here and looked at it and looked at Davis and was like, "Uh, this is easy."
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: "It's gonna be Humboldt." So-
Scott Hammond: Parallel universe with you and my wife. I'm gonna use my prop 'cause I, I like to. So this is Humboldt County and Humboldt State, which is now Cal Poly Humboldt, whatever. It's true, is, uh, right up there in Arcata, California, not Arcadia-
Jan Friedrichsen: That's right.
Scott Hammond: … for you from LA. And for, uh… Anyway, so, um, yeah, Joni was gonna go to Davis and wound up at Humboldt State.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. So I came up to Humboldt in '78. Um, I think kind of like you, I was gonna be a range management
Jan Friedrichsen: major.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: But I quickly decided that probably wasn't for me-
Scott Hammond: Right
Jan Friedrichsen: … and I ended up with a degree in psychology.
Scott Hammond: Better.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, very helpful degree-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … but hard to find a job.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: So, uh, but towards the end of my undergraduate work, I got involved in athletic training and the athletic department.
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.
Jan Friedrichsen: So I graduated, took a semester off, came back, and just slid right into the athletic training room-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and ended up getting my master's in, uh, physical education, athletic training.
Scott Hammond: That's, that's where we know each other, 'cause I was a recreation major.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yep.
Scott Hammond: We're housed all in the same-
Jan Friedrichsen: Right
Scott Hammond: … area.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So yeah, parallel universes. Came up in '78 from San Diego and, uh, was a rec- I was gonna be an oceanography major, and then wildlife, and then I was going, "Oh, I, I'm really not very brilliant in sciences." So, so unless you're ready for chemistry, calculus, and physics, Scott, maybe you would do well as a liberal arts major. What do you say, partner? "Yes, sir. That sounds good."
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: So you play to, you play your hand.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: You play to your game. And I did, and, and I loved my, my degree at Humboldt. It's, it was a great experience.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Well, psychology, you use all the time.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, I really use it in trauma.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: So it's, that was handy, and it was also very handy as an athletic trainer. I traveled with the Humboldt State men's soccer team for several years.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then left that and went into a, started working for a private clinic.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then on my summers, I fished with my husband, who was a commercial f- fisherman.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow. Off of Trinidad or Eureka, Humboldt?
Jan Friedrichsen: All over.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: It was a salmon, we had a salmon boat, so-
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … we were, uh, California and Oregon. And then, uh, I-
Scott Hammond: Tough, tough work, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: It was hard, and I got mad when the athletes would say, "What'd you do this summer?" I said, "I commercial fished." He says, "What a fun vacation." And I went- "No, it was not a vacation."
Scott Hammond: You don't understand.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. But I did that for a while, and then I switched hats pretty significantly. I went into natural resources.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I did that for, oh, almost a decade.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: I ended at, uh, Natural Resource Division of RCAA.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I was their, uh, kinda contract manager, um, administrative assistant.
Scott Hammond: Where are they based? Are they here in Eureka?
Jan Friedrichsen: They're here in Eureka, right on G Street. Nice Victorian house.
Scott Hammond: Yes, the… Oh, the beautiful one.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: The huge one.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. They're- they do a lot of stuff.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, so the Natural Resource Division was a bit of an outlier.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, everything else tends to be more social service-
Scott Hammond: Right
Jan Friedrichsen: … type things. But, uh, that was the organization that was instrumental in the Hammond Trail.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: The, um, particularly the newer part.
Scott Hammond: You mean the Hammond Trail?
Jan Friedrichsen: Y- yeah, that's it.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Do you know that I'm, I'm related?
Jan Friedrichsen: I've heard the story.
Scott Hammond: Oh, oh, you have.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh-huh.
Scott Hammond: Okay, so I can't BS my way.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh-huh.
Scott Hammond: I o- I often try it with new friends. So my great-great-great-grandfather, Andrew Hammond, which is the name of the guy that started Hammond Lumber, the Hammond Trail, the Hammond Bridge, the Hammond railroad line. Uh, w- true guy, real, real fella, and, uh, I guess he had kind of a mixed bag. He was actually kind of cool and ruthless. I don't know what that means.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: But he had the biggest holdings, holding of redwood. He had a redwood monopoly in, in America, and they sold it in the d- uh, the… What do they call it when they break a monopoly? They break a monopoly.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Anyway, no relation.
Jan Friedrichsen: Hmm.
Scott Hammond: If Joni was here, she'd be going, "No." She always waves everybody off
Scott Hammond: on that.
Scott Hammond: Anyway, um, so natural resources with RCAA, what did you– What were their resour- What did you manage or oversee?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, we did, um, a number of trails.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, the Hikshari.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And this was in the
Jan Friedrichsen: early 2000s.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: From about 2000– Well, actually 2006 through '12 or '13.
Scott Hammond: 'Cause Hammond Trail's beautiful. You guys, you g- Were you guys solely responsible, or?
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, no, no. We were, uh, we provided the, um, the labor, uh, CCCs. We hired CCCs through-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … for the summer.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it was the multi-use part on Murray and that whole-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … section there.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, that was a big project.
Scott Hammond: I bet.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then, uh, upgrading the stuff around Hiller Park-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … by the, uh,
Jan Friedrichsen: river.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, all sorts of different projects like that.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then things that Jen Rice worked on
Jan Friedrichsen: with-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, safe routes to schools, walkability things, so.
Scott Hammond: Jen Rice is a name.
Jan Friedrichsen: She sure is.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Is she the-
Jan Friedrichsen: She's a great person.
Scott Hammond: What does she do?
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, she helps people.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: She's gone into consulting on her own.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, haven't been in touch with her for a while, but it sounds like she's keeping herself busy.
Scott Hammond: She's on my, uh, list from Julie Fulkerson.
Jan Friedrichsen: All right.
Scott Hammond: My pr- my, uh, unofficial producer.
Scott Hammond: Hi, Julie. Yeah, I heard Jen Rice, heard, heard her name a couple times now.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, she– it was instrumental. She was probably one of the top five people that got the Bay Trail done.
Scott Hammond: Really? Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Which is no small thing.
Jan Friedrichsen: It was no small thing. 20 years.
Scott Hammond: It's such a cool thing, too.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's a great thing.
Scott Hammond: My wife Joni rides it pretty much weekly from Dows Prairie to sometimes the power plant.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: But at least to Dick Taylor Chocolates. Oh, wait. Dick Taylor Chocolates.
Jan Friedrichsen: There you go. Yep.
Scott Hammond: Slid that right in there. Got it.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: Got it.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's usually our turnaround spot, too, is Dick Taylor.
