Superstition Search and Rescue (SSAR)

[SuperstitionGuy]

While it is official, SSAR will not be joining the Pinal County Sheriff's office as a Posse.

SSAR Will Not Join Sheriff’s Posse
Friday, 16 October 2009
Last Updated Friday, 16 October 2009

For Immediate Release from Superstition Search and Rescue:

Superstition Search and Rescue (SAR) would like the citizens of Pinal County, whom we have served for the past 15
years, to know that SSAR will not be joining Sheriff Paul Babeu’s newly proposed search and rescue posse
program.A decision was made by open team vote on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, with 95 percent of our membership in
attendance, that SSAR can better serve the citizens of Pinal County by continuing to operate as a separate resource,
rather than to become a part of a posse program.

SSAR has our own command structure which has a proven track record and which follows the highest standards in the
industry. Our members are professionally trained in all wilderness search and rescue techniques including wilderness
first response. Because of this we have successfully assisted and saved over 2,000 lives in this decade alone.
We do not believe we should require members of our highly trained group to become posse members if they do not wish
to do so. We feel this decision should be left to the personal choice of each and every member.

We also believe that operating as a posse search and rescue unit would further burden tax payers and limited county
funds. Our team, through its affiliation with the sheriff’s office, received liability insurance through that association.
Going forward we will be covered through provisions in Arizona State Statues for volunteers and volunteer organizations,
in addition to having the option of obtaining liability insurance through the National Association of Search and Rescue,
thereby saving the county additional expense.

Over the last 15-years SSAR, a 501c3 organization has been fortunate to be supported and equipped through private
donations and fundraisers for which we are extremely grateful. We intend to continue to provide quality, highly skilled and
professional search and rescue services under this model. It is our hope that we will continue to receive the support of
the community as we move forward in our decision to provide independent skilled search and rescue services to you; our
citizens, visitors and friends.

For additional information on SSAR, to make a donation, to become a member or to volunteer, please visit our website at
http://www.superstition-sar.org or call 480-350-3993.
From the - GoldCanyonToday online news

[big_load]

SuperstitionGuy (or anyone), can you explain what the posse designation would entail? (Hopefully not stringing up rustlers).

[SuperstitionGuy]

Simply put, you do what the Sheriff or his deputy says or your fired! In true search and rescue organizations a member can always stand down if he or she thinks the assignment on a search is above his or her training or physical capabilities. And we do, and the rest of the team understands this as they don't want to be put at risk either.

I was at the SSAR meeting last week and heard some of the horror stories of what some of the deputies were asking the SSAR members to do when they were on searches. The men and women of this SAR group are very professional with many search and rescue certifications to their credit. The two deputies they talked about have ZERO search and rescue certifications other than the basic course conducted by all Counties. Primarily because the Sheriff's office for years has not had the money to send them to this training. This is not just a Sheriff Paul B. problem.

The current Sheriff promises that he will pay for training in the future but there is simply no funds available to the Sheriff's department for this training now or in the future. In other words his promises mean nothing. The first year I was affiliated with the team I spent about two hundred dollars of my own for training. The second year I spent about three hundred dollars for training. The last year I was with the team I spent five hundred dollars for training. I was a SARTECH 2 and ready for my SARTECH 1 testing and certification when I moved out of state. I attended three county basic search and rescue training sessions and I was Ropes 2 qualified. And this does not even include my medical training certifications.

SSAR has a training officer who works with each member and insures that he or she is qualified for all assignments. The team commander and those assigned to lead the various teams (technical, dive, fast water, etc.) must be qualified as well for their area of expertise. This is not a group of good old boys with ATV's that just get together for fun and games in the wilderness. As I write this a group of about ten of their members are now spending two days at a Ropes 3 course out at Oak Flats. A Ropes 3 certified search and rescue technician are what you want if your half way up the face of Flatiron stranded on an 8 inch shelf with a bloodied face and a broken arm. They will repel down from the top and "pick" you off to safety with a second rope and harness system and then repel you down to the base of the cliff.

At their meeting last week hours were spent discussing how they want to continue as a professional search and rescue organization as opposed to being just another Sheriff's Posse. The discussions were detailed, polite, professional and very enlightening. Members shared with us facts and experiences that they normally never would have and wouldn't have except for the problems that the two deputies mentioned and the new Sheriff have created.

At the time of the vote to either become a Posse or remain as an all volunteer search and rescue organization not one member voted to become a member of the Posse and all voted to remain as SSAR.

[hippiepunkpirate]

I have yet to set foot in the Superstitions (not that I don't want to!), but if I ever do, I will feel a little safer knowing that if I screw myself over, the team coming to save my butt will be of the utmost professional standards. I think the SSAR deserve a standing

[nonot]

Having run into both SSAR and Sheriff SAR in the Supes I can say that I've been impressed with both groups in the past. I did see the news about the recent problems with the new Sheriff and don't have any first hand information so I'm reserving judgement about this.

[joebartels]

Will they still do search and rescue in the Superstitions or is the Sheriff just going to kick them out?

