Polly Ticks: Butte County Search & Rescue
I was sitting at my desk, working diligently on a project my boss had delegated, when the phone rang.
I vaguely remember my aunt’s voice, filled with emotion, tell me that my father had gone missing.
Butte County Search and Rescue had been out looking for him throughout the night, and had found nothing. They were calling off the search, due to the weather.
The blood rushed to my face and I felt very dizzy, I had to concentrate on breathing while I replayed those words in my head over, and over, and over.
This was the beginning of a horrible ordeal. Something no person should have to endure.
No one wants to hear that a family member has gone missing. It brings so many unknown emotions to the forefront, the world feels like it has stopped spinning on its axes, and it becomes extremely difficult to breathe.
Fortunately, my family had the wonderful men and women of the Butte County Search and Rescue team working on their behalf!
I would like to tell you all a little something about the amazing people that comprise the Butte County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.
First, they are all volunteers. That’s right, these people drop everything at a moment’s notice; their jobs, their families, their personal relationships, and rush off to search for anyone who’s gone missing in Butte County, and they don’t get paid a cent. In the case of my father, they began searching at about 6pm on a Tuesday evening and they toiled all through the night, and into the next morning before reluctantly giving up because it had begun to rain very hard. These people explored a cold, wet forest area, teeming with wildlife, in the middle of the night – not for the excellent pay – but because they are committed to helping people.
Second, they are non-tax-supported. What dose that mean? Well, it means they do not get their money from the tax payers pocket. So where do they get their funds? From donations and grants. They work hard to fundraise, and apply for grants from other organizations to come up with money to pay for their supplies and equipment. So not only are they out there saving people’s lives, they also come back and work hard to get their own funding. To me, that’s just incredible!
The third thing I would like to share with you about Butte County Search and Rescue: they are the nicest bunch of people I have ever met! I could not believe their tenacity, dedication and persistence. We resumed the search for my father on a Saturday, and it began to snow buckets, the teams came in from the areas they were searching, debriefed, and then some of them went back out, in the snow, to search a couple of areas. When they got back, I said thank you to one of the volunteers; she looked at me, soaked to the bone and freezing, with true sincerity and said, “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I didn’t check that last spot.”
Words will never be able to express the thanks I feel for the assistance and support this organization offered to me and my family!
My father’s body was found in the De Salba area, which offered closure and some healing to a horrible situation. Without the Butte County Search and Rescue teams, my family would never have know what happened, and could never have properly mourned our loss. For that I thank them with all of my heart!
I would like to encourage everyone to check out their webpage Butte County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue, and see for yourselves what a marvelous contribution they offer our community. There is information on how to join the heroic men and women, or donate to their organization and help them continue to help families in need.
You never know, it could be your car that flys off into the canyon, or your boat that tips, or your parents who go for a hike and never come back.
And again, thank you Search & Rescue for your help!
Polly Ticks: a snarky look at the happenings in the world today entangled in female perception, appears every Thursday right here at iconoclastic
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Comments
I have the honor of working with two Butte County S&R personnel, Maddie W. and Ed S. I have known both people to come to work tired beyond tired but brimming with the satisfaction that they have helped their fellow man. As you said, they do it not out of desire for pay or glory, but out of the basic drive that makes one person help another no matter what.
I am truly sorry to hear about your loss, I hope that you and your family can continue to find peace in the closure of what must be a truly horrific situation.
REPLY: They are wonderful people and deserve more recognition than I could ever give, but I hope every little bit helps. Please look for my letter to the editor this week in regards to their wonderful orginization. And I thank you for your offer of condolence!
Posted by: Cris | March 13, 2007 02:27 PM