Scott Hammond: She has to stop there and get, like, a $27 mocha.
Scott Hammond: So. Love you, hon. Just kidding. I know that they're good. Um, she's turned me on to some of, some of their Mexican mochas. Just so good. So, um, so tell me more. So what, what after RCAA?
Jan Friedrichsen: So after RCAA, I, um, retired.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, during that time, I s- I had my first search and rescue dog.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So I was with the Humboldt Sheriff. At that time, it was called the Posse.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, now it's called Search and Rescue. Posse became a little antiquated and wasn't a good description of who we were-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and are.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um,
Jan Friedrichsen: so right about when I retired, I lost my first search dog.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's very special one.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so I got another one.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, started training Gracie. Um, it takes a tremendous amount of time, about two years before you're ready to even certify.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And because we're so remote, I was the only dog handler up here, which meant I traveled every month.
Scott Hammond: A lot, I bet, yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep, a lot.
Scott Hammond: Where would you go? Bay Area, or?
Jan Friedrichsen: Often over towards Mid-Sierra, Auburn-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … Chico.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: That, that area-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … where, um, other carta handlers were, and it just let me realize that it really does take a village to-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … do what we do.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, it is difficult. The– And I will say that the neat thing for me is when I was 40 with my first dog, that she taught me my passion.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, it's– I was that age when I realized this
Jan Friedrichsen: is– I get it. This is what makes me really happy.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so, um, that's what's on her little tombstone.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: Is the dog that taught me my passion.
Scott Hammond: That's really neat.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. So I, I-
Scott Hammond: Like that
Jan Friedrichsen: … worked with, uh, Gracie and, um- Got a bit of property, and then I was, been active in the, um, sheriff's search and rescue team, not to the level that I am
Jan Friedrichsen: now.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And also active in the community. Uh, my husband and I were founder, founding members of the Jacoby Creek Land Trust.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then now we're quite active with-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, the North Coast Regional Land Trust.
Scott Hammond: So they're, they're kind of sister organizations or-
Jan Friedrichsen: Um-
Scott Hammond: They're different, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, the regional land trust is much larger-
Scott Hammond: Right
Jan Friedrichsen: … and s- oversees quite a bit more.
Scott Hammond: Been to a couple of their events and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … think we're members and…
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Their, their Boots to Birkenstocks is a great event.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah, they're, they do a lot of… And I know about you guys. So, uh, search and rescue, is that, are you sort of on call then?
Jan Friedrichsen: We are on call 24/7.
Scott Hammond: Okay. Is it all volunteer for you?
Jan Friedrichsen: It is all volunteer.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um-
Scott Hammond: And you're not on horseback. We've talked about that before the show.
Jan Friedrichsen: Right, not on horseback. Our team, we have got, our local team has about 22 active members, and, um, we have a ground unit-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … which basically everybody is a part of.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then we have a marine unit.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, we've got three boats, and then we also work, we work very closely with the sheriff's department.
Scott Hammond: Would it mostly be in, in like the mud zone inside the
Scott Hammond: bay?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, we worked on the floods in the beginning of the year.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, we, we do drownings-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … rivers. So there really is no place
Jan Friedrichsen: we don't go.
Scott Hammond: Even offshore?
Jan Friedrichsen: We're typically not called for those.
Scott Hammond: That's usually Coast Guard-
Jan Friedrichsen: That's Coast Guard
Scott Hammond: … territory, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep. Yep.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. So l- walk- walk me through one.
Scott Hammond: So I'm, I'm hiking with Joni. We're lost. We're up in the Yolla Bollys or-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … whatever.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Um, what… And somehow you get a signal that we didn't come home to McKinleyville. What, what, what kind of, f- for example, what happens?
Jan Friedrichsen: So s- there's a number of ways that the sheriff's department is notified.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: It would be, it could be, say, for, we just had one recently, that somebody had an InReach, the GPS-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Jan Friedrichsen: … tracker kind of thing-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and they pushed it, and that InReach goes right to the Office of Emergency Service.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, the law branch-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … which our dog team works under as well. And they then contacted the county that that ping
Jan Friedrichsen: came from.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so at that point, it goes to the sheriff's department-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and then it goes directly to our special services that oversee search and rescue. And they do, uh, the deputies do, uh, a quick assessment and say, "Is this really gonna be a search-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … or is it,
Jan Friedrichsen: you know-
Scott Hammond: False alarm
Jan Friedrichsen: … it's, or it's something they can handle themselves.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So if it is a search, um, a text goes out to everybody, and, um, with a brief description and when we're-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … leaving and who to contact. And then, um-
Scott Hammond: Kind of a rendezvous point at that point?
Jan Friedrichsen: Right.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And depending on the situation, sometimes it's not until the next
Jan Friedrichsen: morning-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … or sometimes it's within two hours. It, it is, it is an emergency, but it doesn't happen quite as fast as-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … sometimes people would like.
Scott Hammond: On television.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: There's a lot of moving parts-
Scott Hammond: Right
Jan Friedrichsen: … that have to all, you know.
Scott Hammond: Imagine you have to do it right to get it…
Jan Friedrichsen: You do it right, it works right.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so we, and I would say 90% of our memberships at least works half-time.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Most of them are full-time employed-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … as well as, um, volunteering for this.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So it depends on what day the search falls on and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … who's available, and people will take time off.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, people's bosses are really understanding. It's a great cause.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: It costs those lost people nothing. We don't charge for our services.
Scott Hammond: Unlike subcounties might for law enforcement might have a fee.
Jan Friedrichsen: I'm not, I don't th- I'm not aware of any county that really, um-
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Charges a-
Scott Hammond: So, so back to our scenario, our story. Joni and I are lost. Help, we're lost.
Scott Hammond: Uh, it's late at night, so y'all saddle up in the morning. So what does that look like? Get to a rendezvous point. I imagine there's on f- on foot, and then horseback and ATVs?
Jan Friedrichsen: We don't use horseback.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: We use, um, now we use UTVs-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … 'cause we can move more people quickly.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so we'll get teams out into, um, different areas where it seems like the ping or whatever information we have, where the missing person or people
Jan Friedrichsen: could be.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And we get multiple teams out. Um, typically, we try to get the dogs out first.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then each dog handler has at least one or two people with
Jan Friedrichsen: them.
Scott Hammond: So would Daisy go in front of you, or would she be kind of out alongside, or would
Scott Hammond: she-
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, Daisy is a trailing dog.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So if we knew Scott Hammond was missing-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and typically we would know where your car was-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … where the trailhead is.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Jan Friedrichsen: I'd go to the car and, uh, get a scent article, and I can get it a number of ways-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … that smells just like you.
