Gogebic County Search and Rescue

12/03/2023

The Jack Frost Parade in Ironwood had a great turn-out. The weather cooperated too! It was 28° above instead of -28°.
😁🎅☃️

09/13/2023

Today, the SAR Team was in Wakefield at the Michigan State Police Post's open house. We had static displays of our drones and some of our equipment for everone to see.
Pictured were students from the Wakefield-Marenisco school.

07/01/2023

Rick and Deb are our family. They have been very active with our training for a decade, and Deb will be sadly missed.

Friends...

There are no words to express how much we appreciate the clicks, prayers, and comments that you've made to our last and admittedly vague post. Most of you are in the dark, but we're at a point at this moment where we can take a whack at explaining.

Debra "Deb" Slatten, matriarch of the Rescue Squad, wife of our captain, Rick, died suddenly today of a cardiac event at the age of 63. She was thin, athletic, and seemingly in perfect health when something went catastrophically wrong.

A Rescue Squad member herself, Deb was a 36-year retired sheriff's deputy sergeant. Deb thought up "projects"--ideas about Squad improvements from little to big that she ran with and made reality. She was an accomplished seamstress, stained glass artist, sand carver, and laser cutter. Deb made beautiful things and other things beautiful--usually with her own money--and the Squad is a better place and the world more beautiful because of Deb.

We are absolutely destroyed and heartbroken. We will honor Deb by gathering around Rick and each other, and then continuing our mission to find the missing, care for the injured, and respectfully recover the dead. We will miss Deb beyond any ability to express, and we welcome your prayers as we move forward. (Dawn Rask photo)

12/18/2022

Yesterday our SAR Team completed the last phase of the newly introduced Project Lifesaver program to the area.

Project lifesaver is a non profit agency that provides for free a wearable bracelet locating service to our most vulnerable members of our community. Family members with Dementia, Alzheimers or Down Syndrome are more prone to wandering.

The training ensured each member would be proficient in the placement and maintenance of the locating bracelets to the use of the locating receivers.

Our Gogebic County Sheriffs Department is taking applications for new clients.

https://www.gogebiccountymi.gov/government/county_offices/project_lifesaver.php

05/24/2022

GCSAR spent last evening training at Copper Peak for chair lift evacuation. Members worked on rope rescue. Also posting a letter received in appreciation of recent recovery work done in Iron County.

02/01/2022

Our group of volunteers enjoyed training in winter terrain tonight! We all became more familiar with the Argo and Ranger’s snow abilities (and may have tried out a winch also)…

12/21/2021

From our humble beginnings serving the community of Gogebic County, we have come a long way. We started out with only a few volunteers and a very limited budget from donations. As we grew in service we acquired more dedicated members and equipment. Our skills and dedication to the team made the public more aware of who we were and what we had accomplished since those early days.

We would not be here today without the tireless efforts of our Sherrif, Pete Matonich. Sheriff Matonich will be retiring before the new year.

We wish you the very best, Pete! Your contributions are truly appreciated, and have made a strong and lasting impact to the Gogebic County Search and Rescue Team, and the public you have served.

05/15/2020

A picture sometimes needs no words.

01/31/2019

As the news media platforms are reporting this is the coldest temperatures of a generation. They seem to forget just a few short years ago the same cold came to be for almost 3 months at below zero. And every 5 years or so we get a couple seasons of Arctic temperatures decade after decade.
Be safe out there! It's still the best time of the year to be outside!

02/16/2018

To use the phrase from the United States Coast Guard. "Semper Paratus", Always Ready.

02/16/2018

Our newly acquired truck. Its outfitted and ready to go!

01/17/2018

Our donated truck from Gogebic County Forestry is back from Al's Body shop in Ironwood. It looks great! Thank you Dan! Dan had donated his shop and did it for us free of charge.
It is now off to switch out the electronics from our old rig! The lettering and graphic work is all set to be applied after the radios are installed.

Would you like to have the chance to drive it, or become involved with the SAR Team? You can pick up an application at the Gogebic County Sheriff's Office today!