Written by Bobby Green
progress
For 10 years, Mohave County Search and Rescue has volunteered to rescue lost souls and people in need of medical care in the deserts and local mountains around Arizona.
The team is led by Commander Rod Gorder, a 20-year Mesquite resident. Members of the squad work for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Mark Cobb he launched his rescue team in 2014.
A few years later, Cobb began working for the Sheriff's Department and Gorder took over as volunteer commander. He organized the search and rescue team as his 501(c)(3) organization. At the time, there were five team members, Gorder said.
The Progress spoke with team members Gorder and John Corrado from Hangar 10 at Mesquite Airport, Mohave County Search and Rescue's current headquarters.
The team has grown. Four years ago he had 12 members, now he has 33 members. Seven are from Arizona, two are from Las Vegas and the rest are from Mesquite, Gorder reported.
“Each member brings something to the team,” Gorder said. “Each person has their own specialty. I have a roster list for each member and their specialty. When I get a call for help, I use the roster to find out who has what skills to rescue. If there is a call for help, we can be out for days at a time depending on the situation.”
Team members train at least twice a month. Most of the men have experience as first responders in law enforcement, firefighting, or EMT (emergency medical technicians). They are all volunteers. No one gets paid.
In fact, team members have privately funded themselves and their equipment for years. With some local exceptions.
Do it Best Company provided them with a much-needed drone for the search.
“Polaris Can-AM Honda World has also made a generous donation to us,” Gorder added. “Their patrons can be found on Arizona trails.”
Corrado, the paramedic, is a snowbird from northern Utah who is also part of the search and rescue team.
“Arizona Search and Rescue strives to maintain national standards in training and equipment, but that comes at a cost,” Corrado said. “We are so grateful that our local women’s team has come on board and is planning to host a fundraiser for us. We are good at what we do, but the funds I don't know anything about collection. Almost everything so far has been paid for out of our own pockets.”
“Our forces need equipment that meets national standards,” Gorder added. “We need an enclosed trailer to transport the equipment. We need radios for each member to communicate and carry baskets for transporting injured players. Training players is expensive. Our hope and goal is to raise $50,000 by the end of this year.”
Mohave County Search and Rescue received 150 calls last year. They are using units from Mercy Air, Mesquite and Classic Air in Utah for medical emergencies, and the Arizona Department of Public Service in Kingman to assist in the search for the air grid.
Off-roaders, hikers, mountaineers, photographers, and anyone else doing outdoor activities in the area may need an MCSAR. Our team members are dedicated to serving others, even at great personal risk. They climb mountains when it's cold and deserts when it's hot.
“The best part of this job is seeing the faces of people who thought they were lost and never found, and they see us coming,” Gorder said.
The fundraiser, which will be held on March 9, will be spearheaded by Ellen Middleton, whose spouse is also part of the team.
“I have extensive experience in fundraising for good causes,” Middleton explained. “We are in the planning stages of a wonderful and elegant fundraiser to be held at the Elks Lodge with dinner served by uniformed Search and Rescue members. There will also be a live paddle auction and entertainment. It has been.”
“We're always looking for new employees,” Gorder said. “For those interested, more information is available at MohaveSAR.com.”
