DOZENS OF PEOPLE GET LOST IN THE
WOODS OR NED NEED RESCUING ON THE
WATER.
THE PEOPLE CALLED OUT TO LOOK
FOR THEM TRAIN LIKE
PROFESSIONALS, BUT GET TRAINED
LIKE VOLUNTEERS, LIKE THE ONES I
MET ON THE JOB IN SAWYER COUNTY.
>> ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON TWO
YEARS AGO, RYAN NADELHOFFER GOT
ON HIS ATV IN THE VILLAGE OF
WINTER IN SAWYER COUNTY AND
PREPARED TO RIDE THE TRAILS TO
HIS HOME IN HAYWARD 30 MILES
AWAY.
>> HE HAD HIS CELL PHONE AND
GPS, SO HE SAID I HAVE THE
TRAILS READY TO GO, I'M FINE.
>> RYAN'S SISTER AMBER SAID THE
GPS TOOK HIM ON THE WRONG TRAIL.
>> I WAS ON MY PHONE AND IT TOOK
ME TO THE SNOWMOBILE TRAIL.
>> HIS GS WAS TAKING HIMPS WAS TAKING HIM ON
SNOWMOBILE TRAILS.
HE LOST SERVICE.
HE PICKED A ROUTE AND DROVE AND
IT TURNED INTO NO TRAIL AND HE
WAS HUNG UP ON A FREE.
>> RYAN WAS LOST WITH A DEAD
PHONE AND A STUCK ATV.
>> I HAD MY HEADLIGHTS ON FOR A
WHILE AND THEN WHEN THE BATTERY
DIED, THEN IT WAS PITCH BLACK.
>> WHEN HE DIDN'T ARRIVE HOME ON
TIME, RYAN'S FAMILY CALLED THE
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND THEY
ACTIVATED THE SAWYER COUNTY
SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM.
>> WE KNEW HE WAS ON HIS ATV, SO
WE REQUESTED WINTER FIRE
DEPARTMENT TO COME IN AND ASSIST
WITH THEIR ATVs.
>> IS HE THET Vs
>> THEY SET UP A COMMAND POST.
>> WAS A AMAZING TO SEE THEY
HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT IN
SUCH SHORT TIME.
THE FACT THAT WE WERE SITTING AT
HOME WITH THEIR FAMILIES, THEY
GOT THE CALL AND THEY DIDN'T
HESITATE.
>> JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT SEARCHERS
FOUND RYAN, WET AND COLD.
>> THE WAY THE TEMPERATURE WAS
THAT NIGHT, IF THE SEARCH
MEMBERS WOULDN'T HAVE LOCATED
HIM, YOU KNOW, IT MAY HAVE HAD
DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
>> BY THE TIME SEARCH ERSERS ITERS WERE
CALLED BACK, IT WAS MONDAY AND
MOST OF THEM HAD TO GO TO WORK
BECAUSE IN WISCONSIN SEARCH AND
RESCUE TEAMS ARE MADE UP OF
VOLUNTEERS.
>> WE MAY HAVE 35 OF OUR MEMBERS
OR WE MAY HAVE FOUR.
>> YOU WANT TO SIGN IN OVER
HERE?
>> PAT SANCHEZ IS THE
COORDINATOR OF SAWYER COUNTY'S
TEAM, BUT THEIR SEARCH AREA
DOESN'T STOP AT THE COUNTY LINE.
>> THIS IS KIND OF THE INFO
SHEET ON THE PERSON THAT WE'RE
LOOKING FOR.
>> THIS SUMMER, THEY SPENT
MULTIPLE DAYS IN ASHLAND COUNTY
LOOKING FOR THE BODY OF A MAN
WHO LIKELY DROWNED IN THE LAKE.
>> THIS LAKE HAS BEEN SEARCHED
WITH TWO CADAVER DOGS.
DOGS HAVE SAID SOMETHING'S HERE.
WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S COMING
FROM THE LAKE OR OFF THE SHORE
INTO THE LAKE.
>> VOLUNTEERS SHOWED UP TO
SEARCH THE SHORELINE AND WOODS.
>> HEAT INDEX IS GOING TO GET
REALLY HIGH.
MAKE SURE YOU GUYS STAY
HYDRATED.
THE REASON WE'RE HERE IN ASHLAND
COUNTY IS WE HAVE BEEN DOING
SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR MANY YEARS
AND OUR REPUTATION HAS GROWN
THAT WE ARE A TEAM THAT WILL
COME IN.
WE'RE WITH THE LOCAL AGENCIES.
>> THE TEAM HAS BEEN CALLED OUT
TO 85 SEARCHES OVER THE LAST
FOUR YEARS, NEARLY HALF OF THEM
OUTSIDE THEIR HOME TERRITORY.
>> THE SUCCESS RATE HAS BEEN
APPRECIATED BY THE SURROUNDING
COUNTIES.
