Mountaineer Area Rescue Group

04/09/2026

We are incredibly proud to highlight one of our own! 🚁🌲

When he isn’t coordinating our drone team or out in the field assisting with search-and-rescue missions across north-central West Virginia, Dr. Bill Rose is leaving an incredible legacy in the medical field.

Bill is a true pioneer of emergency and prehospital medicine in West Virginia. Following a remarkable career as an attending physician, medical director for HealthNet Aeromedical Services, and a founding voice in wilderness medicine, he is continuing his lifelong commitment to service. Through his recent gift, the newly established Dr. William D. Rose Prehospital & Wilderness Medicine Fund at WVU will train the next generation of physicians to meet patients wherever they are—whether in a hospital or deep in the wilderness.

Thank you, Bill, for your endless dedication to our community, to MARG, and to the future of wilderness medicine. Read more about Bill's incredible journey and his recent gift below! 👇

The Dr. William D. Rose Prehospital & Wilderness Medicine Fund will provide resources for visiting lectures, conferences, research initiatives and program development.

02/24/2026

MARG joins our friends and colleagues of Northwest Pennsylvania K9 Search and Rescue in bidding goodbye to SAR dog Dexter, partner to Michelle Silka-Eaton, friend and teammate to all who give their everything to search for the lost.

Oyez à Dexter.

01/03/2026

12/16/2025

12/16/2025

Today is our fundraiser with Buffalo Wild Wings at the University Town Center!

Come grab some wings and mention MARG at checkout to have a portion of your purchase donated to MARG!

Photos: MARG reserved table to honor our 2 members that passed aways this year, Lee Fuell and David Rice.

MARG members enjoy food and drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings at the University Town Center.

12/15/2025

Last week, MARG was honored to be invited to participate once again in the WVU Medicine Golisano Children's Holiday Lights and Good Nights event. It is a holiday tradition we look forward to each year and are honored to be invited to. 🧡💙🎅

This annual parade invites first responders from all over the area to bring their trucks and flash their lights while waving to the children receiving treatment at the hospital.

12/02/2025

Friends, it is Giving Tuesday! I know there are many competing good causes looking for donations today, and I'd like to suggest you consider giving to the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group. Right now, our greatest need is a vehicle to replace our 30+ year-old rescue truck, in addition to our day-to-day operating expenses. We are a fully volunteer-run organization that relies on donations and grant funding to operate, so even small donations help. To all of our past, current and future supporters, THANK YOU!

11/26/2025

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that David Rice passed away at the end of last week after a year-long battle with cancer.

David was a valued member of our team and a friend to many of us. He brought a quiet expertise, curiosity, and steady willingness to help, traits that made him an exceptional teammate and a joy to work with. His sharp, dry wit, his wide-ranging knowledge, and his dedication to service were constants throughout his time with us.

Please keep David’s loved ones in your thoughts during this difficult time.

07/12/2025

Day 20 - Meet the Team: Pepper Broad – A 35-Year Journey in SAR

I got into Search and Rescue quite by accident—about 35 years ago. As an amateur radio operator, I was called to assist in a search in a small county in West Virginia. By today’s standards, it was loosely organized, led by the local sheriff, with fire and rescue volunteers doing their best.

Afterward, we held a hot wash of the operation and quickly realized that, as volunteers, we needed more training. That realization led us to join the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group (AMRG) in Pittsburgh—a proud member of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference (ASRC).

Through hard work, mentorship, and a little bit of luck, we learned what real SAR looked like. I had the privilege of being mentored by some of the best—Dr. Keith Conover, a founder of the ASRC, and Robert Koester, author of *Lost Person Behavior*. Their knowledge became the foundation of how we trained, responded, and thought about the lost person.

Eventually, we founded our own team in Morgantown, West Virginia: the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group (MARG). That team still exists today and remains one of the most capable SAR teams in the state. Over time, we managed ground searches and collaborated with cave rescue teams as well.

To expand our network and knowledge, we joined the Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Council (PSARC). One of our first joint trainings brought us to Chickies Rock Park in Lancaster County—where I met the Wilderness Emergency Strike Team (WEST) for the very first time.

Twenty-two years ago, my wife and I moved to Lancaster, and I joined WEST. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to train and serve alongside many talented mentors and teammates in SAR.

Today, I’m proud to be part of PACSAR as a drone team member, and I also serve with Civil Air Patrol, Squadron 304, here in Lancaster County.

Though technology has advanced and SAR has evolved, my roots are firmly planted in ground SAR. I’ve loved this work from the very beginning—and I’m forever grateful to all the teams, mentors, and friends who’ve shaped my journey.