Haleyville Search & Rescue LLC. 501 (c)(3)

We are a volunteer organization.

Land and water missions. Keeping our equipment maintained for service is the biggest financial goal we have every year.

Our dive equipment requires a lot of attention and service. Training our divers is also costly. We try to use underwater sonar and drags before we put divers in the water. We have one of the deepest lakes in Alabama and one of the darkest. Bear Creek Lake is dark water, 670 acres, and 55 feet deep in some areas we have searched. Lewis Smith Lake is the deepest at 264 feet and 21,000 acres, and the deepest recovery has been around 145 feet. We have recovered someone from 118 feet with a drag using side and down image sonar, from the top of a tree, with the most challenges being the trees still in the lake.

Our boat motors require service at least every 2 years. We try to upgrade our underwater sonar when we have the funds. Our newest goal is a Deep Trekker underwater ROV. They average $10,000.00. It will allow us the capability to search the depths of Smith Lake. It has proven its reliability for the search and recovery of Kelsey Starling in 2019. Deep and cold water restricted the use of divers. Deep Trekker DTG3 was able to locate her and necessitate her recovery. We would like to purchase this ROV for our use in underwater searches. We would like to purchase a new or used boat to operate from. An enclosed type of pontoon boat or a center console with a hardtop. Our other searches are mostly in the Bankhead National Forest. We are tasked to respond when requested for search and rescue missions. The most difficult part of these missions are the primitive protected areas. Basic rule, nothing with a wheel unless approved by forestry. No helicopter without approval. It is a very physical task to carry an injured person out. If they are off trail, that makes the rescue even harder. 181,230 acres of difficult terrain. A basic stokes basket with 1 wheel is around $1,400.00. The other issues are communication between the dispatch and the search crews. Even Sat phones don't always work in the Bankhead. We need better repeaters with more power. We need better mobile radios with more power. We have been trying new ways to communicate on a shoestring budget. Bankhead also has creeks that are enjoyed by kayakers and canoers. They need rescuing now and then. The Sipsey River is 71 miles and runs to Lewis Smith Lake.

We have extended our missions to Florida after Michael, Mississippi after Katrina, and Kentucky and Mississippi after tornadoes to deliver support and supplies. We work with law enforcement on missing person cases. We support other agencies when requested. We went to Waverly, TN for a search. We have searched the Tennessee and Warrior River on several missions.

We changed our name from Haleyville Rescue Squad to Haleyville Search & Rescue. Alabama law requires a rescue squad to be a member of the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads to be a squad. We resigned as a member.

We seek new members who wish to volunteer, and we ask for donations so we can serve our community.