I would like to take some time and recognize some of the unsung heroes of our community. The members of the Cook County Search & Rescue (SAR) are heroes in every sense of the definition.
Never was this more apparent than this week, when several Search & Rescue volunteers from Cook and St. Louis counties came together in a relentless search for a missing person whom they had never met to provide closure to his family.
There is no monetary compensation for this type of volunteer activity. While there are other “volunteer” organizations such as fire departments and rescue squads, they are ultimately compensated with some type of retirement bonus at the end of their tenure. The members of the SAR will not be awarded such recompense nor does it even cross their minds to request it.
These are community-minded people who have a sense of duty, which drives them to put their lives on hold to render assistance to complete strangers in their time of need. They give of themselves freely, and often put themselves in harm’s way to support a function of the Sheriff ’s Office that is statutorily required.
Many of these members have to leave their employment when the pager goes off. They do this unconditionally to aid other members of our community or visitors who come to enjoy the area and find themselves in a bind. Their employers give them the latitude to go when the need for service has been summoned, and some of them are self-employed but still go even though it means a loss of income.
These selfless people are what makes a community great and provide a service which the only form of reward is knowing they have made a difference in the life of another human being or in the case of this week, the family Michael Hickey left behind. Whether that difference is a successful rescue, providing a safe scene for other responders or affording closure to a family who can see a loved one for the last time, they do it, and they do it at the highest level. Each and every one of you has my undying respect and thanks.
Sheriff Pat Eliasen
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
Grand Marais
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