A COMMUNITY group is calling for support to continue carrying out its work finding missing persons.
Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue (BLSAR) is looking for donations to help secure a permanent base and to cover bills and equipment maintenance.
The Wokingham-based charity is run by highly trained volunteers and is one of Thames Valley Police (TVP)’s key search resources, helping them handle the thousands of missing persons reports received every year.
Its team of more than 70 search technicians undertake a rota such that they can respond to calls at any time of the day or night.
Volunteer Patrick Kerry said: “We’ve been in temporary accommodation for a while. Our Arborfield base got taken over last year because they’re now building houses there, and we’re now at the Toutley depot on a short-term lease.
“Our work is vital. When the police call us, it’s because they’ve got to the point where they’re deeply concerned about a missing person but have a good idea where they might be.
“Sometimes a suicide note will have been found, or someone with dementia has left home. Police give us a search area, and through computerised mapping or thermal imaging, we work with them to help locate, and hopefully return, these people safely.”
Part of the problem has been finding a location to house the unit’s extensive equipment. Its resources include: an incident control unit van, support vehicles, rescue boats, thermal imaging drones, digital VHF radios and medical equipment.
The group is ideally looking for an alternative location in central Berkshire or Wokingham that can accommodate all their hardware, training space and a small office.
BLSAR relies entirely on public donations, carrying out and attending fetes and applying for lottery funding. Its expenses include £100 for a tank of fuel for its vehicles and £1,700 for an automated external defibrillator.
Mr Kerry explained: “A large number of us are retired, but some are still working. It’s really the motive that’s driven us. Young and old, male and female.
“There are quite a few ex-army, ex-police, coupled with ex-ambulance.
“Outside of our day-to-day operations, we have two goals: to bring our profile to the fore because right now, we do just about enough to stay afloat, and to find a new base.”
Every team member is trained to national standards before qualifying as a search technician. This involves mastering search techniques, first responder medical care and the use of specialist equipment.
Team members train once a week in a variety of scenarios and locations in and around the Berkshire area.
Some individuals are also trained in bank search (i.e. in rivers, canals, lakes) and water search, while others have medical expertise or are part of the drone or bike teams.
