Unity College Search and Rescue Team Page

Click on the link below for a Quicktime movie with more pictures of our most recent High Angle Rescue Training (Fall 2007)

This page is for postings about the Unity College Search and Rescue Team, an all-volunteer, non-profit service supported by the students, faculty, and staff of Unity College. The full team of 15 to 25 BASAR fully equipped and trained personnel, with some novices, is available at 30 minutes notice to assist the Maine police forces and Maine State Wardens anywhere in the state, day or night, during fall and spring semesters of the college year (Late August to mid-May). At any given time the exact number of trained and untrained team members available to the authorities varies according to the school calendar and exam schedule. Students do not get “official” time-off from classes to attend call-outs. But many professors will be lenient to allow students to perform this needed service. Despite these class restrictions, our track record of providing large numbers of trained and equipped personnel when needed is very good, and our safety record extremely good. The team is trained to a very high standard in both formal for-credit classes and regularly scheduled trainings by Assistant Professor Timothy Peabody (former Colonel of the Maine Warden’s Service), and Associate Professor Mick Womersley (former member of the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service and a 28-year veteran of search and rescue in general), and by the student members of the team themselves. The team uses college vans and private 4 by 4 vehicles to get around the state, and comes equipped for ground searching, high angle rescue, and command post operations. In summer, some of the team leadership remains in the Unity area, and remains on call for operations. To contact the team in an emergency, call Associate Professor Mick Womersley, Faculty advisor, or Andy Brady, Chief, using the numbers below. In a non-emergency, please email Mick at mwomersley@unity.edu Call out numbers (emergencies and business): 1. Business hours Fall and Spring semesters 207 948 3131 ext 249 (Mick’s office) 2. After hours, or in summer, contact either Mick at home at 207 722 3431 or Andy at home on 207 948 3515 (cell 443 306 6645) 3. If no answer, call Campus Police at 207 948 2068 and ask to implement the SAR SOP For many years, Unity College, with the Unity College SAR team, has hosted the RAFMRS journal On the Hill. The online version has not been created for several years now, but you can access some past issues here: RAFMRS Journal ON THE HILL