08/11/2026
It takes far more people to find someone who is lost than most folks realize.
A search starts with a map, not with people walking into the woods. Planners mark the last place the person was known to be, draw a boundary around everywhere they could have gotten to since, and divide that area into segments to be assigned and cleared. Hasty teams move fast along trails and riverbanks first, because sometimes the answer is found in the first hour.
When it is not, searchers walk their segment in a line, spaced by what the brush allows, trained to notice what does not belong and to protect a clue rather than walk over it. A segment that turns up nothing is still progress. It is ground eliminated, and that is how a search narrows.
Every team checks in, gets tracked on the radio, and checks out, so nobody who walks in to help becomes the next person to look for. Aircraft, drones, K9 teams, and boat crews cover what boots cannot. Behind them, people nobody sees are hauling water, running lights for night operations, and answering the radio at 3 in the morning. All of it under one incident command so that many agencies work one plan.
To the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State Police as well as all other public safety, air and drone crews, and every volunteer who walked that ground: thank you.
Searches like that need more trained people than any one agency has on staff. Though we did not have a team on this incident, it is one of the many reasons why teams like the Newaygo County CERT and MRC exist. Our volunteers train for search and rescue, emergency communications, first aid, traffic and crowd management, and shelter operations.
The Newaygo County CERT and MRC is always in search for more volunteers to join the team. Everyone has their own reasons for joining. You do not need any experience as we will teach you at no cost.
👉 Sign up: https://r6citizencorps.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/NewaygoCounty
📞 231-689-7354
🗓️ Come meet us: 4th Wednesday of every month, 6:00 PM, 306 S. North Street, White Cloud
