Team Fundraises for Equipment for New Rig -

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Pioneers Search and Rescue (SAR) Team welcomes six new recruits who recently graduated from the team’s training academy and are already helping in wilderness search and rescue operations across the region.

The training academy is held every two years by the Oswego County Pioneer and Onondaga County Wilderness SAR teams.

The new members are Carissa Boyer, New Haven; David Stinson, Scriba; Dennis Merlino, Fulton; Ivan Proano, Oswego; Michael Backman, Central Square; and Michele Fiermonte, Solvay.

The recruits completed more than 75 hours of classroom training and field work and are certified in several search and wilderness skills including Wilderness First Aid, Project Lifesaver, American Heart Association First Aid CPR AED, and NYS DEC Wilderness Search Techniques. During their final field tests at Camp Zerbe and Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area, the students were individually evaluated for map and compass, land navigation, global positioning systems, and basic survival skills as they covered a technical course more than two miles long.

"Our team’s primary response area is Oswego County, but we work closely with the Onondaga Wilderness team and other teams in our region. Oswego County members participate in searches across the state when additional resources are needed," said Oswego County SAR Director Aaron Albrecht. Albrecht. “The academy provides a solid background in essential search and rescue skills and ensures that students get the knowledge and ‘hands-on’ experience they need to safely and effectively operate as ground search resources."

During 2020, the team handled 46 calls and was activated for 26 searches for people ranging in age from two to 89 years old. Several of the searches involved missing hikers. The team also participated in a mutual aid incident in Onondaga County at the request of the New York State Police, and one in Madison County at the request of state forest rangers.

Fundraising for New Rig

The Pioneers recently purchased a used ambulance and are converting it to a mobile incident command unit which will be used for communications, mapping, search assignments, and Project Lifesaver searches. The team is seeking donations to buy and install equipment in the new rig. Donations may be mailed to Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue Team, P.O. Box 229, Parish, NY 13131.

2021 Officers

New officers for 2021 are Chief Aaron Albrecht, Captain Joe Homola, Lieutenants Jason Fellows and Leonard Redhead; and Executive Coordinator Aaron Albrecht, Assistant Coordinator Patti Ruffos, Secretary Debbie Palm, Treasurer Leonard Redhead; and Training/Review Officer Joe Homola. Board members are Jason Fellows, Robert Schaefer and Janet Clerkin.

The Oswego County Pioneers Search and Rescue Team is an all-volunteer organization and is the oldest volunteer search and rescue team in New York State. Members must be at least 18 years old and must complete the 75-hour training program which is held every two years in Oswego and Onondaga counties.

The team receives funding from the Oswego County Legislature, donations, and grants from the Stewarts Foundation and other sources.

For more information visit http://oswegocountysar.com or  https://www.facebook.com/OCPSAR/

Students Graduate from SAR Training Academy – Several recruits recently completed their final field training exams for the Oswego and Onondaga County Search and Rescue Teams. From left are Patti Ruffos, Oswego County Pioneers Assistant Coordinator; Academy graduates Ivan Proano, Oswego; Dennis Merlino, Fulton; Richard Mulye, Onondaga County Wilderness SAR; Michael Backman, Central Square; Michele Fiermonte, Solvay; David Stinson, Scriba; Oswego County Pioneers Coordinator Aaron Albrecht; and Team Training and Review Officer Joseph Homola. Not pictured is graduate Carissa Boyer of New Haven.