Jan Friedrichsen: And-
Scott Hammond: Break the window and get clothes
Jan Friedrichsen: Fortunately, I don't need to do that.
Scott Hammond: Good.
Jan Friedrichsen: I can get, I can get s- scent off-
Scott Hammond: This is law enforcement
Jan Friedrichsen: … yeah, off your car, you know?
Scott Hammond: Okay. Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, you're probably the only one that fills your tank up with gas.
Scott Hammond: Right. Good one.
Jan Friedrichsen: So I take a gauze pad and rub that.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And there's my scent article.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, so I give that to her. She picks up where you go, and I'm on a 20-foot line behind her, and off we go.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: So now we've gotten which direction you went.
Scott Hammond: So she could pick up a scent from a day or two before?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Whoa.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, I'm confident that we, well, we test, um, for 48-hour-old trails in the wilderness.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So two nights. And-
Scott Hammond: That's just outstanding, really, when you think of it
Jan Friedrichsen: It is humbling to watch these dogs work.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, 48 hours.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so we'll get going and it's like, okay, looks like they went down this trail. So I'll call Maya, whose dog works loose and just looks sh- Rowdy looks for any live person.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So I said, "Maya, it looks like they went down this way." She'll get in a UTV. They'll move her further-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … down and then they'll deploy.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And typically, uh, it's the area dogs, which Rowdy is, that find the people.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And the neat thing is it's still a team effort.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's not about who finds them, it's that they are found.
Scott Hammond: Right. It's not Where's Waldo.
Jan Friedrichsen: No.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: No.
Scott Hammond: So, um, UTV like a Polaris, like a little-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … side by side?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: They're called a number of things.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, and then we just jump off and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and off we go.
Scott Hammond: 'Cause there's a lot of logged roads, so you can take those-
Jan Friedrichsen: Right
Scott Hammond: … probably a lot of places.
Jan Friedrichsen: Right. And then while that's all going on, um, there's a drone up. We've got, you know-
Scott Hammond: Wow, that's a-
Jan Friedrichsen: … a couple… Yeah. Our deputies are very good drone operators.
Scott Hammond: Got the drone folks.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then if it becomes a multi-day or gets more complicated, we'll bring in, um, air
Jan Friedrichsen: support-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … from Sacramento.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: From, Butte County has a couple helicopters.
Scott Hammond: Just to patrol around and look.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, a certain, uh, one of the planes out of Sacramento has some special, um, equipment on it that can-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … pick up heat and movement and-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … stuff like that.
Scott Hammond: So would it ever go to satellites?
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, well, we are kinda using satellites when we're using our,
Jan Friedrichsen: um, our navigation systems.
Scott Hammond: I guess you are, yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, and I can't answer that question.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, I think it could be, uh, I'm sure it's a capability, but I think currently what we're working-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … with is more than sufficient.
Scott Hammond: So if Obama got lost in the wilderness, we're gonna reposition a satellite probably, if he's somebody that's im- super important.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, that's above our pay grade.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, we- Somebody else would make that phone call.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Daisy would find him way before.
Jan Friedrichsen: Right. I, I would hope so.
Scott Hammond: Anyway. Well, that's, that's … So, so, um, Maya's up front, and here comes
Scott Hammond: Rowdy, and somehow we're gonna
Scott Hammond: get found.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, so what typically happens is, um, Rowdy's way ahead of Maya.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: My first dog did the same thing that Rowdy did, and, uh, Bama found somebody and they were a quarter mile away from where I was.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: So Bama got the scent and off she went, and, um, found him, turned around, and came all the way back
Jan Friedrichsen: and told me-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … by sitting right in front of me.
Scott Hammond: And then walked you back.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then she had to take me back.
Scott Hammond: Wow. So Lassie is real.
Jan Friedrichsen: They are. They are.
Scott Hammond: Although probably very staged on that one, but-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … how many Lassies were there?
Scott Hammond: There are several, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: Probably.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Remember watching that, so dating ourselves here.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Wow, what a great story. So they get found and then you, um, you mentioned trauma. So I imagine folks that get found are traumatized to some degree inst- well, upon, upon discovery. But how do you… What- what's that process? So-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. So there's a new term, newer term in search and rescue and wilderness medicine, maybe medicine in
Jan Friedrichsen: general-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … is, uh, m- mental health first aid.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And-
Scott Hammond: Like it
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, so that's a really important part as far as keeping somebody calm.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, I've been on over 100 searches, and there have been very few that there was a significant injury.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, so it's mostly getting them warm, getting them
Jan Friedrichsen: fed-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … getting them calmed down, and then assessing at the same time, can they walk out?
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Do we need to get them airlifted?
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And just, um, uh, confront the situation with what it's, what's there-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and to, for us to stay calm.
Scott Hammond: Yep.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh- … it's exciting when you find somebody.
Scott Hammond: I bet. I bet it's really refreshing-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … and rejuvenating, especially for them. Um, so airlifting meaning like a helo would pull somebody up in a-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Huh. So do– I remember watching a movie that most people that get lost don't, they die
Scott Hammond: of shame. Uh, I mean, it's an overstatement from Anthony Hopkins and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … what's the movie? The Edge.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: With the bear in Alaska.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Is there, do people kind of freak out in terms of just, like, they just feel awful
Scott Hammond: about getting lost? Or is that-
Jan Friedrichsen: No
Scott Hammond: … or are they just happy to be found?
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, there's been a mix, and search and rescue's changed a lot through the 20-plus years I've done it. When I started, we didn't have GPSs. We didn't have-
Scott Hammond: Right
Jan Friedrichsen: … all that kind of stuff. Map and compass and a paper map is what we had.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: The types of people that were getting lost or that we were looking for were a little bit different. Um-
Scott Hammond: Hmm. How so?
Jan Friedrichsen: Some overdue loggers, for instance.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, a fair amount of that would happen.
Jan Friedrichsen: Either-
Scott Hammond: They just get lost in the woods?
Jan Friedrichsen: They didn't get lost. They were injured.
Scott Hammond: Oh, okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: They were either out there by th- or there, something happened to their truck.
Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.
Jan Friedrichsen: So that was kind of a common thing, too. Something happened to their truck and they couldn't get back.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, we would go out and, out and find them.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: We don't have that now anymore.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, we have certainly have more, uh, situations where, um, unstable mental health-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … is an issue.
Scott Hammond: So somebody went backpacking and flipped out?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, or somebody local. We do a lot of local stuff.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: They've left their home and-
Scott Hammond: Took a walk.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep, and they've either had a psychotic break-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … or you've got a dementia patient.
