Search and Rescue Captain Obtains Advanced Mission Credential

Ohio Special Response Team (OSRT) Captain Bill Menker has completed his Instructor Level Credential in Lost Person Behavior (LPB) through the Mountain Rescue Association. Bill manages the Warren County, Ohio, Unit of OSRT – one of seven units across the state.

Based on extensive research conducted by Robert J. Koester, the world's preeminent expert in lost person behavior analysis, this program established and uses the International Search and Rescue Incident Database (ISRD), housing the analysis of more than 183,000 search-and-rescue incidents from around the world.

For over nine years, members of the Ohio Special Response Team Search and Rescue Units have been the only volunteer Ohio search team utilizing Koester's seminal resource: Lost Person Behavior: A Search and Rescue Guide on Where to Look – for Land, Air and Water, in virtually every response incident. As a FEMA rated Emergency Support Function #9 (ESF-9) Search and Rescue Team, OSRT takes analytic and reflex tasking search techniques very seriously. Even our K-9 handlers attend training in a wide range of search and rescue skills to enhance their abilities to locate victims.

OSRT reaches well beyond the basics:

In addition, OSRT adheres to the Land SAR Addendum, created by the National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC) to provide definitive standardized direction and information on search and rescue (SAR) in the land environment. However, as part of the National SAR School, this Addendum encompasses lost persons, missing vehicles, and missing aircraft. Over a third of OSRT team members are graduates of the National SAR School, conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force. Per Homeland Security standards, all Federal SAR agencies must follow the addendum, all others need to know what it says.

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. Sounds difficult, doesn't it? It's not. The members – male and female – of OSRT are people just like you. We merely take the time and effort to train and become proficient at search and rescue.

OSRT members strive to bring lost souls home to their families!

OSRT is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization of volunteers. We are funded via donations and unit fund raising activities. Technically, the organization provides force multiplier services to law enforcement, fire departments, and local/state authorities in a wide range of capabilities. However, whenever someone goes missing, OSRT is available to assist