As we start a new year, and I reflect on the year that has passed, my 11th year in Search and Rescue, I am thankful for all that this community has taught me and ways in which it has helped me grow. I have learned so many things – from hard skills like building a snow cave or running rope systems, to soft skills like managing volunteers and working on team culture. SAR has been a place where I can challenge myself, learn valuable skills, give back to my community and meet people who have similar interests. I look forward to more learning and growing in 2025 and to meeting more MRA members doing all these important and interesting things.
Taking on the MRA newsletter has been a challenging and rewarding task for me and I am learning a lot about all of our teams. I spent time talking with the folks in the Appalachian Region in the days following Hurricane Helene, learning about how they were assisting in the response, how they are deployed across state lines and the ways they work together. Dr. Dennis Eller of Tacoma Mountain Rescue wrote a piece for another publication that his team brought to my attention, and I asked if he’d write a piece for the Meridian, which he was happy to do and I was happy to have! I listened to the OSHA hearings about the new Fire Brigade rules and heard from all the different constituencies that are impacted. I talked with several different MRA teams that have had success with drones recently. I am watching and reading about all kinds of interesting rescues, searches and missions among all the teams in the MRA. There is so much to learn and so many interesting stories out there.
Having said that, I would love to hear from you about the things your team is working on that you think might be interesting for other MRA teams to hear about. Did you have a really interesting or unusual search that might make a good case study? Are you doing new things for recruitment, or trying different ways to keep team members engaged? Do you have a diversity program that is working well, or are you looking for ways to expand your membership? Are you using technology in innovative ways? Do you have something you’d like to write about, or just an idea that you’d like me to look into? Let me know! We want to share as much information as we can about as many teams as possible.
Teams should also feel free to reach out about sharing social media posts. We want to share your stories and posts and give them wider viewership. Josh Temes is our social media coordinator and we’d love to hear from MRA teams when they have things to share. You can DM us on Instagram and on Facebook or reach out directly at socialmedia@mra.org.
Hope 2025 is another great year for everyone in the MRA!
Molly Williams
Meridian Editor in Chief
Marin County Search and Rescue
