The Washoe County Sheriff's
Office is concerned with keeping the community informed about the
operation of the Sheriff's Office. One of the ways to accomplish
this is by regularly keeping the news media, and thereby the public,
informed of events involving the Sheriff's Office and its personnel.
The Public Information Officer (P.I.O.) coordinates this by acting
as a liaison between the Sheriff's Office and media representatives.
Duties include assisting reporters assigned to cover news stories
and providing them with general information at the scene of major
incidents. Our goal is to provide timely and factual information
to the community we serve.
The P.I.O.
is available 24 hours a day to respond to the scene of major incidents.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2010
Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team Receives Generous Donation
CONTACT: PIO Deputy Brooke Keast
911 Parr Blvd Reno, NV 89512
Office 328-6370, cell 771-8252, (after hours) pager 858-2569
Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Inc. (WCSAR Inc.) team is grateful for a $20,000 donation received from the Independent Insurance Agents of Northern Nevada, Inc. to purchase items that would improve their searches and/ or rescue efforts.
The Independent Insurance Agents of Northern Nevada, Inc. was formed in 1948 and has raised millions of dollars that have been generously distributed to community non-profit organizations over the years. The members chose WCSAR, Inc. as a recipient this year because in some way each of the members had been touched by Search and Rescue. Some are members or former members themselves, or they know a member, while others had been rescued by Search and Rescue volunteers.
Always ready and on call to provide assistance to lost and injured people, the volunteer WCSAR Inc. team members supply most of their own equipment some of which is quite expensive. The team will use the donated funds to purchase specialized equipment including night vision goggles, a lightweight collapsible stretcher, avalanche beacons, shovels, a navigation system for the snow cat and medical supplies among other things.
Since 1965, this privately funded non-profit organization participate in as many as 75 search and rescue missions each year, donating over 5000 man hours of public service per year. These missions include everything from searching for missing children to lost hunters; injured skiers to downed aircraft.
Each member of WCSAR Inc. is trained in skills such as avalanche safety, advanced first aid, winter survival, and land navigation, along with professional search and rescue techniques. Whether utilizing 4-wheel drive vehicles, SnowCats, snowshoes, or old-fashioned hiking, the team is capable of deployment without re-supply of food or water for up to 48 hours and maintains 2 satellite phones for communication under any conditions.
For more information about Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Teams visit: www.washoesheriff.com or www.washoesar.com
