For our second April training, KISAR was joined by two instructors (Mark Stigar and Brent Taylor) and a K9 (Lyra) from Matanuska Search and Rescue (matsaralaska.org/) who provided a 4-day, Alaska-focused, search and rescue course they developed called called SAR Academy. It was a broad and thorough introduction to SAR operations and skills based on ASTM standards (astm.org). Mark and Brent brought decades of professional SAR and medical experience which added context and color to the excellent course materials. The K9, Lyra, was a joy to work with and impressed us with her training and excellent nose. The KISAR members in attendance were a mix of new folks and old hands and everyone gained valuable knowledge in all aspects of search theory, management, field deployment, and medical response in both urban and wildland environments.

A huge thanks to Trooper Josh Boyle for organizing the training on KISAR’s end, and to Mark, Brent, and Lyra for giving us so much of their time and expertise to make KISAR a more effective organization in emergency response for the Kodiak community.