Withlacoochee Regional Search & Rescue Squad

Congratulations to Chief Matychak on getting accepted to the Joint USCG/USAF National Search And Rescue School for its Inland Search and Rescue Planning Course on September 16-20 in Baton Rouge, LA.

Wow, near our Chief Matychak’s, Assistant Chief Prusanky, and me Team Member Coletta birth place. This is only 7 miles from Assistant Chief’s Craig Prusanky hometown of Wappinger Falls, and 15 miles from Chief Samuel Matychak’s hometown of the City of Beacon, and 20 miles from Team Member Bob Coletta hometown of Union Vale. Both officers and member were born and raised in this area and started their career in Emergency Services as volunteers with the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Prusanky 1985-1991 and Matychak 1991-1996, Prusanky volunteer as a firefighter with the New Hamburg Fire Department Station 1 (also known as the River Rats), Matychak with the City of Beacon Fire Department Station 1 (also known as Beacon Engine Company # 1 or BECo for short), and Team Member Bob Coletta served with the Union Vale Fire Department and was a Deputy Sheriff for Dutchess County as well.

At 3:02am this morning, the United States Geological Survey reported a minor seismic event, measuring at 2.1 on the Richter scale, originating in the Town of Poughkeepsie between Sheafe Road and Camelot Road.

Residents in this vicinity may have felt or heard abnormalities during this time period.

One Team, One Mission, Rest in Peace Brother!!!!

Anyone interested in watching a mini-series can watch Chopper Cops as you ride-a-long with our partners of the Marion County’s Sheriff Aviation Unit on Paramount+.as you can see of one of 10 Counties we cover in Central Florida which majority of it is the Ocala National Forest and State Parks. Not All Searches are as easy to the one showed in Episode 5 Lost in the Woods. The ONF is known as the Train Station as the one in the TV Show Yellowstone.

Please Support our Sheriff Office by watching this amazing documentary.

To all member of Withlacoochee Regional Search and Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue, and Dixie County Fire Rescue, if you need any assistance in light of the information we received today about our Brother Andy, we all have a mental health units within our organizations, however, we at WRSAR, we have a Certified Chaplain with a Therapy Dog a State RMHTI on call 24/7 and if you are interested in their services, reach out to our Chaplain Saxe who leads the Unit at (516)732-5867.

UPDATE: Single 5555 out of Marion County and Dixie County Fire Rescue has been issued for Andrew William English. Andy has been located and we will ask everyone to keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers as he was found deceased. We don’t have any other details at this time!!! Rest in Peace Brother, we’ll take it from here.

Please keep an eye out for your brother Andy English AKA CPR King. Chief Matychak, Deputy Chief Talley, and Assistant Chief Mattingly all worked with Andy while he was with MCFR. This Purple Alert hits close to home for our organization whereas many of us are close to the missing person.

If you do know his whereabouts please contact Dixie County or us.

DIXIE COUNTY SHERIFF'S MISSING PERSON/PURPLE ALERT

Andrew William English

Andrew, a former Lieutenant with MCFR, was last seen at his home wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue shorts, and blue hey-dude shoes. Andrew is possibly driving a 2013 Silver GMC 2500 pickup truck. Andrew and his vehicle have been entered into NCIC/FCIC as missing.

FDLE has also been notified, and a “PURPLE ALERT” has been issued for Andrew and his vehicle. If you have any information regarding Andrew’s whereabouts, please call DCSO dispatch at (352)498-1231 ext 0.

We are pleased to announce Mounted Unit Captain Michelle Moore as our Chief's Volunteer for the month of April.

As we celebrate Mother's Day, we pay tribute to the unwavering love and selflessness of all mothers and future mothers. May your day be filled with happiness, laughter, and the warmth of loved ones. You are the foundation of our families and communities, and we are humbled by your extraordinary contributions.

Tick Season Alert: When engaging in outdoor activities like yard work or pet care, it is essential to check for ticks. Please take the necessary precautions to ensure your safety.

This Saturday, the Withlacoochee Regional Search and Rescue Squad will be at the Annual Citrus County Hazardous Expo from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Come meet our team and explore the various equipment and animals we use in search and rescue operations. Our Chief will present at 9:50 a.m., sharing their expertise in search and rescue methods.

Location:
Florida National Guard Armory
8551 W Venable St
Crystal River, FL 34429

Happy Birthday to Assistant Chief Misti Mattingly’s horse Mia who turned 19 years old today!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA

To all the firefighters, Happy International Firefighters Day to you all!!!