Jan Friedrichsen: But, um-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … so that's where the
Jan Friedrichsen: Training of-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … that mental health first aid is really important.
Scott Hammond: So you go up outside of Fieldbrook somewhere and find somebody.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Probably a lot easier than the wilderness areas in some ways.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes, if they wanna be found.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, sometimes people don't wanna be found.
Scott Hammond: How about drugs? People OD on drugs and just flip out and-
Jan Friedrichsen: That, that can be, too.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, but I will say the sheriff's department is very careful on what they send our volunteers to.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Everything, if it's not safe, we don't go.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha. So they'll, they'll take that job.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep, yep.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, the other thing-
Scott Hammond: S-
Jan Friedrichsen: … that our dogs do, um, unfortunately we do more of this-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and it's the dark side, is w- they're also human remains detection dogs.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: So if somebody's missing and has been missing for a long time-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … we can send our dogs in.
Scott Hammond: So they're, they can smell cadavers.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes.
Scott Hammond: Wow, that is super useful.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's very useful.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it brings-
Scott Hammond: Way to find those folks
Jan Friedrichsen: … it brings closure to the family.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's, uh, it's tough, but, and it's very, it's hard for the
Jan Friedrichsen: dogs-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … 'cause it's intense for them as well.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: But, um, it's fascinating on the scientific side of it.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: The dog handling side of it.
Scott Hammond: So my wife's a hiker, and my concern is always, not like it used to be, like Arcata forest used to have a little bit more of a creep
Scott Hammond: factor. Um, how much violence is done in, at the backcountry that is related to search and rescue, would you… Do people go out and
Scott Hammond: get violent?
Jan Friedrichsen: I don't, I can't recall any-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … anything like that.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Obviously, some of the human remains stuff we do has got a, a criminal nexus to it.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Jan Friedrichsen: But as far as people getting lost and we're looking for a missing
Jan Friedrichsen: person-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … it's typically not a violent thing that's-
Scott Hammond: S-
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, somebody went hiking. It's, I would, I don't have the numbers, but I think it's more a-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … a mental health and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … maybe somebody wasn't doing well, and they said, "I'm gonna go for a hike."
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then get turned around or…
Scott Hammond: Would the cannabis industry play into any of the, this discussion in terms
Scott Hammond: of missing people or crime or c- crime adjacent?
Jan Friedrichsen: All that. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: All that.
Scott Hammond: The term of grant that did something terrible or who knows.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. And oftentimes when we're called in, um, and it's, it's frequently the K9 team-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and a couple other people, we don't need a whole bunch of, uh, team members.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: We are briefed with the need-to-know type
Jan Friedrichsen: of thing.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: I don't need to know the whole story behind-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Jan Friedrichsen: … this. And quite frankly, when you do as many as, as I've done-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … I don't wanna know the whole story.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Jan Friedrichsen: I wanna find them, and I wanna bring closure to their family.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: But I don't wanna know.
Scott Hammond: You did your part.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I like that, and to walk away.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: That's, uh, that's really cool and humble and good. And probably mental health stuff for yourself.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, we really take care of one another.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Yep, we found the body. It's over there.
Scott Hammond: It's, everybody's wrapping up. Let's go.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Some are definitely harder than others.
Scott Hammond: Oh, I bet.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Especially with probably young people or whatever.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Um, wow, thanks for sharing all that. Hey, let's talk about Humboldt.
Jan Friedrichsen: All right.
Scott Hammond: But before we do, it's quiz time. Oh, Nick, there's my bell. So this is, uh, for a Dick Taylor black fig bar.
Jan Friedrichsen: Ooh.
Scott Hammond: I think I'm gonna have it right now.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm.
Scott Hammond: Uh, actually my favorite, 72% Tanzania dark chocolate black fig. Can be yours, Jen, if you answer the questions to my liking. Just kidding. Um, f- question number one ,
Scott Hammond: who are you and what do you want?
Jan Friedrichsen: I am a community member-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … of Humboldt County, and what I want is to continue to help make Humboldt what it is.
Scott Hammond: Good answer. Love that. Question number two
Scott Hammond: . What would you like to see in the future for Humboldt County?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, now that I'm getting older, one of the top things on the list is better
Jan Friedrichsen: healthcare.
Scott Hammond: Ah. Top priority.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, with that, where we are really, I think, heading in a good direction is more outdoor… I mean, Humboldt County has a ton of outdoor activities.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: But that Bay Trail, that's amazing.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And just to continue to build that out-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and, um-
Scott Hammond: Go to Blue Lake.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … Annie and Mary.
Jan Friedrichsen: Annie and Mary. Um, go a little bit further north.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, just make it s- And I think kind of with that, and the other thing is just, uh, we're such a welcoming county in general. I mean-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Jan Friedrichsen: … I, I travel all over working in different places.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And the sense of community that Humboldt has is-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Jan Friedrichsen: … uh, outstanding.
Scott Hammond: It's a recurring theme here.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Of a lot. Yeah. It's, it's magical. So we could extend the trail up to Trinidad, or at least to Moonstone-
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … a little bit. We could extend out, of course, to Blue Lake, to downtown Blue Lake. And then south, I guess we could go to what, Lolita, and then down even into
Scott Hammond: Fortuna.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Rio Del Scotia, and-
Jan Friedrichsen: It'd be nice to have an easy way to get to CR, I think, and that's getting closer.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. That'd be good.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: And Lolita, I think they were talking about it being the launch point for the Great Redwood Trail someday.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yep.
Scott Hammond: There's ice cream at the trailhead.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's right.
Scott Hammond: It's pretty good.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: What's up, you guys? Uh, yeah, no, we were just down there. It was fun. Took, took the kids from, and grandkids from Medford and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Nice
Scott Hammond: … and Lolita's just a cool town.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Now it has Luisa's Mexican food.
Scott Hammond: Same-
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, good
Scott Hammond: … same one as these guys up here.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Good.
Scott Hammond: All right, shout out. All right, question number three . You get the day off, 12 hours to be with your sweetie, do whatever you want in Humboldt Money's not even in question. What do you, how do you spend your 12 hours time off?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, it's gotta start with- … a dog walk that is also a bird
Jan Friedrichsen: walk.
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, my husband's very active in, uh, Audubon
Jan Friedrichsen: Society.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: He's a docent at the marsh, Arcata Marsh.
Scott Hammond: You must know Gary Bloomfield.
Jan Friedrichsen: He does?
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, we do.
