At this month’s meeting we learnt about SULSAR – Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue. Most of us had to admit that we were not aware such an organisation existed. Everyone knows about Mountain Rescue Organisations and the RNLI which covers the sea but SULSAR covers all the area in between.
Sarah and Mike explained that like other Rescue Organisations they are 100% Volunteers and 100% Professional. They receive no Government funding and have to fundraise for equipment. Set up in 1998 they had no permanent base until 2019 when a businessman donated a building for their exclusive use.
SULSAR consists of 10 Search Managers, 16 Team Leaders and 50 Search Technicians. They work alongside the Police and are usually only deployed for high risk persons. This may cover people suffering from Dementia (60% of cases), Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Mental Illness, Autism and includes children. Much use is made of statistics to plot where a person might possibly have headed. They cover the whole of Suffolk and have various teams who may work on foot, on bikes, on the water in kayaks or in the air using drones. There are also highly trained dog teams with some very special dogs. Dog training takes three years and the dogs live with their handler as a family pet. Searchers are trained in First Aid, Casualty Recovery and sadly Deceased Victim Recovery. They have been involved in some high profile cases for example the airman Corrie McKeague who sadly was never found.