[SuperstitionGuy]

I guess the answer is unknown at this time. Any agency such as a County Sheriff, City Police Chief, City Fire Department or any citizen can call for their assistance. This includes the Rangers at the Lost Dutchman State Park. I don't know if the U.S. Forest Service or BLM would want to get into the business of managing search and rescue. One thing SSAR cannot and will not do is respond to search where another agency is already conducting a search. This would be totally against search and rescue policy.

The City of Apache Junction (police and fire) has already agreed to use them for urban search and rescue situations. Maricopa County has in the past asked for their assistance as well and probably will do so in the future. Will there be future turf wars? Probably not.

Each County Sheriff has the responsibility for search and rescue in his or her County. However I don't think that this means a Sheriff can deny SSAR to respond to a request from another agency or citizen. The Supersitions are under the management of the U.S. Forest Service and why would they care who is called upon to conduct a search and rescue operation unless of course they want to get into the business themselves.

What the new Pinal County Sheriff will do is unknow. If I were him I would humble myself and realize that the cost to create, train and equip a separate Posse just for search and rescue is just not realistic. It would be far wiser, cheaper and more politically correct to use SSAR as it is presently constituted. He would still need to assign and train a few deputies that are willing and able to work with the team but this would add very little cost to the expense of using SSAR. Superstition Search and Rescue has been trying very hard to work with the new Sheriff and has not been unreasonable in the past when working with the Pinal County Sheriff's Department.

The men and women within SSAR are not political about what they do. Statements made by others outside of the organization stating otherwise are just plain foolishness. I have never witnessed political activity at SSAR meetings, training or callouts. SSAR's only mission is to serve the public when their expertise is needed and most people living in Apache Junction and the Gold Canyon area understand that.

[nonot]

I've observed both SSAR and Maricopa Sheriff copters looking for the same guy at the same time. Pinal Sheriff doesn't do SAR, they drive to the trailhead to verify the vehicle is there and then try calling SSAR, Tucson SAR, and Flagstaff SAR, else you're f$%#ed. Rim country SAR works more closely with the sheriff's office up there.

[Jeffshadows]

I can't speak for SSAR, but I can say from experience that the group down this way does not want volunteers with the highest levels of emergency medical licensure, certification, or even training. They deny membership to paramedics with wilderness advanced life support training and experience, they deny membership to former USAF pararescue jumpers, etc. My theory is that they want people off the street that they can send to their ski patrol first aid class so that they can continue to ignore SAEMS protocols. Don't take my word for it. If you have even just an EMT-B certification and AZ card, go and try to join and see how it goes and report back. Maybe some of this goes on up at SSAR and it makes the sheriff nervous, I don't know. I'm sure SS Guy can shed some light, though...

[big_load]

If I were him I would humble myself and realize that the cost to create, train and equip a separate Posse just for search and rescue is just not realistic

Given their limited ability to pay for training training so far, it seems unlikely that they would do so now on a much larger scale. Was the sheriff expecting SSAR to agree to the posse arrangement? That would have been his low-cost solution, but if he hadn't already negotiated conditions under which SSAR would assent, it's just another political misstep.

[suzaz]

It is beyond crazy how all of this started in the first place! It's my understanding that the Sheriff isn't concerned about getting re-elected, plans for something else in the works.

[big_load]

It's my understanding that the Sheriff isn't concerned about getting re-elected, plans for something else in the works.

He's going to go international and take on the Red Cross?

[joebartels]

on or down

[Joyce Wilson]

If you get lost or hurt do not call 911. The Sheriff is not equipt to do rescues. They could not find the last person and he ended up dead. Call Superstition Search & Rescue 480-350-3993. Enjoy that hike it is reslly beautiful.

[nonot]

The Sheriff is equipped to do rescues, they are just under new management. The last person was dead before they ever ended up searching for him. SSAR should be your first choice over the Sheriff, however.

[SuperstitionGuy]

nonot my friend, dream on, dream on. His regular non search and rescue posse has also left him. They are now down to less than five persons in that good ole boy posse. The Sonoran Search and Rescue team consists of a few aged hikers and some dog handlers which is their specialty and they have no technical rescue capabilities. They have a stokes basket and a few ropes only in their trailer. I know the Sonoran folks and have trained and worked with them and consider them my friends but they cannot be compared with SSAR. There may be one SSAR technical person joining there team that I am aware of but that's it. And I know more than what I am telling you. Over time the Sheriff may have a true technical team but right know you know more about the Superstitions than all of the Sheriffs current team put together. And unfortunately that is a sad sad fact.

[nonot]

Hey Supes guy, the Sheriff has a copter, so they can search.

[thebrayer]

Sheriff Joe has a dedicated SAR helo. Got to fly in it on that last Superstition search.

[big_load]

Sheriff Joe has a dedicated SAR helo.

Does it feature his name, printed bigger than any other identification? I love the sign on the sheriff's office. You need a magnifying glass to read the county, but you can read his name from two blocsk away.

[nonot]

It's black and gold and says SHERIFF in 2 foot high letters, I didn't see his actual name on it, but it could be there?