This evening was a beautiful evening training with our Mounted Unit. Learned a lot from Mounted Unit Captain Michelle Moore on how to handle a horse and how to walk them on foot and other important tasks as a horse beginner. Total of 5 non Mounted Unit members participated in this Training Session.

If anyone interested in joining our organization, please send us an email to [email protected]
We have multiple Units/Division available, Mounted, K-9, Water, Dive, ManTracker, Rescue Technician, and many more.

As we close the first quarter, let's celebrate our dedicated volunteers! Congratulations to Elizabeth Fried for being nominated as Chief's Volunteer of the Month for January and February. Additionally, we recognize the tireless efforts of Assistant Chief Misti Mattingly, Captain Michelle Moore, Lieutenant Eryn Glawe, and Team Member Micah Spencer from Withlacoochee Regional Search & Rescue Mounted Unit in March.

Congratulations to all for your dedication and commitment to the mission!!!!

End of the Quarter and the Chief’s Monthly Volunteers of the Month for the Quarter:
January- Elizabeth Fried
February- Elizabeth Fried
March- Members of the Mounted Unit
Assistant Chief Misti Mattingly
Captain Michelle Moore
Lieutenant Eryn Glawe
Member Micah Spencer
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to everyone involved

If you have any children interested in entering this Art Contest, here is the link

https://neconfirm.everbridge.net/attachment/NR82w8EcFxHfdNYGhAu2fw2ST-GREgRisu83sndpzbOxiVaqR21pAEA_JHZkm4kXvuxFTA==/Notification_65f0722e2674c15f10c71361.pdf/Art%2BContest%2Brules%2Band%2Bentry%2Bform.pdf?language=en-US

This evening members got to trained with USAR Teams throughout the United States again at the Florida State Fire College as a part of a 4 day course known as USAR Medical Specialist Course hosted by DMS.

Memebers got to play victims while Paramedics and Doctors learn how to use their skills they learned from the 4 days in confined space areas.

On the behalf of the officers, we like to say Thank you for each member that participated in this Mock Search this evening. Members from the K-9, Mounted, Water/Dive, Cadets, and Officers participated in this event. Special thanks to Team Member Lee Smith for doing all the Moulage on the victims.

It was a great learning experience for everyone involved!!!!

Marion County Sheriff Deputies and our team showed exceptional teamwork at the Marion County Annual Winter Fair tonight!

This is the last weekend of the Marion County Winter Fair. Please swing by and say hello and see what we do. We are also taking on orders for Team Swag Items and if you want any item, please contact our Financial Secretary Elizabeth Fried at [email protected].

The Fair is located at the old I-75 Flea Market at 4121 NW 44th Ave, Ocala.

The team is proud to announce that Chaplain Michael Saxe and Chief Matychak have achieved certification as instructors through the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads. Well done!

Are You interested in serving your community as a Search & Rescue volunteer?
We are currently looking for individuals interested in volunteering with WRSAR. While public safety experience is preferred it is not required. We will provide the necessary training, or help arrange training that we cannot provide. Email us for an application at [email protected]

We are a fully functional volunteer Wilderness/Ground Search & Rescue Unit, specializing in Wilderness Rescue. We have specialized teams such as our Technical Rescue Unit, Marine Unit, "Ground Pounders" (Man-Tracking) Unit, Mounted Unit, K-9 Unit and ATV Unit. We also have Medical Response capability, combined with our awareness programs, safety programs, and other resources.

We primarily serve a ten-county are which includes Alachua, Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco, Polk, Putnam and Sumter Counties. We are also available to respond to other areas as requested by local Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, or Fire Rescue agencies, or other requesting entities which sometimes can lead to out of state mutual aid responses. We are also an Associate Team Member of Alabama Association of Rescue Squads.

So if you are interested in becoming a SAR Technician, Support Member, Associate Member, or Junior Member (Cadet (14-16) or Junior Search & Rescue Technician (16-18)) please send an email to us once again at [email protected]

Congratulations to Withlacoochee Regional Search and Rescue Squad on becoming an official member of the State of Alabama Association of Rescue Squads! It's a commendable step towards collaboration and mutual aid.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, they can reach out at [email protected] to express their interest and provide contact information for an interview.

Happy Birthday to Sarasota USAR K-9 Recovery Captain and Trustee Sergio Curvelo

On the behalf of the Officers and Members, Happy Birthday to our Co-Founder/Assistant Chief/Director of the Mounted Unit Misti Mattingly!!!