Whatever the weather, volunteers from Hampshire Search and Rescue are providing support to the police 365 days-a-year helping search for at-risk and vulnerable missing people.
We caught up with Trevor Vidler, Vice Chair & Public Profile Officer for Hampshire Search and Rescue, to find out a little bit more about the vital work carried out by the charity and how our wonderful readers might be able to support them in return.
Set up in 2003, Hampshire Search and Rescue (HANTSAR) is one of 35 Lowland Rescue teams throughout the country which provide professionally trained volunteers to assist the police with searches for at-risk vulnerable missing people, such as children, the elderly or despondent. HANTSAR is staffed entirely by volunteers, both operational members who carry out the searches and support members who provide back-up with administration and fundraising activities. Since their formation this incredible team have responded to over 900 requests for assistance by the police, with the 900th being on January 1st this year.
Trevor, originally from Sussex, joined HANTSAR as a volunteer after retiring from careers in the Armed Forces and the NHS. He explained he found the charity after talking with a friend several years ago who was also a member. The ability to help families in the local Hampshire communities is one of the reasons many members, like Trevor, remain in the team.
“As with all charities, volunteers tend to have more than one role,” explains Trevor. “Within HANTSAR several of us have both Operational as well as administrative roles. For myself I am currently a Trustee and the Vice Chairman. Operationally I act as a Search Manager, planning teams’ search areas with the police, can also be deployed as a Team Leader managing a Search Team on the ground and am a First Responder with the medical team.”
The role HANTSAR perform for the police
“We are available for callout 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whatever the weather. Callouts occur at any time of day or night but of course not everyone is able to attend every time.
“We receive professional training to the standard required by the police and other search and rescue agencies. This includes developing skills in search techniques, first aid, map reading, radio operation, managing scenes of crime, water awareness and river-bank search techniques – to name but a few.
“Some members receive specialist training for search planning and search operations management. We also have a medical team, including medical First Responders, a specialist High Risk Search Team and a team using Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, more commonly known as ‘Drones’. Searches are carried out across Hampshire and, when required, into neighbouring counties. Searches may be in urban areas, the countryside, open land, in wooded areas or inland waterways.”
The role HANTSAR perform for the Community
“We are part of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum and can be asked to assist in any emergencies or other major incidents, using the skills developed within the team.
“More specifically, at the start of the pandemic our members worked with Portsmouth City Council delivering about a million items of PPE to nursing and care homes in the Portsmouth area. Over Christmas 2020 to New Year we sent teams to run the COVID testing and certification of commercial drivers for every ferry sailing to France to enable them to gain entry into that country, thus helping to reduce the severe backup of vehicles and get the freight moving. Since January 2021 our members have volunteered with the NHS Trusts acting as administrators, marshals and vaccinators at the main vaccination hubs and at schools.
“During 2021 we also performed our “day job”, responding to 82 callouts from the police.”
Grants and Donations to Support HANTSAR
“HANTSAR receives no official funding from central nor local government and relies on donations, occasional grants and its own fundraising efforts. Volunteers provide the majority of their own equipment and fund their own travel costs to training and to live searches.
“Over the years companies have supported HANTSAR by donating funds or items of equipment and services. Organisers of public events also make donations when the team volunteers to marshal races, carnivals and other displays. We are in a charity partnership with a clothing recycling company, which makes a monthly donation based on the amount of textiles/clothing collected. We are always looking for new sites (village halls, community centres, public houses) who would host a recycling bank for us, thereby helping with our fundraising.”
Apart from day to day running costs of about £26,000 per annum, HANTSAR currently have 2 main projects:
- The ongoing repair, replacement and development of equipment necessary for effective searches.
- We do not have a base depot to work from. We store our vehicles in a compound at the police Headquarters. Some equipment is housed in a metal container, also at the police HQ, whilst our uniforms and less robust equipment is kept in a secure building elsewhere. Our theory training is held wherever we can arrange classroom type facilities, although during the pandemic most training has been online using ‘Zoom’. Our major project, therefore, is to move to a central depot where we can train and store our vehicles and equipment, either by the purchase of such a site or by generous sponsorship.
How you can Support HANTSAR
You can follow them on the usual social media platforms (Facebook @HampshireSAR, Twitter @HANTSAR, Instagram @hantsar).
As previously mentioned, apart from the obvious (i.e. donations at easydonate.org/HSAR001) if anyone has a site with access for the general public and large enough to host a textile recycling bank HANTSAR would like to hear from you.
They have been unable to recruit due to the restrictions of COVID but, for those who may be interested, details of when they are open for recruiting will be on their website.
Trevor finishes with a touching and poignant: “Thank you for helping us help others.”