OSWEGO COUNTY – Sixteen new recruits have completed the Oswego/Onondaga County Search and Rescue Training Academy and are now qualified to participate in wilderness search and rescue operations across the region.
The students participated in more than 80 hours of classroom training and field work over the past several months. During their final field tests in Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area, all 16 students were individually evaluated for their skills in map and compass, land navigation, global positioning systems and wilderness survival skills as they covered a course more than 1.6-miles in length.
“The SAR Academy trains volunteers to become members of the Oswego County Pioneer and Onondaga County Wilderness Search and Rescue Teams,” said Oswego County SAR Team Coordinator Aaron Albrecht. “The academy provides a solid background in essential search and rescue skills and ensures that students get the knowledge and ‘hands-on’ experience they need to safely and effectively operate as ground search resources.”
Classes were held at facilities in Oswego and Onondaga counties.
“Although the team’s primary response area is Oswego County, we work closely with the Wilderness Team and actively participate in searches across the state when additional resources are needed,” said Albrecht. “Our team’s recent searches include finding an 80-year-old man in five minutes on May 2 using Project Lifesaver electronic search equipment and locating a missing 47-year-old man in 12 minutes, using our trailing K-9, ‘Whiskey,’ on June 2.”
Twelve of the new graduates will become members of the Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue Team, and four will become members of the Wilderness Search and Rescue Team in Onondaga County.
The new members of the Oswego County team are Abby Lynn Priolo, Central Square; Amy LaRock, Constantia; Brian Levendusky, Oswego; Caleb Naum, Central Square; Danielle Stadelman, Central Square; Paul Stadelman, Central Square; Jacob Mahl, Taberg; Joshua Martin, Oswego; Melissa Goodsell, Parish; Robert Drabot, Central Square; Russell Goodwin, Brewerton; and Shane Myers, Fulton.
New members of the Wilderness Team are Carolyn Henn, North Syracuse; Christopher Smith, Syracuse; Kenneth Hearst, North Rose; and Ron Simmons, Clay.
The SAR curriculum covers a thorough introduction to search and rescue techniques including map and compass, global positioning systems, man-tracking, wilderness survival, radio communications, search techniques, cold weather emergencies, crime scene preservation, the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS), and a variety of other topics.
The graduates are also certified in NYSDEC Basic Wildlands Searcher, Wilderness First Aid, American Heart Association CPR, and Project Lifesaver Electronic Search Specialist.
The Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue Team is the primary search and rescue resource for Oswego County and works closely with the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, the NYSDEC Forest Rangers, NYS Police, and other law enforcement agencies.
The team is an all-volunteer unit, founded in 1971, and is funded through community donations and grants. As of June 19, the Oswego County team has been activated for 17 searches and was placed on standby for an additional 11 incidents.
For more information, visit https://oswegocountysar.org or https://www.facebook.com/OCPSAR/.
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