GRANT TWP. — A simulated search for three missing people sent first responders into the woods and wetlands of Haymarsh State Game Area, giving agencies a chance to test how they would respond when the search is real
First responders from multiple agencies conducted a search and rescue exercise from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the 6,737-acre state game area northeast of Big Rapids, practicing search techniques, interagency coordination and incident response in a controlled setting
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The exercise centered on a scenario involving three people who had gone hiking and failed to return. Mecosta County Sheriff Brian Miller said one 13-year-old was alone while another 13-year-old and a 21-year-old woman were together, giving responders two separate parties to locate.
Participants playing the missing people were stationed within the search area with adults, radios and yellow vests. Exercise organizers remained in contact with them on a separate radio channel while responders conducted the search
One of the simulated missing hikers was found about an hour into the exercise. After the discovery, Miller called for another hiker to be given a simulated broken ankle, to “switch it up” and add another element for responders to address
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“The whole idea is, let’s train, let’s learn from that training,” Miller said. “So when we do have a real-life incident take place, we learn from our experience and be better prepared.”
The scenario also tested how agencies would coordinate personnel and re from a weekday because emergency personnel may be outside the area or have other commitments
Responders searched an area Miller described as vast and swampy, with the exercise encompassing portions of Haymarsh between 18 Mile and 21 Mile roads and 120th Avenue
Michigan State Police Lt. Orville Theaker, sixth district coordinator with the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, said search and rescue incidents require more than locating a missing person. Agencies also have to coordinate the people and equipment involved in the response
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“By practicing some of our searching techniques and things of that nature, and it’s not just searching techniques, it’s really coordination,” Theaker said. “Practicing all of those things in a more controlled environment is really helpful for us to be able to hone our skills and to become better at what we do.”
Theaker said that coordination is particularly important in rural areas where fire departments often rely on volunteers and regularly assist neighboring agencies
He also said wooded public lands throughout Mecosta County and surrounding counties draw people for hiking, fishing and other outdoor recreation, creating situations in which responders may be called when someone becomes lost or injured
“These exercises, it helps us to hone our skills and to be able to get better, identify some things that we can improve on,” Theaker said
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Josh Gilliam, director of Mecosta County Search and Rescue and a canine handler, said the volunteer civilian organization began a couple of years ago and has participated in searches since then
Gilliam said exercises give responders an opportunity to evaluate their tactics before facing an actual emergency, particularly when searching for children, older adults or others who could be at greater risk while lost
“It’s always best to figure those things out ahead of time,” Gilliam said. “That way, if something actually comes out, we’ve already had the practice and we already know what works the best and what we need to work on.”
The exercise was designed to maintain some of the pressure of an actual search without putting a person in danger. Gilliam said responders still had to consider how far a missing person might have traveled, whether that person could be injured and what hazards existed within the search area
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“We can try and put that into the players that are here to make it as real life as possible,” Gilliam said
Gilliam said people heading into wooded areas can also take steps that make a search easier if something goes wrong. He recommended telling someone where a trip will begin, where it is expected to end and what route is planned
“If you let people know that ahead of time, it helps us when we get on scene if something were to happen,” Gilliam said
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Gilliam also recommended carrying adequate water, food, navigation equipment and a charged cellphone and wearing clothing and footwear appropriate for the terrain
Haymarsh State Game Area is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Re access points off 21 Mile Road. The state game area remained open to the public during the exercise
