Okay... so the protocol is for the rescuees to sit tight in their cave and let SAR come to them, rather than the rescuees moving to a lower elevation. Makes sense -- hug a tree. If the rescuees tried to go to the helo, SAR would end up with a moving target.

Does self-rescue (to a lower elevation) have any role whatsoever? If a helo can drop off a team at lower elevation they could do a pick up. What if the rescuees had good comms with SAR?