Scott Hammond: He used to work with Gary.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: What a nice man.
Jan Friedrichsen: He's a great guy. Great artist.
Scott Hammond: And a good artist, yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And a good birder, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: So we would do-
Scott Hammond: That's all the, uh, what is it called, Godwit Days?
Jan Friedrichsen: Godwit Days.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, he helps just with a number of, of things.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, yeah, he's a great guy, so we-
Scott Hammond: Hi, Gary
Jan Friedrichsen: … we do that, and then, uh, we might go up to Big Lagoon and pump up our inflatable kayak that could hold two
Jan Friedrichsen: dogs, and-
Scott Hammond: Whoa
Jan Friedrichsen: … up until three weeks ago we had two dogs.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and, uh, go paddle.
Scott Hammond: Fun.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then, uh-
Scott Hammond: Must be a big kayak.
Jan Friedrichsen: It's- … uh, not a real big kayak.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I have one small dog-
Scott Hammond: Ah
Jan Friedrichsen: … and one medium-sized dog.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: We all could, we all could fit, but-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … nothing more. And then we'd, uh, either have a picnic there or maybe go to
Jan Friedrichsen: Laripen.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, maybe go down to Renata's.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, nice dinner, and, uh-
Jan Friedrichsen: … go home and
Jan Friedrichsen: relax.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: We call that quiet night in.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: We, we like the quiet night in. Uh, last question. What do you, uh, what's life-giving and what is soul-crushing for you,
Scott Hammond: Jan?
Jan Friedrichsen: Life-giving is kind of what passion is.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And for me it is, uh, working with the dogs that I work with-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … not just mine, but many, many others.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And the gift that not only do they give the handlers, but they give their community.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And that is, uh, really, really rewarding and-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … fulfilling in many ways. The hard things, I think now in particular, is just the lack of people communicating well with one another.
Scott Hammond: Hmm, well said.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. We'll talk about that later. I wish everybody wants the answer to that one. It's like, why, why are we not talking?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: 'Cause can't hear you. I don't… Are you talking? Yeah, it's sad. Well, hey, um, what's not sad is the fact that you are a proud owner of a, um, a black fig. This is my favorite one, by the way.
Jan Friedrichsen: Ah, it's Gary's favorite too.
Scott Hammond: So cong- congratulations.
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, thank you. That's great. And the nice sailboat on the, on the-
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Great guys. They're super-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … super kind. Um, love those guys. Oh, you know who else I love? Quality Body Works.
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, we go there.
Scott Hammond: Ross. Ro- yeah, yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Unfortunately.
Scott Hammond: Been, been there. Yeah, Ross is… Fortunately, unfortunately. He just, uh, stepped down from two years at the, uh, Eureka Chamber. He was the president.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's great. Good for him.
Scott Hammond: Great guy.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: His wife's a bodybuilder. Got to meet Alex the other day. She's super kind, and I have this 21-year-old that wants to get into
Scott Hammond: it.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: So she, kinda picking her brain. So, uh, let's, let's move on.
Scott Hammond: Um, talk about, uh, legacy for a minute. What do you wanna be remembered for?
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, I would like to be remembered for someone that gave more than they took.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I feel like now, at least the trajectory I'm on, that's happening. You know, I work with, like I said, a number of dog teams.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: I, uh, instruct. I go around Oregon, Washington, teaching a little bit in the summertime.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, mostly to make search and rescue dogs better.
Scott Hammond: Wow. Kind of paying it forward a little bit.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I like it. Yeah, I feel that way, too, a little bit.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Little bit more.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, it feels good.
Jan Friedrichsen: I like to share the importance of community, you know? Teams will come up to Humboldt County for me to evaluate-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and Maya and I to help them with some things.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And for instance, we'll go to, we live in Arcata, and we'll go to Murphy's there at Sunny Brae.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And I know the checkers. They know me.
Scott Hammond: The deli guys.
Jan Friedrichsen: And-
Scott Hammond: Gals
Jan Friedrichsen: … you know, yeah, we always see people we know.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And friends from the Bay Area, they're, they're, they don't even, they don't get it.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: I mean, that may, that's so foreign to them-
Scott Hammond: They're going to Whole Foods where it's a-
Jan Friedrichsen: That you, yeah
Scott Hammond: … giant
Jan Friedrichsen: … that you're, you're just another person. And I share that with them just so they can get that little snippet-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … of this is what a community really-
Scott Hammond: That's cool
Jan Friedrichsen: … really is.
Scott Hammond: I like that. We go to Trinidad Murphy's 'cause we do our date night up on Camel, on Scenic Drive and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, nice
Scott Hammond: … and Trinidad has the same vi- vibe. A couple more tourists.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm.
Scott Hammond: And a couple of Trinidad people, but just down home. Know my man at the deli, call my order in, and it's like, yeah, it's fun.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yep.
Scott Hammond: See, you know, kind of see some of the people at Moonstone Crossing or-
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … just, "Hey, there's Terry, the mayor of Trinidad."
Jan Friedrichsen: Right.
Scott Hammond: And we have all that. And it's funny, we take all that stuff for granted, right?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: And people in the Bay Area go, "I haven't seen the same person in the store in five years," 'cause it's always this.
Jan Friedrichsen: And they don't look.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, they learn to not look.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: We look, you know? That's the difference.
Scott Hammond: Hopefully we do. We slow down enough to-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … pay attention.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, checkers will say, I'll get like a piece of sausage from the
Jan Friedrichsen: breakfast-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … thing and go, "Oh, you're training the dog this morning, huh?" And you go-
Scott Hammond: I like it
Jan Friedrichsen: … "Yep."
Scott Hammond: So I wanna cycle back to training, uh, training Daisy, and what, what you did to go back and forth from, say, Chico, and, uh, what goes into the training of a dog a- to make it, to make
Scott Hammond: her amazing?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, it, most people will get a dog as a puppy.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, Daisy, for me, I got, I rescued her at six months old.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: I, I adopted her at six months. Somebody had her, and it was way too much dog.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So often the dogs that we are using are not dogs people would like to have in
Jan Friedrichsen: their home.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: They're very high drive and can be a fair amount of maintenance.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So you start with, it's a game. You start developing your relationship. That's the most important thing.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, with her, with trailing, I would just put little treats out and-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Jan Friedrichsen: … just build from that. And as she got better and she needed new people to find or-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … a different, a different location-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … I'd head over to Chico and meet with the two handlers over there and say, "This is where we are," and they say, "Okay. We'll set you up just what you need."
