Search and Rescue Team Searching for… Volunteers!

Another Wisconsin summer is upon us and its time for people to get lost in the great outdoors, well…almost. People get lost and go missing year round, and that’s where Milwaukee-based People and Paws Search and Rescue team comes in. Founded in 2000, this unit of highly trained personnel and canines, volunteers hundreds of hours training and searching for missing persons each year.

According the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing and Exploited Children and Adults as of May 1st, 2008 there were 1,162 missing persons to date. This includes some who have been missing for decades, and some that have been missing for days. Each one is a Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent, Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter, Niece, or Nephew with friends and family hoping that every time the phone or doorbell rings that it’ll will bring news that their loved one is safe. Yearly the team will be called to assist or to consult on an average of 12-15 cases.

Becoming a member of a search and rescue team takes a special type of person. As a trained volunteer-professional, you will be called on to work in every type of weather that Wisconsin has to offer. It is a physically demanding job with searches occurring in every type of area from the middle of the city to the rugged, remote terrain of the north woods walking several miles in a day with a pack full of supplies. You may spend hundreds of dollars in a year for gas, equipment, and training expenses… all out of your own pocket because the team is 100% volunteer and never charges for its services to law enforcement, fire departments, and other public safety agencies. Occasionally some of this is defrayed by generous donations from the community. It also means missing the occasional birthdays and anniversaries, or last minute cancellations of dinner plans with your spouse when a call comes in.

The path to become a member of the volunteer team can be just as difficult as the job. Prospective members must obtain certification as a “SARTECH II” through the National Association for Search and Rescue ( www.nasar.org ) before becoming a probationary member. Once a probationary member, full membership is contingent upon successfully passing the probationary period and passing a NCIC fingerprint-based background check. Prospective members are guided and tutored by the team during the initial training phase.

So why would anyone want to actually volunteer to do this? Everyone has their own reasons; whether they enjoy working with their dogs or having a sense of civic duty, some have a strong desire to help others, and others do it because they enjoy a physical challenge in the outdoors. The common shared trait among team members is the strong desire to help others, and the knowledge that those efforts aren’t for fame or fortune. There is no greater reward than completing a successful search and knowing that you helped to end a family’s terrible ordeal.

Team members come from all walks of life and occupational backgrounds with many having an emergency services background. Those who are current/former/retired law enforcement, military, firefighters, EMT’s, RN’s, MD’s, or emergency management are strongly encouraged to apply, however this type of background is not required.

The need for volunteers is not limited to work as a canine handler or ground searcher. Other opportunities exist for those to assist with search management and communications in the field or administrative tasks that can be completed from the comfort of your home in your spare time. If you have specialized skills (pilots, engineers, equestrian riders, ATV groups, computer/electronics, etc) that could be of benefit to your community during a search, please feel free to contact the team as well. Inquiries to the team for volunteers, as well as people or corporations interested in providing tax deductible donations, can email info@peopleandpaws.org for more information.

People and Paws Search and Rescue is based in Southeastern Wisconsin providing services free of charge to any requesting law enforcement or fire department. The team is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization.