SEARCH ONE RESCUE TEAM

Goal 1: To screen for and train for the best possible human assets to manage both the business administration of this organization and the critical field operations of the team as a whole. Goal 2: To educate end user agencies first about the availability of our services and secondly how best to utilizes those services so that when the need arises critical time is not lost. Goal 3: To provide professional and effective resources to those end user agencies consistently to ensure the best possible outcome for each mission and to further the cause of search and rescue services in general.

Setting and maintaining the highest levels of pre-employment screening of personnel. Setting high standards of performance and requiring both in-house and outside certifications for every level of proficiency with members directly involved in our ground search operations. Utilizing the expertise of our board members to maintain not only good business practices but to help us set goals and maintain focus with our field operations as well. Consistently seek advanced methods and technology to improve of mission.

We have a proven process that has been in place for many years which helps us screen potential members prior to their acceptance onto the team. This process is enhanced regularly and we have found that the more difficult the screening gauntlet the higher caliber of people apply. Once on the team members are required to complete and pass certification in our basic training program called Flanker Training. This not only furthers the screening but ensures members are capable of proficiency in the basic job of ground search operations. Each member is also then required to obtain a national certificate of SAR TECH II from the National Association for Search and Rescue. Members who move on the be K9 handlers are required to complete another 12 - 18 month training program, certify by our team standards and then also obtain outside national certifications depending on the K9 discipline they provide.

We are currently one of the busiest teams in the nation with an average of over 8 calls for service per month. The team produces a comprehensive mission report after each deployment and sends it along with a User Evaluation Form to the department that requested our services. Those evaluation forms sever as our report card and so far all have been rated excellent with added comments as to the benefit of our service. Two years ago we worked with local law makers to draft legislation which would allow search and rescue K9s some of the same privileges as the police K9. Two of the three bills we helped draft were eventually passed and SAR K9 teams is Texas all have benefited form this effort.