DATE: Friday, July 25, 1997                 TAG: 9707230133

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 24   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   53 lines

VOLUNTEER SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUP SAVES, AGAIN

The 43rd Virginia Volunteer Search and Rescue Company recently accomplished another successful mission.

The company, an auxiliary unit with the Chesapeake Sheriff's Department since 1993, is the only all-volunteer search-and-rescue unit attached to a sheriff's department on the East Coast. Members have participated in more than 20 calls to locate lost persons or to provide disaster or emergency assistance.

And on Sunday, they chalked up one more rescue.

That morning, Chesapeake police Capt. J.E. Saunders received a call about a distraught man on Elbow Road who had threatened suicide and disappeared into the nearby dense woods. After arriving at the scene, Saunders called on the Virginia Beach Police helicopter crew for help with an aerial search while Chesapeake police officers gathered additional information.

Saunders, who is also a colonel and the commanding officer of the 43rd Virginia Volunteers, called out the search and rescue team.

``I knew their training in quick response and difficult-terrain rescue would be an additional strong resource in hopes of finding the man alive,'' said Saunders.

Within an hour of notification, more than 15 volunteers were on site, in formation and ready for their orders. According to drill procedures, they decided on a search pattern and set out. About 30 minutes later, the searchers located the man who although conscious apparently had ingested some type of poison. Paramedics transported him to Chesapeake General Hospital for treatment.

``I'm proud of the team. They did the job they are trained to do,'' said Saunders. ``We spend hours and hours practicing and training so we can make a rescue in minutes to hopefully save a life.''

The group, which once was known as the Carlos Hathcock Ranger Company, was formed in 1985 as a unit with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol.

It has always trained according to the U.S. Army Ranger guidelines. It specializes in ground search, lifesaving care, survivor transport, small boat operations and helicopter drops into difficult areas. Saunders said the Rangers joined the Sheriff's Department to be more help on a local level. Members have no law-enforcement authority.

The volunteers include doctors, lawyers, teachers, sheriff's deputies, secretaries and mechanics. They hail from Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Franklin and North Carolina.

``They are a skilled and dedicated team who devote time and effort to helping others,'' said a spokesman for Sheriff John R. Newhart. ``Sunday's response and actions are another example of their invaluable service to the sheriff's department and to the city.''

For more details or to volunteer with 43rd Virginia Volunteer Search and Rescue Company, call 420-3940 or 482-4321.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu