Staff report

Homer Independent Press

The initial training cohort of the KBAYSAR Search & Rescue group completed a 3.5-day training last weekend running Jan. 30. through Feb. 2 held at the Kachemak Emergency Services station. This course was facilitated by instructors from the MAT+SAR Search & Rescue group. Eighteen participants from Clam Gulch, Anchor Point, Homer and the Kachemak City/Fritz Creek area completed the full training, which included practical scenarios with K9 dog teams and covered a range of topics from lost person behavior, wilderness first aid, K9 teams, search techniques, mapping and standard emergency response systems. 

Instructors for this course were Mark Stigar and Susan Whiton from the MAT+SAR Search & Rescue based out of the Matanuska Susitna Valley along with their certified SAR K9 search dogs Lyra and Temple, and SAR K9 in-training Stella. Lt. Benjamin Endres, Search and Rescue Coordinator for the Alaska State Troopers, joined via helicopter on the first day for a briefing on the state-wide search and rescue system and aircraft safety along with Meg Hammond and pilot Steven Ritter. Kachemak Emergency Services donated the use of their station and rescue equipment for the training.

Alison O’Hara initiated the KBAYSAR team last spring, galvanized by a search and rescue call-out in July 2024. Hiker Amandine Testu was reported lost in Kachemak Bay State Park after not making a scheduled water taxi pickup. Testu successfully “self-rescued” three days after missing her ride, borrowing a canoe from a private residence and finding her way out to a lodge. The incident underscored the need for a trained and organized local search and rescue group. 

There was significant interest from the community, so O’Hara sought guidance from existing search and rescue teams in the state, including MAT+SAR and the Alaska Search and Rescue Association (ASARA). KBAYSAR is now a member of the ASARA organization which supports teams across the state with equipment, software, and training. More than 70 people have signed up so far to help. In addition to ground search teams, there are many roles to contribute including medical training, transportation, logistics and planning, grant writing, and fundraising. More details can be found on the FKBSP website: https://www.friendsofkachemakbay.org/kbaysar. 

KBAYSAR is an all-volunteer search and rescue team operated through a business license under Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks. Its focus area is that of Kachemak Bay State Parks, but they plan to support the surrounding communities when needed and available. Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks is a non-profit (501c3 organization since 1999) that promotes the enhancement, preservation and protection of the natural recreational, scientific and historical resources of Kachemak Bay State Park. Located on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, Kachemak Bay State Park includes 400,000 acres of mountains, glaciers, forests, beaches and rivers.