205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 06/15/2018 - You will see a lot of brightly colored and reflective Search and Rescue shirts around Ellensburg starting next week. Ellensburg will be hosting the Washington State Search and Rescue Conference, which will be hosted at CWU and the Kittitas Valley Event Center starting on Monday, June 18th through Sunday, June 24th. The Conference is internationally recognized and attended by volunteers throughout the world.
Here in Kittitas County the Kittitas County Search and Rescue is an organization made up of highly dedicated and hardworking volunteers. A new group of incoming members just graduated from the recruit academy training and are ready to head out into the woods to rescue lost and injured people. The group spent the last two months attending classroom training on topics such as first aid, field navigation, lost person behavior and tactics, field exercises, and experiencing an overnight training session in less than ideal weather and with minimal gear and equipment to simulate an actual mission among many other things. The new members in the attached photo include Leroy Howery, Robert Tierney, Charlie Gorman, Jo-El Ferrell, April Haugen, and Sarah Nauman. Graduates not pictured are Dana Phillips, William Stryker, David Van Wert, Nancy Wagley, and Ron Goins. The 2018 KCSR Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Dena Haney (photo attached), a 6-year SAR veteran who volunteers countless hours on the ground and dog search teams with her K-9 partners Daisy and Remi. Dena also serves on the program executive board. Dena somehow also manages a full time career as an emergency room trauma nurse. KCSR will be hosting a fundraiser “yard sale” in the front lot of the Sheriff’s Office at 307 W Umptanum Rd this coming Saturday, June 16th, starting at 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. Please come and support our local Search and Rescue. For more information on how you can become a SAR volunteer send an email to: searchandrescue@co.kittitas.wa.us.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Darren Higashiyama, Commander (509) 933-8206