Porter County Search & Rescue Team Receives Grant For Equipment
The Porter County Search and Rescue Team recently received a grant in the amount of $3926.35 from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to be used for helmets and a wheeled rescue litter, according to Micah Bell Director of The Porter County Search & Rescue Team.
The Team, made up of members of public safety agencies in Porter County, and chartered by the Porter County Fire Association, assists law enforcement and fire departments in searching for missing, lost and injured persons in Porter County and across Northwest Indiana.
“Without this grant, we would not have been able to purchase protective helmets for all our members. With so many of our searches occurring at night and in all weather conditions, the ability to protect yourself from a fall or being hit by a branch is very important,” says Micah Bell.
The lightweight climbing style helmets are an essential part of a Team Members Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Without this lightweight helmet, many members would be wearing a heavy structural firefighting helmet while on foot in wooded areas. Those helmets provide the protection from falling branches, but their increased weight can add to unnecessary fatigue after hours of searching through wooded areas and rough terrain.
In addition to helmets, the team will be receiving an aluminum rescue litter, commonly called a “stokes basket.” The litter breaks down into two parts that can be carried on rescuers backs to where an injured person needs to be moved from. With an included “all terrain tire” attached to the litter, an injured person can easily be moved from the woods or beach to a waiting ambulance.
The Porter County Search and Rescue Team is an all-volunteer organization founded in 2014 by Micah Bell and Jay Craig Jr, the Chief of the Porter Fire Department and one of the Team’s K9 handlers. The Team responds to an average of 14 missing person calls per year and has 26 members from agencies in Porter and Lake Counties.
For more information: www.portercountysar.org or www.facebook.com/PorterCountySAR.
Pictured Left to right, John Clapp, Paul Ritchey, Jan Barnwell, Trish Green, Andy Himan Jr, Micah Bell
