CASART Training Officer Greg O'Hara debriefs the team at the conclusion of the mock search
The Central Adirondack Search and Rescue Team (CASART) conducted drills last Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15 in Inlet.
The drills were followed by the organization’s annual meeting, elections, and dinner at Seventh Lake House on Saturday night.
The team is now the largest search and rescue team in the state with over 80 members, 19 of whom braved the rain, wind and cold to conduct a mock search exercise Saturday morning at Fern Park in Inlet.
Left to right: CASART President Roy Reehil, his son Ethan, and CASART member Joe Gelsomino, Ron Dearlove and Paul Repak
During the search, four teams of searchers divided up to comb the hillsides and valleys of the park to find myself and my 13-year-old son, Ethan.
After about two hours of searching, a radio message was received at the CASART trailer, which was set up as an incident command center, that both of us had been found and that we would walk out of the woods with the team of successful searchers.
After being “rescued” Ethan said, “I was hoping they’d carry me out!”
During the team’s annual meeting that night at the Seventh Lake House, the region’s new NYS Forest Ranger, Gary Miller, stopped by to introduce himself.
He said that he looked forward to developing a working relationship with the team with the goal of being as prepared as possible in the case of a real search or emergency.
The meeting was attended by over 40 team members and guests.
The 2012 slate of officers elected during the meeting were: President, Roy Reehil; Vice President, Christine Burnett-Wolle; Secretary, Margie O’Hara; Treasurer, Sarah Burnett-Wolle; Administrative Officer, Greg O’Hara; Field Officer, Nancy Langham; Assistant Field Officer, Bruce Knudsen; and Training Officer, Chuck Taylor.
If you are interested in joining CASART you can find more information about the team at the web site: CASART.org.
