Photo courtesy of the Keweenaw Sheriff’s Office Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala has invited the public to a meeting to discuss the formatino of the Keweenaw Search and Rescue.

ALLOEUZ TOWNSHIP — Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala invites the public to attend an organization meeting to discuss the formation of the Keweenaw Search & Rescue (KSAR).

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, at the Allouez Community Center, next to the Allouez BP gas station.

“We are going to be discussing the future of the Search & Rescue program in the Keweenaw,” he said.

Currently the county does have an off-road rescue service that has been staffed by the Ahmeek fire department, said Pennala. The goal now is to restructure and expand the service and over time, add more specialty elements to it.

“We already have a lot of the necessary) equipment,” Pennala said, “and obviously, additional things are needed, but the added equipment would be dual-purpose between both patrol and search and rescue, also.”

Currently, the department owns a patrol boat, a personal watercraft (PWC), and snowmobiles, but added equipment would be dual-purpose, which the county is lacking.

Pennala said because of the attraction and the topographical features of the Keweenaw, it draws a lot of outdoor enthusiasts. In the last few years, during the COVID outbreak, and even prior to that, he added, the number of enthusiasts has been dramatically increasing every year.

“That also increases our calls for service,” he said.

This is a build up that is going to happen over time, Pennala said.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re looking at adding wilderness SAR, as well as ice and water SAR, as well as a couple of others,” he said.

One of particular interest, Pennala said, is high angle rescue. His office has had a group reach out requesting to become involved in that.

High angle rescue operations involve terrains with slopes of 60 degrees or greater, explains Elite Rescue Technical Services. In these scenarios, the rescue personnel require a more comprehensive set of skills, as they rely entirely on ropes and other specialized hauling and hoisting equipment to access and rescue the people who are stranded. This characteristic places both rescuer and rescuee at a greater risk of injury to life and limb if the rope system fails. To minimize this risk, in addition to needing specialized training and certifications, rescue personnel must be in good physical condition to be qualified to perform high angle rescues.

Pennala said over the years, his department has responded to several calls regarding climbers stuck on the bluffs along Cliff Drive.

“Right now,” he said, “there isn’t a group for them,”

Anyone wanting to become part of a professional, dedicated group in the county, or anyone who wants more information is invited to attend the meeting.