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'Rescue
Me'
Logan
County emergency rescue teams at the ready 
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[July 24, 2007]
"Rescue Me."
This well-known song could have been the theme song for last week's
Logan County Board meeting. Logan County Emergency Management Agency
employees and volunteers were present to show off some of the rescue
equipment that is at their disposal. A display of the mobile
communications unit, the underwater search and recovery unit, the
horse search and rescue unit, and special resources were displayed
in front of the Logan County Courthouse on Thursday evening.
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 Logan County emergency rescue teams are ready by land or by sea:
By land: MC 13 is at any disaster scene needing multiple agency
participation. It is a mobile communications unit that is used to
coordinate communications between multiple first response agencies.
This vehicle was an ambulance in its previous service. It just
received a new paint job and lettering.
Macon County EMA favored Logan County with the labor of
repainting the unit. The two agencies have mutual aid agreements,
have trained together, share resources and serve one another in
times of disasters.
Don Begolka, Glenn Bonaparte and Devin Vannoy were manning MC 13.
The first MC 13 unit has become the Underwater Search and
Recovery Team unit.
By land: Representing the Horse Search and Rescue Team were
Marcia Hickey and Rich Kirgan with one of their mounts. This team is
employed often, serving large scheduled events and impromptu
emergencies. They are a great aid, whether it is looking for a lost
child at a balloon fest or downtown street festival or if searching
miles of cornfields for an Alzheimer's patient who has wandered off.
By water: Terry Storer, assistant director for Logan
County EMA, is pictured with the Dive (I) van from the Underwater
Search and Recovery Team. Storer said that because dive team
call-outs are infrequent, it is difficult to maintain a team. This
team has recently shaped up through the energetic leadership of some
of its members. They have been and continue to be aggressive in
recruiting for new members. The team has gone from four or five
members to eight or nine.
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 Leading the dive team are Mike Stone (captain), Nick Hanson and
Andy Dexter. They have been working to get everyone certified and to
get the equipment shaped up.
Members of this team put the lettering on the new underwater
search and rescue unit, and when they finished that vehicle they
lettered the communications unit too.
By land: County board member Pat O'Neill joined Patti Storer
of the EMA staff in the Gator, a four-wheel drive, all-terrain
vehicle that was acquired last year through a special program with
John Deere through Cross Brothers Implement.
This equipment was recently employed to help search for a
4-year-old Emden child who strayed away from home.
It has many uses, as it is quieter then most vehicles and can
make it into narrower places or places where other vehicles might
get stuck.
The agency has just acquired a trailer to load the John Deere
Gator on. It is available for use by any agency in need of it.
By water: The rescue boat and trailer is operated by the
Underwater Search and Rescue Team.
Many passers-by stopped by to learn a little about the rescue
equipment and programs and enjoyed the presentation, according to
Dan Fulscher, EMA-911 director.
[Dale Voyles; Jan
Youngquist]
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