Unsung Heroes - The Rescue Squad of Randolph County

Look around our community. What do you see? Well, it depends on your viewpoint, right?

There are everyday people out there, behind the scenes, serving in ways that some of us can't even fathom. In ways that we maybe haven't noticed before because mercifully, we haven't needed them. Some of us, however, know and see exactly who these heroes are in our community.

There are unthinkable moments that happen in our lives and in our community. A sister goes missing. A child has been lost. A dad cannot be found. A grandpa hasn't been seen in a few days.

When these moments happen, our community has an amazing resource in our own backyard. When the unimaginable happens, there is the Randolph County Rescue Squad.

To some of us it may be a passing headline. To the ones who have loved ones missing, the squad is everything. They embody hope. They are love in action. They bring the possibility of a loved one being found alive. In darker times, they bring the closure of the return of that loved one's body so that the grieving and the mourning can begin.

This is not a flashy job. It's not a well known job. And it's an incredibly difficult job. If you aren't from here you may not even know that these brave souls exist. What you might find even more unbelievable is that these gentleman and ladies are not paid. They are volunteers.

I spent some time with a few of these humble souls at the boat ramp, their amazing equipment on proud display. The only reason that some of them were even willing to be photographed is the recognition that this is a community endeavor. In other words, we need to know about them and support them. They can only do as much as they have the volunteers. We need to apply to volunteer (21+ years of age). They operate on a very small budget, provided by minuscule tax amounts. The squad is stronger and better trained in the event of emergencies with our donations. We must consider donating funds to the nonprofit. They also ask for space and understanding for when they need to do their thankless job. We need to offer our respect.

Equipment and Training

Their specialty is water rescue. 20% of what they do is rescue. 80% of what they do is recovery.

Since 1977, every person they have searched for has been found, either by rescue or recovery. (Excluding those who were later established to have been missing deliberately.)

The squad's capabilities include:

• Certified Rescue and Recovery Dive Team
• Award winning K9 Area Search Team
• Man tracking capabilities
• Federally (FAA) Certifies Aerial Search Drone Team with infrared search and an array of other camera technologies
• 4 unique underwater imaging technologies for various applications in different water conditions.
• Trained swift-water rescue personnel
• EMT's/Paramedics
• Various medical/1st responder capabilities
• Submersible deep-water search and recovery robot

With a litany of old-school methods and devices, the squad could with hundreds of years of combined experience be a few dozen of the most dedicated volunteer civil servants in Randolph County, Alabama.

Education

The squad does presentations at schools to show off the very cool equipment they have as a way to show the kids that they exist but also to let them know the importance of wearing your life jacket and being safe in the water.

The Rescue Squad wants you to know:

If you see them out working in the water, give them space.

If they are on the scene then they are working to recover someone's family member. You see boats up top. What you don't see is the diver under the water searching for a body in murky water and under terrible shelves of rock and through and around all kinds of trees and debris. Slow your boat. The waves don't help. Give them space to do their very important work. Respect is the word that comes to mind.

"We have never recovered a body that was wearing a life jacket."

It is amazing how much pain and heartache you can avoid by just wearing the life jacket. If you can't swim, wear a life jacket. If you are kayaking, wear a life jacket. If you think the idea of drinking while kayaking is a good way to spend your day, wear a life jacket. Even consider wearing a life jacket when you are backing the boat on the ramp alone. A trip and fall on the ramp can lead to drowning.

How to Support

The Rescue Squad does receive a small part of the ad valorem tax as part of the fire department association, but they also operate by volunteer donation. So if you would like to donate to the 501(c)3... Send to RCRS 349 Cauthen Circle Roanoke, AL 36274.

The squad is also working on a new building for housing their advanced equipment. The land was donated by the county and has been graded. Now they need and would love donations of:

- Pouring concrete

- Running wiring

- Erecting the building

The Randolph County Rescue Squad formed in 1967 with the mission of providing search and rescue for the citizens of Randolph County. The squad consists of 35 active all volunteer members located in all corners of the county. The squad belongs to the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads, a 100 unit, 3100 member organization, as well as the Randolph County Association of Fire Departments.

The squads current officers and executive board are Douglas Kirk, Captain; Vacant, 1st Lieutenant; Billy North, 2nd Lieutenant; Scott Sorrell, 1st Sergeant; and Matthew Knight, Exec. Secretary-Treasurer. The squad's governing body consists of a nine panel Board of Directors composed of the oldest active members and the Executive Board.

How would you like to support these local heroes who day in and day out volunteer to do the unimaginable?

Pictured: Billy North, Ervin Hostetler, Jakob North, Luke North, Dave Seyba, and HL Whitlow.