I stumbled across the Maine Mounted Search and Rescue Unit on Facebook early last week, and emailed my interest. I immediately heard back and was invited to a mock search they were holding the very next Saturday.
I waffled back and forth about actually going, because in reality I am a self-exiled hermit that gets really anxious about meeting new people. But the folks I talked with at MMSAR were so excited and encouraging that I put on my big girl pants and went.
And it was awesome! I helped set up a fake crime scene so that searchers would get practice and guidance in how to deal with weapons and preserving the scene while protecting their own safety.
It was also helpful timing that there is currently a search for a missing Appalachian Trail hiker here in Maine that MMSAR has been called in on. The members that had been on the search were able to share their experiences and I was able to piece together a rough picture of what a search actually looks like, from checking in with the command post to the actual search itself.
The actual certification process is rather lengthy. Both horse and rider need to be certified and we just missed the annual horse certification. But that gives me time to get re-certified in first aid and CPR, as well as get certified in BASAR (basic search and rescue). It'll be at least a year to get all the ducks in a row but it is definitely worth it.
Casey is also going to work on certification with Cooper, so we'll all be an unstoppable Blonde Bomber team!
In other news, this is how I feel about it being Monday:
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