Pennington County Search and Rescue looks for interested volunteers

RAPID CITY, S.D.- Pennington County Search and Rescue is searching for volunteers to join the team. They’re holding a recruitment night for anyone interested Tuesday night October 12 at 6:30.

Not every fun adventure in South Dakota goes according to plan. When a dream day turns into a nightmare, Pennington County Search and Rescue jumps into action.

The team consists of volunteers who perform extrications, vertical rescues, searches, and even offers assistance to the dive team. They’re hoping to welcome some new members into their dedicated and compassionate crew.

Tiana Shuster, Assistant Team Leader with Pennington County Search and Rescue, talked about her excitement regarding the possibility of adding some new members.

“We are ready to bring on new people and ready to get them trained up to be able to be a part of our family, and be able to go on calls with us and be a huge asset to not only our team but the county as well,” she says. 

Training for the team is completed over the course of a year and re-visited once a week, but the intricacy of the preparation is for good reason.

“Physically, we need to be able to do quite a few things, we have able to carry in gear for many miles if that’s necessary. We need to be able to get place quickly because someone is in danger and we need to get to them to make sure that they’re as safe as they can be,” Shuster adds. 

Although training and the calls that follow can be taxing, members of the team say they would not hesitate to express how much they love what they do.

“To be able to help people and get them out of dangerous situations, it’s what we love to do,” she says.

Every response is a unique challenge, but the associated rescues are correspondingly rewarding.

“There’s nothing like helping other people. There’s really not.”