Hanover search and rescue unit gets validation
From Submitted Reports October 6, 2012 4:14PM
Hanover Township Emergency Services volunteers Eddie Fausto (left) and Bill Potas on the full search exercise for their validation at Mather Woods in Plainfield.
Updated: November 8, 2012 11:59AM
The Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit has received validation by the Illinois Search and Rescue Council as a ground search and rescue team.
The validation process consisted of the unit successfully negotiating a navigation course as well as a full search exercise. The unit received a passing score in both portions and was validated as the ninth Ground Search and Rescue Team in Illinois, according to a release from the unit.
The morning following the validation, the search and rescue team was requested by the Palatine Police Department through the ISARC to assist in a wilderness and urban search of a missing teen.
“The volunteers of the unit have been an asset to the Township’s first responders and this new training and certification will only better serve our residents and the needs of our community,” said Brian P. McGuire, Hanover Township supervisor, in the release.
The unit is qualified to assist police and sheriff’s departments in planning, managing resources and conducting searches of missing persons.
In addition to manpower resources, the township now has a utility terrain vehicle that deploys on all search calls.
The Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit is trained to respond to a wide range of emergencies and non-emergency events to either assist primary emergency responders or operate independently in times of natural and manmade disasters, the release said.
“This dedicated group of professional volunteers exists to provide a properly equipped, trained and ready unit to assist Hanover Township residents and the public safety agencies that serve them,” it said.
For more information on the Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit or search and rescue, call 630-837-0301 or email htes@hanover-township.org.
