Wednesday, May 28, 2003
The team of all-terrain vehicle drivers will aid in searching rough areas.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency has added a team of dogs to its rescue workers -- the Traildogs.
The Mahoning Valley Traildogs are about 50 volunteers who use four-wheel all-terrain vehicles to rescue victims lost or injured in areas with limited access. The group joined the team as part of an agreement that will benefit both organizations and the residents of Mahoning County.
Joining forces with the agency makes new funds available for equipment and training, said Edward J. Villone, a Struthers police captain, ATV enthusiast and Traildogs founder.
Maintaining oversight
"We're giving them a wish list, but for sure, we're going to be getting radios because we're going to be on their communications system," Villone said. He and four team leaders will use the radios to keep in touch with incident commanders during search-and-rescue efforts.
By law, incident commanders are local fire chiefs, said Walter Duzzny, executive director of the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency. They oversee emergency workers to ensure unified, coordinated efforts to find and rescue victims and aid communities affected by natural disasters or accidents.
"We can't afford in an emergency to have people running around on their own," Duzzny explained. "We do the same thing with amateur radio operators and the dive team."
By incorporating the Traildogs into the county emergency management team, Duzzny said, "We can provide training, equipment and a more coordinated effort to support incident commanders."
Chain of command
The commanders will determine when the Traildogs are needed. Once called to the scene, Traildogs volunteers will report directly to the commander, Duzzny said, eliminating what he called "the bureaucratic tap dancing" that plagues some efforts to bring different organizations together as a unified force.
"Outside of Mahoning County's urban areas, we have a lot of wooded and rough terrain," Duzzny said. The Traildogs can usually get into those areas, even those too heavily wooded for four-wheel-drive trucks. That makes a big difference when searching such areas, he said.
Training provided through the county emergency management office will be available to Traildogs volunteers within the next few weeks, Duzzny said. Medical equipment, global positioning systems and communications equipment will also be available, he said.
kubik@vindy.com