At our monthly general team meeting in April, Sheriff Bill Pribil announced that the Coconino County Board of Supervisors approved a $280K expenditure for completion of the administration area of our new Search & Rescue building. This will include offices, a kitchen, a conference room, municipal water, and bathrooms. (Yay! No more port-o-potty in the middle of winter! Changing into mission clothes in there was a real drag.)
The Sheriff said this funding is due to all the missions our team of volunteers responds to, including large incidents like the Schultz fire and resulting floods in the Timberline, Wapatki, and Doney Park areas.
Additional funds will be needed to complete parts of the bay area of the building where all of our equipment, SAR vehicles, and supplies are stored, including another bay door and the mezzanine. We're also hoping a technical rescue training area, including a climbing wall, will eventually be part of the facility.
The Sheriff's Department is also working on a plan to get the outside parking area paved before the monsoons so it won't be a mud pit again, with the hope that that project will be completed this summer.
Thanks again, Board of Supervisors!
These are my stories as a volunteer member of the Sheriff's Search and Rescue team in Coconino County, Arizona. I'll share what it's like to go from a beginner with a lot to learn to an experienced and, hopefully, valuable member of the team, as well as the missions, training, and other activities along the way.
