PRESS RELEASE

Saturday, 27 June 2009

The Staffordshire Search & Rescue Team (SSART) is an independent charity (no. 1105836) of volunteers providing missing persons Search & Rescue to Staffordshire Police and 4x4 logistics & transportation to West Midlands Ambulance Service & Staffordshire Civil Contingencies Unit. SSART operates in all rural & urban lowland areas of Staffordshire and is available through professional 999 services every day of the year. SSART covers all lowland areas that do not require technical rope rescue techniques or Mountain Skills which are traditionally provided by Mountain Rescue Teams & the Fire & Rescue Service.

We are extremely pleased to announce that Sainsbury’s Supermarket at Cannock has chosen to adopt SSART as its supported charity for the year. This will provide a great boost to the team allowing us to progress projects that would otherwise have taken much longer to fund, thereby ensuring SSART is better able to assist the community when called upon.

As a charity funded entirely by voluntary donations, the partnership with Sainsbury’s will enable SSART to upgrade & expand its equipment range, particularly casualty care equipment such as Vacuum Mattresses to ensure comfortable and stable transportation of casualties on stretchers. SSART also wishes to purchase water safety equipment including Life Jackets to provide security to our membership when searching near the many watercourses within Staffordshire. Future purchases will include communication equipment, portable shelters & co-ordinated clothing to keep SSART members dry and warm when working in adverse weather. SSART also desperately needs a replacement mobile Control Vehicle from which Search operations are co-ordinated and controlled by SSART Search Managers.

Since its inception in 2004, SSART members have attended over 20 callouts to assist the Staffordshire Community and in 2008-2009 has dedicated over 3500 man-hours in callouts, training & fund raising. In the year to date, SSART members have attended many callouts, lasting over 630 man-hours in total. SSART has been called to operations further afield including the 2007 floods in Hereford & Gloucestershire and to assist Cheshire Lowland Search Team to locate missing vulnerable persons. As a result of SSARTs commitment to the local community it was proud to receive a Chief Officers Commendation from West Midland Ambulance Service in April 2009.

SSART is staffed entirely of volunteers aged from 18+ who are drawn from all walks of life. From this wide diversity of membership we are able to provide many additional skills and cross training to our newer members including water safety, off-road driving, casualty care, & missing person behaviour, etc. Membership is subject to passing a straightforward fitness test held on Cannock Chase, completion of a weekend residential training course and a satisfactory CRB check. Training is held each Wednesday evening either at the SSART HQ in Stafford or at locations throughout the County. In addition there are frequent weekend days dedicated to fund-raising and training. SSART currently has 40+ members of which over 90% are qualified for callouts.

For membership information and application form please refer to the SSART website (http://www.staffssearchandrescue.org) or call the Membership Secretary on 07875 389177.

SSART is a full member of the Association Of Lowland Search & Rescue (ALSAR), a national body that represents Lowland teams at Government level and holds mutual associate membership of Mountain Rescue (England & Wales). SSART is working closely with its neighbouring teams of the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation to further supplement each others skills.

For sponsorship and fund-raising opportunities please email fundraising@staffssearchandrescue.org.

Simon Rose on behalf of The Staffordshire Search & Rescue Team

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