>> SAWYER COUNTY SHERIFF DOUG
MROTEK SAYS A MISSING PERSON
CASE IS UNDER JURISDICTION OF
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ONLY
THEY CAN ACTIVATE A SEARCH.
IF A NEIGHBORING COUNTY ASKS
HELP, THEY HAVE TO ASK HIM TO
ACTIVATE HIS VOLUNTEERS.
>> WE HAVE RECEIVED QUITE A FEW
REQUESTS FROM THE SURROUNDING
COUNTIES FOR OUR SEARCH AND
RESCUE TEAM.
>> BUT ALL THOSE SEARCHES COME
AT A COST TO THE VOLUNTEERS.
THIS SEARCH TOOK PLACE
THURSDAY.
>> THIS IS A VACATION DAY FOR ME
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I USE UP
JUST ABOUT ALL MY VACATION ON
SEARCHES.
>> SO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF,
STAY HYDRATED.
>> SAWYER COUNTY HAS RECEIVED
DONATIONS, BUT INDIVIDUAL
MEMBERS PAY FOR EVERYTHING ELSE
ON THEIR OWN.
>> WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN
CANINES, FOR OUR OWN TRAINING.
WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT OUT OF
POCKET.
WHEN WE GET OUR OWN VEHICLES AND
DRIVE, WE ARE HE PAYINGPYING WE AREPYING WE ARE PAYING OUR OWN
GOODS EXPENSES.
>> THIS IS THE WAY SEARCH AND
RESCUE WORKS STATEWIDE.
WE CALLED EVERY SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE TO ASK
HOW THEY CONDUCT SEARCH AND
RESCUE.
ONLY SIX COUNTIES SAID THEY HAVE
ANY KIND OF IN-HOUSE SEARCH AND
RESCUE TEAM.
WHEN WE ASKED WHO THEY WOULD
CALL IF THEY NEEDED TO CONDUCT A
SEARCH, THEY POINTED TO NEARBY
VOLUNTEER GROUPS.
BUT NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS THE
ENTIRE LIST OF SEARCH AND RESCUE
TEAMS.
>> WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD SOLID
LIST AT THIS POINT OF ALL THE
TEAMS IN THE STATE BECAUSE THOSE
ARE USUALLY LOCAL ASSETS.
>> KEVIN WERNET IS AN EXERCISE
AND TRAINING OFFICER WITH
WISCONSIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
HE CAN GET THE RIGHT AIRCRAFT IN
THE SKY.
>> WE SUPPORT APPROXIMATELY 30
TO 40 MISSIONS A YEAR FOR SEARCH
AND RESCUE REQUESTS.
>> WERNET SAYS EACH PART OF THE
STATE PRESENTS ITS
GEOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGES, WHETHER
IT BE WOODS OR WATER.
>> IN THE SOUTHWEST THERE'S A
LOT OF RIVER RESCUES.
PAT HAS A LOT OF FORESTRY TYPE
STUFF.
>> BUT WISCONSIN EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT REALIZED THEY DON'T
KNOW WHERE THE GAPS IN COVERAGE
MAY BE BECAUSE VOLUNTEER GROUPS
DON'T REPORT TO ANY SINGLE
AUTHORITY.
>> ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE
IDENTIFIED A GAP AND WE WERE
WORKING WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS AND
DIFFERENT FOLKS AROUND THE
STATE.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO EXPAND
THAT LIST.
>> PAT SANCHEZ UNDERSTANDS
THERE'S NO MONEY FOR PAYING
SEARCH AND RESCUE VOLUNTEERS,
BUT THEY WOULD LIKE THE SAME
LEGAL PROTECTIONS OFFERED TO
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.
>> IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE WERE
TREATED AS EQUAL TO FIRE
DEPARTMENTS, EMS AND LAW,
BECAUSE WE ARE FIRST RESPONDERS.
>> IN THE MEANTIME, SHE'LL KEEP
SHOWING UP WHEN THE CALL COMES
IN.
>> SO THIS IS MY HOBBY, BUT IT'S
MY PASSION, TOO.
BECAUSE I WOULDN'T DOING IT
IF I DIDN'T GET SOMETHING BACK
AND WHAT I GET BACK IS FROM ALL
MY TEAMMATES.
WE'RE FAMILY.
AND KNOWING THAT I'VE HELPED
SOMEBODY.
>> AND THAT IS SOMETHING FOR
WHICH SMITH AND HER
BROTHER RYAN WILL BE ETERNALLY
GRATEFUL.
>> IT'S INCREDIBLE THAT THE
VALUE OF LIFE IS SO IMPORTANT TO
THEM.
AND THEY DON'T GET ANYTHING IN
RETURN FOR IT EXCEPT FOR THAT
THEY'VE HELPED A FAMILY.