Hollister
– The San Benito County Sheriff’s department is planning to
expand its Search and Rescue program with ground, off-road and
canine units this summer to make sure the county is prepared for
every type natural disaster or rescue situation.
Hollister – The San Benito County Sheriff’s department is planning to expand its Search and Rescue program with ground, off-road and canine units this summer to make sure the county is prepared for every type natural disaster or rescue situation.
The program, started in 2004, is designed to aid local law enforcement officials in the search and rescue of missing persons, but volunteers can also be employed to search for evidence in rural areas and can help respond in the case of natural disasters, said Sheriff’s deputy Jeff Goodwin. While the group is overseen and trained by the Sheriff’s department, the 27 mounted volunteers are largely self-sufficient, Goodwin said.
Goodwin said that mounted volunteers can cover a wide-variety of territory, but “you can’t use horses for everything.” Off-road patrols, using all-terrain vehicles, are better suited for searches in some rural areas, he said.
Although the Search and Rescue unit has never been deployed, officials believe the program is vital.
“There’s no way we can put 27 deputies out there at one time, someone has to be sleeping and preparing for the next shift,” said Lt. Roy Iler. “This is all about manpower.”
And searching for a missing hiker or hunter in rural San Benito County requires a large group, Goodwin said.
“It takes a lot of manpower to search for a missing person,” he said. “We have to set up a containment area that could take 12 people plus other teams to actually search within the area.”
Goodwin said he hopes to start getting volunteers for the off-road, canine and foot patrol search and rescue units this summer in preparation for winter when people are more likely to get lost.
Volunteers can apply for the new units online at www.sbcsheriff.org.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
