Danville volunteers spend day training to rescue

A toddler wanders out of the yard … an Alzheimer’s patient disappears from a nursing home … a hunter or hiker doesn’t return home on time.

These are scenarios that bring fear and panic into the hearts of the people who love them, but by calling police as soon as someone goes missing, happy reunions can often be the outcome.

Dedicated groups of people all over the state train for just these events, and in the Pittsylvania County/Danville area that group is Angel Search & Rescue Inc.

These volunteers, led by their captain, Gary Goodson, are spending this weekend brushing up on their training, if they are seasoned search team members, or taking their first training classes, if they are new to the team or considering becoming a member.

The group met Saturday at the shooting range near the landfill in Dry Fork for sessions with Bob Wingfield, an instructor with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and seasoned search team member.

Wingfield told the class to always start at the point the missing person was last seen, and figure out how far they could have gotten in all directions in the amount of time since they were last seen.

“This defines your search area,” Wingfield said.

He also noted that children and Alzheimer’s patients are often still in their home, but in such an unlikely place no one has looked there; he encourages search teams to do their own search, no matter who tells them they have already looked through the home.

“Children think it’s a game,” he said of such searches, adding that he has seen times that a child can easily slip into a closet that has already been searched, thinking they’ve found a new place for “hide and seek” to continue.

He also said that “18 percent of Alzheimer’s subjects are still in the home.”

In a nursing home, they might have slipped into an area that wasn’t searched because it is kept locked — but a janitor might open it for just a few minutes, giving the patient just enough time to wander in and become disoriented.

“Always ask for permission to look again,” he said.

No matter where you are looking for someone, look for things that don’t belong there — like tiny toys or hair barrettes, a cigarette butt or a glove in the woods — and can lead you toward where a lost or missing person is.

The class also got to practice getting an injured person out of a difficult place to safety using a litter. They learned the best ways to secure victims in the litter.

“You must keep them still without hurting them or adding to their injuries,” Wingfield said.

He pointed out that no ropes should come across the throat and that victims won’t slide up and down in the litter if their feet are supported and secured to the sides.

Once the victim — played by classmate Hannah Bennett — was secure, the class practiced raising and lowering the litter, changing off with other team members and moving the litter up and down a hill.

The class also was taught to use topographical maps and a compass to help them find their way through search areas better — and to keep from getting lost themselves.

Lessons continue today, with the culmination of the weekend of instruction being a search for a planned “missing person” hiding in the woods.

Angel Search & Rescue Inc. works with other rescue teams across the state, who all get together to help each other out when someone is lost or missing.

More team members are needed, according to Goodson, who is also a member of the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

He can be reached by calling Central Communications in Chatham at (434) 432-7931 and leaving a message, and people interested in finding out more about the group can visit their Web site at www.angelsar.org.

• Contact Denice Thibodeau at dthibodeau@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7985.