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A Year in Review

The beginning of 2005 started as a very quiet year. In previous years our team has been busy during the summer months with river drownings or missing children. We did not have either this year.

The beginning of 2005 started as a very quiet year. In previous years our team has been busy during the summer months with river drownings or missing children. We did not have either this year.

But then the hurricane season hit. We train as a first responder resource however we have not had many calls for this type of situation during the history of the team. Katrina changed that as the hurricane devastated many areas in Louisiana and Mississippi. GHSD was called to respond to the Slidell area and the employers of our members were extremely supportive by providing time off to do this community service.

A disaster situation often leaves the local community without resources to support search teams, so our team must be self sufficient during these searches. In this particular situation the resources needed by our team were difficult to find. Fuel was not available en route once close to the disaster zone and other amenities were not available to searchers who were not called in by Fire, LE, or EMS organizations. We were supported by the local response organizations and our team members bunked with many federal agents and fire service personnel since we had a direct call from LSU.

Our mission initially was to locate survivors in the debris. It unfortunately changed to recovery very quickly. The dogs were asked to search unstable structures and debris for any trace of human remains. Some areas were home to reptiles that were a danger to our dogs. Our handlers were careful in directing their dogs and the flankers or support personnel who assisted the canine teams also acted as safety while the dogs worked many areas in close proximity to the water. There were concerns about hazardous materials in the search area and contact by the canines with something that would harm them. All the dogs were checked by a veterinarian brought in by the LA Fire Service. Once home the dogs obtained baseline data to determine if their time in service had affected their health. To date none of our dogs have had any major injury or illness post Katrina.

Then Rita threatened Houston as we were still recovering from the Katrina search. Our searchers, who were once responders, now became evacuees. The mass exodus of Houston with the threat of a category 5 hurricane created chaos not only among the citizens of Houston, but also among our team. We were unable to respond as support due to our need to find safety for our own families. There were some team members who did respond to assist at work with medical duties in addition to disaster team members who responded with the state affiliated disaster teams.

The end of 2005 brought with it many thanks from the members of GHSD. We are thankful for friends and family and for a wonderful support group within our team. We care about our community and wish to provide our services during disaster situations. We train very hard to accomplish this task and educate each of our members in order to provide a service that will assist in the goals of our emergency system. The dedication shown by our team members demonstrates the community concern they feel and their devotion to a cause they believe in.