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NOVASAR is a private corporation, classed
by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a not-for-profit 501(c)3
tax exempt corporation. It is chartered in the State of West
Virginia and licensed to provide Search and Rescue (SAR) service
in the States of Ohio and West Virginia. NOVASAR is also registered
with the Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Council. NOVASAR specializes
in searching for lost persons in need of rescue. It is a multi-county,
all volunteer organization with members throughout the northern
Ohio Valley, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Members are covered by West Virginia Workers Compensation when
training or on searches.
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The day
following the completion of the FUNSAR course, a child was reported
missing in Marshall County. The Sheriff's Office put out a call
for assistance from everyone who had completed the FUNSAR course.
Two weeks later, Logan County Public Rescue requested response
of the course graduates to assist in a missing person search.
Based on these two searches, it was decided to form a special
regional team that could service both sides of the Ohio River
Valley. After organizational meetings, NOVASAR was created.
On August 16, 1990, the organization was granted a corporate
charter from the State of West Virginia. |
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NOVASAR owes its beginning to a Search and Rescue training
initiative sponsored by the Northern West Virginia Emergency Medical
Services Agency, Inc. (NWVEMSA), the regional EMS coordinating
agency for the northern panhandle of West Virginia; 1978-1991.
In October, 1989, NWVEMSA sponsored a National Association for
Search and Rescue (NASAR) Fundamentals of Search and Rescue (FUNSAR)
course at Reynolds Memorial Hospital. This training was available
to all members of EMS and rescue units affiliated with NWVEMSA.
In addition, all area fire, EMS and police agencies were invited
to send personnel to the course. |
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Search
Management
(Incident Staff or Overhead Team)
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Members specializing
in Search Management receive advanced training in the management functions
of the national Incident Command System (Command, Operations, Planning,
Logistical and Finance) and in search operations and search management.
All members are trained
as Field Team Members. These are people who use their personal skills
to do land search. Other specialties that members can participate in include:
dog handler, search management, manracking, technical rescue. |
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The
turnout was very small - only 16 people registered for the course
and 14 completed the training. Those who completed the training
believed there was a need for a regional Search and Rescue organization.
From the limited turnout for the training program, it was obvious
that most local emergency response agencies were not interested
in developing SAR specialists.
The major question was: Is there a need for a separate organization?
If there was such an organization, would existing emergency response
agencies call for it? |
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All members
must complete the National Association course of study:Fundamentals
of Search and Rescue. This teaches basic survival, searching,
and support skills. This qualifies the person as a NOVASAR Field
Team Member and upon compliance with other requirements, leads
to certification as a Search and Rescue Technician from the National
Association for Search and Rescue. |
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