SeriouslySearching
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Two-Year-Old Tulsa Girl Found Safe Near Oologah Lake
OOLOGAH, OK -- A two year old is safe and sound after she wandered off from her parents' campsite at Oologah Lake. Emergency responders from across the state searched for the little girl for nine hours. In the end, a local teenager saved the day.
~Snip~
But, for nine hours as the search went on and on, it was no laughing matter. The volunteers and emergency responders left no stone unturned at the 40 acre campsite.
It turns out Kari Thomas was hanging out in the weeds across the highway.
It was 16-year-old Chaz Brewer heard her first.
"She was sitting down, just sitting up and playing with a weed, and she was hollering daddy," said Chaz Brewer.
~Snip~
A massive search was undertaken to locate the child. Divers and boat patrols, along with helicopter and airplane patrols were made. Approximately 100 personnel were on scene to assist with the overall efforts. Teams of searchers entered wooded areas and local businesses donated water for the search teams.
Approximately 9 hours after the initial sheriff's office response, volunteers on horseback located the child in an area outside of the search perimeter. The child appeared dehydrated and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
~Snip~
Responding Agencies:
Rogers County Sheriff's Office - 17 Deputies
Owasso Police Department - 9 Officers and 1 K-9
Northwest Fire District - 13 Firefighters and one rescue boat
Oklahoma Highway Patrol - 8 Troopers, one helicopter, one fixed-wing aircraft for assistance
Washington County Emergency Management - 18 personnel, communications trailer, mobile radio repeater for on site use, 6 All Terrain vehicles and two four-wheeler mules.
District 2, County Commissioners - 13 employees, one gator (four wheeler)
Chelsea Fire Department - 4 firefighters
Oologah Talala Emergency Services - Command vehicles and ambulance services
Air-Evac - helicopter
Donna Bosch, Search and rescue - K-9
Volunteers Divers - Leroy Kiassler, Jason Littlefield, Kevin Roberts
American Red Cross - 5 Personnel and scene assistance
US Corps of Engineers - 7 personnel.
Other agencies and personnel on-scene to assist included the Oologah Police Department, County Commissioners Mike Helm and Dan Delozier, Bartlesville Police Department, Tulsa Search and eRescue and Green County Search and rescue.
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10836323 BBM
To me, it raises some huge issues in the way this search was conducted, the effectiveness of the K-9 units and how their dogs failed to track her, and how this child was missed because she was "outside the perimeter" of the search area. For Gosh sakes...she was right across the highway!! The dogs obviously did not find her scent at all. The people who set up the area for the search did not include the other side of the highway?! WTH?! Look at the number of people and agencies involved in this SAR yet no one thought to check across the street?! She could have died in today's heat after spending so many hours out alone because they did not walk across the street.
This makes me wonder in other cases and other searches across the country if the dogs are missing leads, if the people setting up the search areas are missing their marks, and if other children aren't within earshot of where they went missing. I do believe this cases shows some definite issues which could very well plague other agencies and SAR teams.
OOLOGAH, OK -- A two year old is safe and sound after she wandered off from her parents' campsite at Oologah Lake. Emergency responders from across the state searched for the little girl for nine hours. In the end, a local teenager saved the day.
~Snip~
But, for nine hours as the search went on and on, it was no laughing matter. The volunteers and emergency responders left no stone unturned at the 40 acre campsite.
It turns out Kari Thomas was hanging out in the weeds across the highway.
It was 16-year-old Chaz Brewer heard her first.
"She was sitting down, just sitting up and playing with a weed, and she was hollering daddy," said Chaz Brewer.
~Snip~
A massive search was undertaken to locate the child. Divers and boat patrols, along with helicopter and airplane patrols were made. Approximately 100 personnel were on scene to assist with the overall efforts. Teams of searchers entered wooded areas and local businesses donated water for the search teams.
Approximately 9 hours after the initial sheriff's office response, volunteers on horseback located the child in an area outside of the search perimeter. The child appeared dehydrated and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
~Snip~
Responding Agencies:
Rogers County Sheriff's Office - 17 Deputies
Owasso Police Department - 9 Officers and 1 K-9
Northwest Fire District - 13 Firefighters and one rescue boat
Oklahoma Highway Patrol - 8 Troopers, one helicopter, one fixed-wing aircraft for assistance
Washington County Emergency Management - 18 personnel, communications trailer, mobile radio repeater for on site use, 6 All Terrain vehicles and two four-wheeler mules.
District 2, County Commissioners - 13 employees, one gator (four wheeler)
Chelsea Fire Department - 4 firefighters
Oologah Talala Emergency Services - Command vehicles and ambulance services
Air-Evac - helicopter
Donna Bosch, Search and rescue - K-9
Volunteers Divers - Leroy Kiassler, Jason Littlefield, Kevin Roberts
American Red Cross - 5 Personnel and scene assistance
US Corps of Engineers - 7 personnel.
Other agencies and personnel on-scene to assist included the Oologah Police Department, County Commissioners Mike Helm and Dan Delozier, Bartlesville Police Department, Tulsa Search and eRescue and Green County Search and rescue.
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10836323 BBM
To me, it raises some huge issues in the way this search was conducted, the effectiveness of the K-9 units and how their dogs failed to track her, and how this child was missed because she was "outside the perimeter" of the search area. For Gosh sakes...she was right across the highway!! The dogs obviously did not find her scent at all. The people who set up the area for the search did not include the other side of the highway?! WTH?! Look at the number of people and agencies involved in this SAR yet no one thought to check across the street?! She could have died in today's heat after spending so many hours out alone because they did not walk across the street.
This makes me wonder in other cases and other searches across the country if the dogs are missing leads, if the people setting up the search areas are missing their marks, and if other children aren't within earshot of where they went missing. I do believe this cases shows some definite issues which could very well plague other agencies and SAR teams.