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, so instance last week, last weekend, uh, Daisy and I are getting ready to recert- we have to recertify every two years.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And we need to recertify our cadaver test, so I called up a friend in Auburn and say, "Hey, can you set up a mock test for me? And we'll come over, and we'll run that."
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: "So I can see, make sure w- everything's, we're doing just fine, and then I've got two weeks to fix anything."
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so we went over there, and she set it up. Daisy ran it. She found two things on an acre in four minutes. I said, "I think we've got this."
Scott Hammond: Go Daisy.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And then, uh, I asked a friend to set up an urban trail-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … uh, the next day in Nevada City since I'm
Jan Friedrichsen: someplace.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so she had somebody lay that trail the day before, and,
Jan Friedrichsen: uh, we-
Scott Hammond: I-
Jan Friedrichsen: She said, "This is where their car was," and 25-
Scott Hammond: Right. Sure
Jan Friedrichsen: … minutes later, we've gone a mile-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … and a half and found the-
Scott Hammond: Through downtown Nevada City or neighborhoods?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Ne- a little bit of both. Those roads are really narrow.
Scott Hammond: They are.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, so it's that type of, uh, commitment that it-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … takes to, um, stay proficient at it.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, I evaluate for CARTA, and, um, so I'll go down and test, test
Jan Friedrichsen: people.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it's really interesting. I love seeing other dogs work.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it takes two to three years before-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … they have all the skills they need, but more importantly, that the person has all the skills that they need, so
Jan Friedrichsen: the-
Scott Hammond: So you're training people and dogs.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. That's what CARTA is so good at-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … is they train the person to become a searcher as well, and there's not many canine teams that do both.
Scott Hammond: Wow. So that's a whole head space and a mindset that is probably caught many ways than taught. I imagine both, but-
Jan Friedrichsen: A little bit of both.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: I mean, you have to prove your proficiencies.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And a lot of that, many of the dog teams that are certified through CARTA are part of a county team.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Like Maya and I are a part of Humboldt and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … other friends are Butte County and-
Scott Hammond: How many on the team here, roughly?
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, two dog handlers and probably 20 other active
Jan Friedrichsen: members.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Which, um, I've been on the team since 1999.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And this is probably maybe that not the highest number of members-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … but certainly the highest number of active members.
Scott Hammond: Wow, so-
Jan Friedrichsen: And s-
Scott Hammond: You've been around a while at this.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: So kinda legend.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh,
Jan Friedrichsen: maybe.
Scott Hammond: Let's see what AI has to say about this. So this is the portion of our show brought to you by AI, your ChatGPT. I can't e- probably even say that. Um, and then I wanna go to a couple stories before we go, maybe a couple memorable stories so you can kinda work on that. So, um, I kinda like this. This was sweet. Um, AI has something sweet to say. We'll see if it's accurate. I think I've teed this up for far too long for you to read it. "Jan Friedrichsen's work has earned respect from local law enforcement, emergency agencies, and the community." I like the community part of the dog thing, the whole dog community.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: The community, the, the relationship with the dog, but also
Scott Hammond: all y'all.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: It sounds like it's, like a really bonded-
Jan Friedrichsen: It is. It is
Scott Hammond: … kind of a cool cadre of people.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: I love it. "Her calm, uh, her calm under pressure, innovative problem-solving, and dedication,
Scott Hammond: uh, saves lives and inspires others." It's almost flattering. I, it, it-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … and I, I'm, I'm probably tending to think this is t- real. "As a woman leading in a traditionally male-dominated field, she breaks stereotypes and motivates a new generation of volunteers." Was it mostly male in the past?
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, uh, on the dog side of it, no.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, on the search and rescue side of it, yes.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, but barely.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: You know, barely dominated.
Scott Hammond: Okay. Um, shall I go on? It's too, too flattering or weird?
Jan Friedrichsen: Y- I've- I just was awarded a-
Scott Hammond: Well, tell us
Jan Friedrichsen: … a, a distinction a month ago, and I'm, I'm hearing a lot of
Jan Friedrichsen: this.
Scott Hammond: Oh, my God.
Jan Friedrichsen: I, I know where that came from.
Scott Hammond: The accolades. Um, rather than read on, tell me what, what, tell us about your award.
Jan Friedrichsen: Well, it was, um, a, an award that CARTA presents-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, but it covers the entire state. It's called the Larry Peabody Award-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … for outstanding, uh, excellence.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it's basically an award, Larry Peabody was the, uh, dispatcher for California Rescue Dog Association.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And he was the first member.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: We have card, we've got ID numbers, and he was number
Jan Friedrichsen: 101.
Scott Hammond: So if you had a state, uh, rescue, and he would dispatch a team-
Jan Friedrichsen: On the telephone
Scott Hammond: … on a phone before-
Jan Friedrichsen: On the telephone
Scott Hammond: … before cell phones probably.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yes.
Scott Hammond: And so everybody would gather in Hayfork or wherever-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep
Scott Hammond: … Potunk, California-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … Nevada City, and then-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, he would call people individually.
Scott Hammond: So there are some that's, that some of these rescues take a statewide
Scott Hammond: effort?
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: For instance, Paradise Fire.
Scott Hammond: Right, right, right.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: The Camp Fire.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Makes sense.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, which I spent, you know, days at. Uh, so anyway, that was, that was the award. It's a, it's a nominated thing.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, it truly was an honor.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, I am not a real flashy person.
Jan Friedrichsen: I'm pretty-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Jan Friedrichsen: … low-key, so-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Jan Friedrichsen: … getting something like that was, like, great. You know? It's-
Scott Hammond: I read something this morning in this devotional I read. It was really great. You, learning to let others serve you, and that's, it blesses them to be blessing you back.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: So it's, it's a good thing.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. You know, I've, I do have one thing that I haven't shared yet that-
Scott Hammond: Please
Jan Friedrichsen: … kind of makes us a little notable to some Humboldt people. Uh, I met my husband in 1985.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And he lived, and had been living since 1970, in a little house that a lot of people noticed, and many did not.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: It was a little red duck hunter shack on 101-
Scott Hammond: No way
Jan Friedrichsen: … by Jacoby Creek.
Scott Hammond: The duck hunter shack?
Jan Friedrichsen: The duck hunter shack.
Scott Hammond: He was the guy that lived there?
Jan Friedrichsen: He was the guy that lived there.
Scott Hammond: Was it just him?
Jan Friedrichsen: It was just him. And, you know, I passed-
Scott Hammond: Did he have a Subaru?
Jan Friedrichsen: I do.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Jan Friedrichsen: But no, he had, he had a truck.
