HEMSI is the only service in the State of Alabama certified by the Commission on Accredited Ambulance Services. The CAAS emblem as seen on our vehicles and person denotes not only our achievement, but also our commitment to offer local residents the highest standard in emergency medical care. Click here for more information.
HEMSI Search Dog Unit
all volunteer team dedicated to skill, professionalism, and integrity
Mantrailing
Follow a specific scent to determine where a missing subject traveled
Air Scenting
Used to find any and all live human subjects in a specified area without knowledge about how they may have gotten there
Human Remains Detection (Cadaver)
Used to locate deceased subjects on land, buried, or in water
Disaster
Locate subjects in collapsed structures or debris
The purpose of the HEMSI Search Dog Unit (HSDU) is to provide specially trained dog handler teams to assist in searches for missing persons, alive or presumed deceased, in wilderness and urban settings, on land, and in water.
The HSDU is comprised of all volunteer handlers as mutual aid operating in cooperation with other agencies as part of the total search and rescue operation. The HSDU stands ready to assist any person or agency upon request as a public service without compensation.
HEMSI dogs are trained in four specific disciplines:
The Unit strives to have all handlers obtain national performance credentials. Search dog handlers and support personnel receive extensive training in search theory and operations, search strategies and tactics, land navigation, emergency medicine, rescue operations, and patient packaging. Additional support personnel respond with the Unit to assist with search operations and logistics. Each member carries a pager for rapid notification and, when activated, responds with sufficient equipment, supplies, and a radio to ensure self-sufficiency in a rescue/disaster environment for an extended period of time.
The Unit operates as mutual aid in cooperation with other agencies as part of the total rescue operation. Most deployments are within 200 miles of Huntsville, Alabama, but the unit will respond to any location outside this area at the request of local, state, or federal authorities. With its unique skills, the HEMSI Search Dog Unit stands ready to assist any person or agency upon request as a public service without compensation.
