tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1015682126556832678.post6660687457564286715..comments2013-06-28T03:40:09.107-07:00Comments on Oh for Pete's Sake!: Why do you do SAR?rothcalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511432532656383182noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1015682126556832678.post-51421660901841562962011-07-14T22:32:12.774-07:002011-07-14T22:32:12.774-07:00Hey, SARSpecialist, whereabouts were you in CAP? ...Hey, SARSpecialist, whereabouts were you in CAP? <br /><br />I was a cadet in a squadron near Houston (Ellington Composite) back in the late '90s. Great organization, and I still have the friends I made there. That was a lot of my reason for getting involved in SAR later in life, too; we were trained for SAR work in CAP, but except for a couple of malfunctioning Emergency Location Transmitters that needed to be found and shut off, we never got to do much- but I always wanted to. I wanted to help, to matter, to do something that made a direct, tangible difference in someone's life. <br /><br />After CAP, I tried other forms of volunteering- charitable fundraising for various causes, mostly- which never had the visible, direct, personal impact I wanted to make. When I saw Cen-Tex SAR's training listed on the schedule board at Gander Mountain about three years ago (Hey, Ben, what's the average lifespan for a flanker?), I immediately remembered CAP, my training there and how we all hoped and wished for a REAL mission back<br /><br />The rest is history. I found the direct contribution I had so longed to make, and I can't imagine not having that sense of purpose. At the end of the day, knowing that we've given a family just some little piece of the closure they need- and having learned firsthand what closure means in the grief process- the sense of fulfillment is incredible.Finshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979223945761853776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1015682126556832678.post-570491008243308512011-07-13T22:16:40.005-07:002011-07-13T22:16:40.005-07:00There is allot to be said for "why" we d...There is allot to be said for "why" we do this.. For me it seemed like a natural match as I was a member of Civil Air Patrol for a long time in the early 80s. <br /><br />I was involved in a Search many years back for a family that went missing in the Collin County/Denton County area, of course back then ICS was a catch phrase and there was very little of it being applied so needless to say the Search was a huge mess. <br /><br />I formed a SAR Team (Lone Star Emergency SAR) in Glen Rose Texas in 1991 and trained my very first SAR dog (Resq) with the help of some folks from another team (C.E.S.A.R.) Children Education Search and Rescue out of the DFW Metroplex, our teams worked well together and in 1995 LSESAR combined with C.E.S.A.R. <br /><br />It was around this time that the first Texas SAR Association (TEXSAR) was formed but due to politics and fighting among members it died a horrific death. <br /><br />In 1996 I moved to East Texas and found out real quick that there was no organized SAR teams in the region, my first clue was a drowning that occurred a few miles from my home, I contacted the local Sheriff and offered my assistance, I was quickly turned down and advised his Dope dogs were capable of finding this subject, I politely inquired about the level of HRD training his dogs had and was told to mind my own business. After another such incident where a subject was located by family member two weeks after a "search" just a few hundred yards from the place his vehicle was found I decided to form another SAR Team, East Texas K-9 Search and Rescue.<br /><br />In 2005 ETK9SAR was absorbed into the City of Hudson Fire Department and now operates as the Hudson Fire Department K-9 Search and Rescue Team.<br /><br />It seems to me that Texas is behind the curve as far as SAR goes, politics and turf wars continue to limit our ability as a whole to work together for the benefit of everyone.<br /><br />I have met allot of fine folks through out the years and seen allot of changes in the Texas SAR community... I just hope I can see the day we ALL work as one voice to get the support we deserve and can work together on a routine basis as many of the Teams in surrounding states do.SARSpecialisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00224214759092895231noreply@blogger.com