Scott Hammond: Oh, that was you visiting him.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, he, uh… I would pass that cabin all the time as a-
Scott Hammond: That's funny
Jan Friedrichsen: … "I wonder who lives there. I bet it's some hermit kind of guy."
Scott Hammond: Some weird, weirdo hunter.
Jan Friedrichsen: And little did I know, I would meet him and live in that same shack for 15 years. Gary-
Scott Hammond: Is that right?
Jan Friedrichsen: I mean, Gary was there for 30. I was f- there for 15.
Scott Hammond: Wow. Did it have power?
Jan Friedrichsen: Nope.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: It had natural gas, though, 'cause it was right on the pipeline.
Scott Hammond: Oh, perfect.
Jan Friedrichsen: So our lights were gas. Our refrigerator was gas.
Scott Hammond: Everything's gas.
Jan Friedrichsen: We really lacked for, for nothing.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it was a simple, simple life. But that, um, that's kind of a definitely 100% Humboldt
Jan Friedrichsen: place.
Scott Hammond: That is. That's iconic.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: And going further down the road, remember the wooden dragons and all the sculptures?
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: Did you guys ever get flooded out or…?
Jan Friedrichsen: We never got flooded out 'cause we were three and a half feet up on stilts.
Scott Hammond: Right. Stiltzes.
Jan Friedrichsen: But we did have fish swimming underneath the house.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Our first dog learned to swim as a puppy 'cause he stepped off the step and
Jan Friedrichsen: he was-
Scott Hammond: Oops
Jan Friedrichsen: … in the water.
Scott Hammond: Fifth swim.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, but he was a water dog, so, uh, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Did you, did you eat a lot of duck back in the day?
Jan Friedrichsen: I'm not… N- you know, I don't really care for duck.
Scott Hammond: No.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, what we did do, 'cause we were volunteers for the refuge.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: We, he, Gary lived on the property when it was privately owned, and the feds-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … bought it. And we,
Jan Friedrichsen: uh, we didn't manage the r- duck hunters, but we did keep track of the
Jan Friedrichsen: numbers-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … and give them an evil eye if they were really not doing
Jan Friedrichsen: good.
Scott Hammond: Did I, did I understand that the skull boat design came from Humboldt Bay?
Scott Hammond: That whole-
Jan Friedrichsen: I wouldn't be surprised
Scott Hammond: … thing, the flatboat thing?
Jan Friedrichsen: That.
Scott Hammond: Hmm. I thought I read that recently anyway.
Jan Friedrichsen: Hmm.
Scott Hammond: Oh, so you guys lived on the little duck-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … thing.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Huh. I had Kevin Hoover on from the Arcata Eye-
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, right
Scott Hammond: … which is now the… Sorry, Kev, I forgot the name of your paper m- mo- momentarily.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: The, um, McKinleyville Press.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's, uh-
Scott Hammond: No, that's the other one
Jan Friedrichsen: … Mad River Union.
Scott Hammond: Thank you.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: It's really weird getting older, you know? It's like you came to the cupboard to get something in the pantry. Why am I here?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So, um, he was talking about the guy that lived up in Arcata Forest-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … that came and went mysteriously-
Jan Friedrichsen: Isn't that something?
Scott Hammond: … in the night.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Obviously had lived there for a while.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: And then one day they went back, and it was completely clean.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. That was cool.
Scott Hammond: And I like, I liked, uh, Kevin's approach. He goes, "You know, I'm 100% good if you wanna ever tell your story, and if you never do, you do you, man. We're, we're good."
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Scott Hammond: It's respect that equally.
Jan Friedrichsen: Sure.
Scott Hammond: I thought that was a good answer. So a couple of quick stories before you go that were amazing rescues that, um, that are memorable, top three takeaways.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. I think, um, one of the more recent ones took place in, I believe, 2024. It was a, a woman that walked away from her, uh, kid's house in, um, by the McKay Track-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … down o- off of Walnut.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Sure.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, she had walked away before, and she was not mentally stable at that point, so they were concerned.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: She walked away again. Couldn't find her.
Jan Friedrichsen: So, uh, the, a search was initiated, and, um, we searched all day, uh, the first day, which was a Sunday. And I started at the house with my older dog, Gracie, and she gave us a lot of information, saying there's a lot of places she's not, and she might have gone this way. But it was hard because she had been walking all over the place.
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so the next day it was a full-fledged search. We called in additional dogs, um, from different-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Jan Friedrichsen: … for Arcata. We had four more dogs show up.
Jan Friedrichsen: We had another 20 searchers come in from different
Jan Friedrichsen: counties.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And when that happens, all of a sudden we've got people to feed. We've got people to house. Uh-
Scott Hammond: Logistics, yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah, a lot of logistics and a search to run.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So at that point, I stepped back and was not in the field, but was in search management. So I was working with Deputy Willoughby and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … uh, Travis Rogers, Sergeant Rogers now-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … um, making sh- sure we were keeping updates on the maps. Our new navigation system is real time, so we can see where everybody is.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so that was day two. Day three, we call in more. We still don't have her.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And day four,
Jan Friedrichsen: um, I think it was day four. It might have just been three days. And the last day we had almost 40 searchers.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh-
Scott Hammond: All in the McKay?
Jan Friedrichsen: All, actually along the… We ruled out the McKay and the Private property in between Walnut and, uh, like, uh, Lumbar Hills.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: That whole area.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, and then all the way down to Elk River Road.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: So a big area.
Scott Hammond: A lot of area.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh- … a Sonoma team came in, and, uh, they were walking the road.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And they found her.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: And she was alive.
Scott Hammond: Good.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so that was a lot of effort.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, the whole community came together.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, that was a big, that was a big search for us.
Scott Hammond: Now, does Sonoma get Dick Taylor chocolates or anything? Do they… They get a-
Jan Friedrichsen: They should
Scott Hammond: … they get high fives, right? It must be a, a bit of a-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … everybody wins because the-
Jan Friedrichsen: Right
Scott Hammond: … the team won.
Jan Friedrichsen: Right. And then, you know, I will run into these people at-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … other things, and I said, "That wa- you guys, we'll come to Humboldt
Jan Friedrichsen: anytime."
Scott Hammond: Right.
Jan Friedrichsen: 'Cause we, we treat them right.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So that was a real good one.
Scott Hammond: And now you kind of owe them to, if they ever call, to possibly-
Jan Friedrichsen: Sure
Scott Hammond: … reciprocate.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep.
Scott Hammond: I love it.
Jan Friedrichsen: We had, we've had, I think, five mutual aid searches-
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, last year.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mendocino County, Trinity County.
