ST. MARYS — Every situation is different, but when someone is in trouble, Elkland Search and Rescue in St. Marys is ready to respond.
The recent crises at the Greentree Landfill in Kersey helped to shine a light on how valuable the area’s rescue teams are, from police, fire departments and ambulance services, to Elkland Search and Rescue.
Elkland may be most well-known locally for helping to find lost hunters, but the situations where it can help has greatly expanded since its creation in 1984.
“I would say that a few years ago, most of our calls were just for people lost in the woods, but now Elkland has evolved into a very diversified, professional, emergency response team, responding to many different types of emergency incidents,” said Matt Young, Elkland president and deputy chief.
Today, it’s not unusual for Elkland to be called into a situation that could require a team to be on site for a few days, a week or longer. In this situation, an incident management team is put in place to oversee all of the emergency agencies responding. The team then puts an Incident Command System (ICS) in place to coordinate the emergency response services, Young said.
Typically, when a large-scale rescue is needed — such as at Greentree — the day will be broken down into 12-hour periods. Sometimes rescuers will stay longer than 12 hours, working two or three sessions, but after a certain amount of time workers become mentally and physically exhausted, sometimes without the rescuers even realizing it, Young said. This makes it necessary to switch workers.
“It becomes very important for the staff that is handling the incident to stay sharp, and realize when a command staff member or responder needs rest, Young said. “That not only goes for the command structure but for everyone working at the site.”
Typically, Elkland can deploy for 48 hours at a time. During this time, members do take turns taking breaks to sleep for an hour or two and to eat, he said. When it comes to an incident that requires longer periods of time it can be difficult for the incident management team to find the needed resources, especially the trained search and rescue teams, to replace those that need to leave.
One of Elkland’s most valuable commodities is its volunteers, which Elkland provides with training. Elkland is always looking to increase the size of its team. Those who love the outdoors and are looking for a chance to help are welcome to find out more by attending one of its meetings, held at 8 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Elkland building at 1230 Brusselles St. in St. Marys, Young said.
Elkland’s reputation has grown along with its services. Elkland typically responds to about 15 calls a year, but in the last few years the number has spiked, with it sometimes responds to as many as 30 calls a year, many of those in Elk County, but others throughout the state or in states bordering Pennsylvania.
Elkland doesn’t typically receive direct calls for help; usually the request comes from a police or fire department or an emergency management agency responding to a call, which is called the “requesting agency.”
Elkland may be called to assist with a wilderness rescue call, where rescuers know where the person is, but they need assistance reaching the person; to assist with patient care; or transporting a patient. These calls only require a small team to operate Elkland’s equipment and assist with a patient, Young said.
“This type of situation requires a fast response, and Elkland can typically be ‘out the door’ within minutes of being dispatched for such an incident,” Young said. If a person is lost, however, the whole Elkland team may need to be called in and it could take a little longer to get on the road, but it usually only takes a few extra minutes, he said.
Sometimes Elkland’s searching skills are needed for other reasons. Elkland has been called in when local and state police agencies need Elkland’s specialized skills and equipment such as its certified man-trackers.
“Elkland Search and Rescue is very careful with these types of incidents, as we are not trained to deal directly with these types of individuals,” Young said. “Law enforcement utilizes Elkland’s abilities, keeping our members away from dangerous situations.”
Elkland’s part would be to help search for evidence, provide mapping software, aerial photography, an unmanned aerial vehicle and man-tracking services. Elkland’s members are also trained to assist with basic life support and have also helped agencies dealing with forest fires.
Just because there isn’t an emergency doesn’t mean Elkland members aren’t busy. Elkland also provides awareness, education, prevention and wilderness survival training classes to youth, hunting groups and social clubs.
Elkland is primarily funded by donations and fundraisers, but it has been able to get some additional money through local and state grants.
