Lawrence County coordinates new multi-agency search and rescue team

MOULTON, Ala. (WAFF) - The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office coordinated a new multi-agency search and rescue team and held aviation training last week with other local partners.

It is the second sheriff’s office in the state to have an advanced life support license, following Tuscaloosa County.

A lot of people have gotten lost in Bankhead National Forrest and I’m told there were several searches executed this year alone. Thanks to this training, there is a streamlined process to follow that can help multiple agencies respond efficiently.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s aviation team flew in on helicopters for this training. It focused on injured person extraction and K9 handling on how to do lifts with search and rescue baskets.

Several agencies generally respond for searches like this: sheriff’s deputies, volunteers, coroner’s deputies, and local firefighters and police.

The training coordinator for the search and rescue team Chris Long says this is the first time they have done anything like this.

Now, when a call for service goes out, all of the agencies can come together to effectively execute the mission.

”We started out last year with just a handful of people with little experience and within a year’s time, we’ve grown to about a thirty member team with I would say about a dozen people with a national standard certificate. Very well experienced, very well educated. Can’t say anything else about them, they’re an outstanding group of people,” Long said.

This multi-agency team also recently received a grant for new equipment for this and will have additional training throughout the year.

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