Scott Hammond: So logistics, are they all set up by the sheriffs to go to Redwood Acres or
Scott Hammond: wherever?
Jan Friedrichsen: Right.
Scott Hammond: Or a hotel or-
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … specific stuff.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Everybody eats at Samoa Cookhouse, which is nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: They bring us food mostly.
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.
Jan Friedrichsen: We've, we've got, we've got food, food brought in.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Which was, which is great. So that was a good one. And I think the one that was so difficult-
Jan Friedrichsen: … was, um, there was a drowning on the Klamath.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, I believe it was in July. And it took a few days for us to, uh, find the body.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And we had a lot of our teammates there. We had some water dogs coming in from out of the area.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And that person was located.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, but that was a really hard one.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, it, it hit the Native American community hard as-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … well as our team.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, and so what we did is, and I was out of town, so I was managing everything by my phone at the Giants game, looking at stuff.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, uh, the end of that last day, I was on the phone. I called every single member-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Jan Friedrichsen: … made sure, "Hey, how are you doing?" And then-
Scott Hammond: Good for you
Jan Friedrichsen: … we made sure we had a complete debrief with the, with the
Jan Friedrichsen: whole team.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Jan Friedrichsen: That's, um, that's what's really important.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: And that built, um, that built, they made our team a lot closer.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: So the tough stuff we do because that's what
Jan Friedrichsen: we do.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. I love it. That cadre, that military
Scott Hammond: sort of been through it all together.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. We've got saying, you know, train hard and so others may live.
Scott Hammond: Hmm. Love that.
Scott Hammond: I like that.
Scott Hammond: So, um, how do we get ahold of y'all? How do we support you guys as a… Do you guys take
Scott Hammond: cash?
Jan Friedrichsen: We, we take it all.
Scott Hammond: I mean, it just takes money to do your, your thing.
Jan Friedrichsen: It does. And, uh, we are at a place with our team. It's really taking off.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: We're, uh, jumping to the next level, which requires additional
Jan Friedrichsen: training.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Which requires more money.
Scott Hammond: Travel, food-
Jan Friedrichsen: And-
Scott Hammond: … lodging
Jan Friedrichsen: … travel and the training itself.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, so in the past, what we've done is set out a donation letter.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: But we are stepping it up. We're sending out a quarterly newsletter.
Scott Hammond: Very nice.
Jan Friedrichsen: And there's a QR code if you wanna donate.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And it is tax-deductible. It comes to Humboldt County Sheriff Search and Rescue Inc.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, sheriff's department doesn't-
Scott Hammond: 100% of it's used for you guys.
Jan Friedrichsen: 100% of it's used.
Scott Hammond: How do we do that?
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, you can-
Scott Hammond: Website?
Jan Friedrichsen: Websites.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: We have, uh, Humboldt Count- It's Humboldtsar.org.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, and that's our website.
Scott Hammond: Humboldtsar.org.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep, Humboldtsar.org.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. That's S-A- S-A-R.
Jan Friedrichsen: S-A-R.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Jan Friedrichsen: Search and rescue.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep. Uh, that's one way. Um, we hope to have, uh, some more fundraisers, so we're out.
Jan Friedrichsen: We're at, at parades and stuff like that.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh, but the website's a great spot.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And, um, we also thank, uh, Southwest Rotary.
Jan Friedrichsen: They have-
Scott Hammond: Yes.
Jan Friedrichsen: Where they, the canine team is a beneficiary of theirs every year or other year.
Scott Hammond: That's cool.
Jan Friedrichsen: And so we've got a canine fund that is-
Scott Hammond: Great club
Jan Friedrichsen: … critical-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Jan Friedrichsen: … for us to be able to get the training that we have.
Scott Hammond: Southwest Rotary, Rota- Rotarians.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I get my blue badge on Monday, by the way.
Jan Friedrichsen: Oh, good for you.
Scott Hammond: I know. I was Southwest, and I moved over downtown, and-
Jan Friedrichsen: Uh-huh
Scott Hammond: … sometimes it's special being 66 and getting a little badge.
Jan Friedrichsen: There you go. There you go.
Scott Hammond: Imagine me. Yeah, I would love to support. Uh, do you guys probably do Venmo and all the thing, PayPal or something?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yep, we do PayPal.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And we take cash, checks, smiles.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Jan Friedrichsen: You name it.
Scott Hammond: Gold bullion.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Old cars.
Jan Friedrichsen: Well-
Scott Hammond: Maybe not yet
Jan Friedrichsen: … you can skip the old cars, but-
Scott Hammond: How about a Jag?
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: We'll figure it out. Well, delighted. Uh, last question. Um, kind of piggyback into the legacy. What would, what do you wanna have on your tombstone or st- tombstone adjacent if you were, say, scattered instead?
Jan Friedrichsen: Um, I think it would sort of be twofold. One is she found her passion.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: 'Cause I really want everyone to be-
Scott Hammond: I love that
Jan Friedrichsen: … able to have that joy.
Scott Hammond: It's powerful.
Jan Friedrichsen: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: It's really good.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Found it early.
Jan Friedrichsen: 40, I felt like that's pretty good.
Scott Hammond: That's pretty dang good.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. Yep.
Scott Hammond: I've gotta say, you were ahead of the curve on that one.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. So I've been doing the dog thing for a while.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Jan Friedrichsen: And that I gave back.
Scott Hammond: I love it.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah. So that's…
Scott Hammond: Found the passion and, and gave back.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: May we all do that. Love that. Well, Jan, thanks.
Jan Friedrichsen: My pleasure.
Scott Hammond: Appreciate your time.
Jan Friedrichsen: Thanks, Scott.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I'm gonna do, uh, my, uh… I didn't ever do the break-in. Hey, if you're just joining us, this is Jan Friedrichsen. Now we have to go. Sorry. I got it in, though. Um, if you wanna support us, which is possible, uh, hundredhumboldt.com. We're on all the podcast platforms. We're on YouTube. We're on Access Humboldt on the channels-
Jan Friedrichsen: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … which is fun, and, uh, just know us, like us, subscribe to us. You can send us your Jag- … or your gold bullion. We'll, we'll, we'll figure out what to do with it. And thanks to Dick Taylor and to, um, um, Dutch Bros Coffee, to Quality Body, and thank you, Nick, and, uh, Growing Pains, my favorite podcast and podcast producer. And thank you to Joni. I don't ever, ever thank this much. Thank you to all my former guests and new guests coming, and thank you, Jan. Appreciate your time.
Jan Friedrichsen: My pleasure. Thanks, Scott.
Scott Hammond: Thank you.