CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Umatilla County Search and Rescue (SAR) Division held their annual Awards Banquet recently highlighting the division’s activities during that past year.
The SAR Divison responded to 28 incidents, with 35 operational periods and volunteers logged a total of 1374 search hours. Searches included evidence searches on three homicide investigations, one emergency fire evacuation at the Weigh Station Fire, and two searches for missing children. Volunteers also had a total of 551 hours of training.
The following awards were given at the banquet:
• Volunteer of the Year: Travis Lundquist
• Special Act Award: Bob English and Travis Lunquist for setting up a rope rescue system that allowed for safe rescue and custody of a naked male who was stuck in a tree in the Umatilla River.
• Award for Valor: Cadie the Canine for guarding her handler, Emma Hubbard, during wilderness survival overnight camp, while surrounded by howling wolves.
• Blooper Award: Emergency Manager, Tom Roberts for crashing the instructor’s drone on his first solo flight.
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit perform an invaluable service to the community by providing a professional, organized, mostly volunteer search and rescue team that is devoted to helping lost and
missing persons, overdue hunters, and stranded motorist. They also provide aid in medical emergencies and also assist sheriff’s deputies and other law
enforcement agencies at major crime scenes, and are available to assist SAR units in other jurisdictions, both regionally and throughout Oregon and Washington, whenever they are needed.
Anyone interested in volunteering for Search and Rescue, contact Sgt. Dwight Johnson at 541-966-3611 or Dwight.johnson@umatillacounty.net.
