OSRT Team School Search Exercise

On Saturday, November 17th, a joint urban search training exercise was held with members from Ohio Special Response Search and Rescue Units 3, 6, 7, and K9s. The teams met in Malvern, Ohio, and conducted a mock urban search exercise, including K9 operations in an urban flood disaster scenario. The teams searched 35+ rooms across three stories of the school building, extracted trapped victims, and worked through various hazardous environment scenarios, including simulated chemical spills and a simulated methamphetamine lab scene. The K9 team and flankers worked through additional scenarios, including locating HRs in a complex urban setting.

OSRT maintains 6 units spaced across Ohio, permitting the SAR personnel to rapidly respond to missing persons incidents. Team members train to the highest standards of of operations via the National Association for Search and Rescue, Mountain Rescue Association, FEMA, Homeland Security, NCJTC and others. OSRT delivers both back country and urban search services, as well as disaster response and disaster assessment. The OSRT K-9 teams, also distributed across the state are qualified and experienced in air scent, ground scent, water scent, and human remains scent capabilities.

Would you be interested in becoming part of Ohio's premier search and rescue team? The Ohio Special Response Team is always on the lookout for individuals who want to make a difference in their communities. Whether it's becoming a member of our basic operations support cadre, a fully qualified search and rescue technician, a search K-9 handler, a drone specialist, a rope rescue technician, or more than one of these, there's a place for nearly every interested person in our units throughout the state of Ohio.