Students form search and rescue club

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© Western New Mexico University

Mustang Search and Rescue, a student club formed in Fall 2016, was certified as an official resource by New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue on January 13, 2017. With this recognition, Mustang Search and Rescue team members became eligible to participate in search and rescue (SAR) missions run under the jurisdiction of New Mexico State Police.

To prepare for SAR mission assignments, several Mustang SAR members obtained their NM SAR Field Certification on Saturday, February 4. Other team members will also be obtaining Field Certification in the near future.

Under the SAR Act of 1978, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is responsible for SAR activities in the State of New Mexico.  The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) division of DPS is tasked with the management and administration of SAR operations.

When a mission occurs, a NMSP SAR Incident Commander is responsible for managing the incident, within the guidelines of the Incident Command System, and maintaining the standard of care established by DPS. On a mission, Mustang SAR team members will work under the direction of the Incident Commander and with other NM SAR teams to search for, rescue, and bring to safety lost or injured subjects from remote wilderness and backcountry areas.

Mustang SAR is always interested in accepting new members who are willing to commit the time and effort for training sessions and missions. For further information, please contact Jeffrey Arrington, Team President, at arrx@live.com or Marc Levesque, Faculty Advisor, at nmsar1207@gmail.com.

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