Photo By Marnee Losurdo | Master Sgt. Spring J. Winters, a 403rd Wing reservist who works as an Air Reserve...... read more read more
Subscribe
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- When 22-year-old Nick Rainer went missing while kayaking with his father Ken in February 2013, something about the heart-wrenching story touched Master Sgt. Spring J. Winter's heart.
The two went on a father-son fishing trip Feb. 27 and didn't return. The search for the two men began later that evening when their empty kayaks were found near the Davis Bayou area in Ocean Springs by a shrimper. Ken's body was discovered Feb. 28 near the Biloxi east channel, but the search continued for Nick.
Winters, a 403rd Wing reservist and avid kayaker, took action.
"I thought I could help by using my kayak to search local water ways, so I spoke to the Department of Marine Resources and Jackson County Sheriff's Department and volunteered," said Winters.
The search lasted 10 days before Nick's body was found in the Mississippi Sound. The cause of death was accidental drowning.
The tragedy left a lasting impact on Winters, who said she decided she wanted to do more to find the missing, assist their families, and give back to the community. Through her contact with the DMR and Jackson County Sheriff's Department she found out about the Gulf Coast Search and Rescue, a Harrison County Community Emergency Response Team. She began training with the non-profit organization in March 2013.
The organization consists of volunteers and canine and mounted equestrian search teams dedicated to saving lives in the Gulf Coast region by supporting local, state and federal agencies.
All volunteers must undergo CERT and National Association for Search and Rescue training, which typically takes about three months, said Carlos J. Redmon Sr., GCSAR commander. Volunteers are certified in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, search and rescue, and emergency medical operations. Personnel are also trained to assist local officials with staffing the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center, a central command and control facility that carries out disaster management functions to protect life and property.
"Our team can be activated to respond to a natural disaster, not just someone missing in the woods," said Winters.
"I've learned a lot about emergency operations and how it fits into our local government agencies," said Winters, who along with other team volunteers manned the phones for the Harrison County EOC during Tropical Storm Karen, which developed Oct. 3, 2013 before downgrading to a tropical depression Oct. 5, 2013.
When she isn't assisting with disaster prevention and response, Winters is training with and assisting the team on search and rescue missions bringing them a capability they previously didn't have.
"What Spring brought to our team was something special," said Redmon. "There are a lot of drownings on the Gulf Coast and there are a lot of areas, such as small creeks, ponds and lakes, we cannot get into with a regular boat."
"Using my kayak I can search areas that the canines, foot traffic and boats can't reach," said Winters, who heads up the GCSAR's newly-formed kayaking division. Currently, she and another volunteer assist with water way searches.
The 403rd Maintenance Group unit training manager and her one-year-old German Shepherd "Rico" are also part of the canine search and rescue team. They have been training since August to get certified to be considered mission ready. The master sergeant and her furry friend have trained for life find searches, wilderness search and rescue, human remains detection, and disaster response also known as urban search and rescue.
"It can take at least two years to certify a canine so it's a lot of work and training," said Winters who has assisted with two searches and donated more than 250 hours training with the organization since March. "You don't just buy a dog and then he's going to go search for someone.
"Rico is doing very well in his training," said Winters. "To him it's almost a game we play, but for us volunteers it's a very serious situation."
Unfortunately, not every search results in a rescue.
"We may be called out to search an area designated as a potential crime scene; professionalism is key," said the master sergeant. "Every search is taken seriously; it's a great responsibility."
For Winters, volunteering with the team is the right thing to do; to give back to the community in which we live that does so much for us, she said.
"If we can't bring the search to a successful ending at least we are bringing closure to the family," she said.
"For such a small person she makes a formidable presence," said Redmond. "When it comes to operations she does what needs to be done for a successful outcome; and, she doesn't do it for the recognition but for the knowledge that she could possibly return someone to their loved ones. She is a great asset for the team and the community."
The GCSAR is looking for volunteers. For more information, call Redmond at (228) 323-4743.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2017 17:01 |
| Story ID: | 220155 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Rescue hero: Reservist volunteers with Gulf Coast Search and Rescue, by Marnee Losurdo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
