Verde Search and Rescue Posse, a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office auxiliary, held its first meeting of the year at Sedona Fire District Station 3 on Monday, January 13th, reviewing 2024 Posse statistics.
VSAR was founded in 1986 and YCSO assisted in search and rescue efforts and searched evidence at the scene of assigned crimes and accidents. VSAR has teams using 4×4 vehicles, mountain bikes, horses and drones.
In 2024, POSSE answered 83 calls. This coincided with the last three years and the 106 all-time highs in 2020. , nine were cancelled before the unit arrived due to missing persons found, but 74 people needed search efforts.
The group rescued 70 people, recovered five bodies, searched eight people for evidence and conducted one fire evacuation. The K-9 unit and 4×4 vehicle were used on 22 and 16 technical ropes, respectively. The horse-mounted team and mountain bike team each assisted in four cases, with the drone being used six times and the reconnaissance site being used.
“Currently, 40 of us are on the roster. 36 can be deployed for hiking. [and] 90% of what we do is hiking,” said VSAR captain Dondi West.
Eight reactions were made to Devil’s Bridge and Dry Cree Trailhead. West Clear Creek, Boynton Canyon and Black Canyon City were three answer locations each. Mescal Trailhead, Chuck Wagon, Soldier Pass, Beltrail, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Bear and Dor Mountain were two locations of responses each.
“Dry Cree Trailhead is the most common place after it gets dark. A third of the mission is at night,” West said. “Many visitors come to Sedona to watch the sunset and don’t prepare how dark it will be.”
West praised his friends in the forest for detouring hikers at the area trailhead and reducing group callouts.
Volunteers are certified, provide services free of charge, and rely on public donations to cover equipment and training costs. VSAR has listed a $57,694 funding request in the Arizona Community Foundation Northern Arizona Giving Guide.
Treasury Secretary Tim Anderson said the group has received approximately $20,000 in grants and $1,180 in donations since its last meeting in November.
The grant consisted of $8,946 from ACF, $10,000 from Arizona State Parks and Trails, and $500 each from Wells Fargo and Edward Jones. Orientation hiking sergeant Cindy de sa Valente was awarded the 2024 Ironman/Woman Award for responding to 48 callouts and other participation metrics. She also worked on the Technical Rope Team and earned her certificates as an engineer and operator.
After Valente, the member who answered most of the calls was 44-year-old Si Silva. Don Morgan, 44; Cree Horner, 43; Jennifer Breler, 42; Dondy West, 36; Bernie Hajek, 33; Tim Anderson, 30; Darrell Earnshaw, 28.
“The best way to know [VSAR] We are requesting that new people who are interested in coming to these meetings and attending VSAR attend two meetings,” West said on Saturday, January 18th, prior to the pack test at Sedona Red Rock High School. He spoke. To meet different people and hear about the work we do… After the second meeting, you get the application and have an orientation hike…it’s 2 miles with a 25 pound pack . ”
The VSAR meeting will take place from January to November at SFD Station 3, 125 Slide Rock Road, Village of Oak Creek, at 6:30pm on the second Monday of each month.
For more information, please visit verdesar.org or contact verdesarposse@gmail.com (928) 771-3281.
