Local first responders participate in Ground Search and Rescue training

 

[November 08, 2019] 

The Logan County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management, along with Sheriff's Deputies, Lincoln Rural Fire, Lincoln Police and Lincoln fire Department members, participated in a joint Ground Search and Rescue class and Field Training Exercise on Tuesday, October 29th.

The class was held at the Logan County Safety Complex.

The Field Training Exercise was conducted at Kickapoo Park in wet conditions with 40 degree temperatures for several hours.

The purpose of the training was to educate our first responders in lost subject behaviors based on age groups, mental capacity, and activities such as injured or lost hikers or hunters, as well as, providing techniques for searching to provide the highest probability of a successful outcome. The motto of Search and Rescue is: “These things we do so that others may live.”

Training was provided by Patrick Keane. Mr. Keane is a graduate of Loyola University in Chicago and served as a Field Artillery and Military Intelligence officer on both active and active reserve status. Following his military service, he worked as the Director of Management Services in Tinley Park, Illinois.

Mr. Keane spent 23 ˝ years as an Illinois Emergency Management Agency Regional Coordinator assisting local and county governments in a 17 county area in meeting the emergency management needs of their communities. During that time, he served on the initial off-site emergency planning teams for the Zion, Dresden, and LaSalle Nuclear Power Stations, and as the Emergency Planning Team Chief for the Clinton Nuclear Power Station.

He also served as the Project Manager for the Illinois Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program in which capacity he oversaw both the financial aspects of the program and the development, testing and refinement of the state and the two county CSEPP emergency plans. Mr. Keane was an original member of the Illinois Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team, and responded to 22 major disasters and emergencies.

During this period, Mr. Keane gained extensive experience in Search and Rescue:

• Served as the Illinois State Search and Rescue Coordinator 1992-2002

• Served as Searchmaster on multiple major search operations

• Oversaw the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Searchmaster Program

• Negotiated the USAF/Illinois SAR agreements in 1992 and 1996

• Completed NASAR’s Managing Search Operations Course

• Completed the National SAR School’s Inland Search and Rescue Course

• Completed the US Air Force Search and Rescue Management Course

• Completed the US Air Force Search Mission Coordinator Course

• Designated a Search Mission Coordinator by the USAF

• Completed the DEA Arial Drug Identification and Interdiction Course

• Developed and taught Illinois’ Ground Search and Rescue Course

• Developed and taught Illinois’ Mounted Search and Rescue Course

• Developed and taught Illinois’ Search and Rescue Management Course

• Developed and taught Illinois’ Helicopter Air Search and Rescue Aircrew and FLIR Operator Course

• Developed and taught the Illinois Wing’s Civil Air Patrol Advanced Search and Rescue Aircrew Course

• Over 650 hours as an air observer and FLIR system operator during actual search and law enforcement missions between 1993 and 2002

• Awarded the Civil Air Patrol Master Air Observer rating

• Published on Air Search Theory in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong.

Since retirement he has continued his involvement in emergency management as a consultant; working with several counties to develop their terrorism annexes to the emergency operations plans, and has developed and managed three terrorism specific, and one communicable disease full scale disaster exercises. He also co-authored a model emergency operations plan for Illinois which was adopted by the Illinois Municipal League as the model plan for small communities in Illinois. He worked with FEMA, the US Army, four states, eight counties, and one Indian tribe in the development and implementation of an integrated plan to close out the state, local and tribal Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Programs.

Thank you to Chief Chris Buse, Chief Robert Dunovsky, Chief Paul Adams and our First Responders for their support and participation in this life saving training to benefit the public we serve.

If you would like additional information regarding the training provided by Patrick Keane, he may be reached at [e-mail]

[Logan County Sheriff Mark Landers]