Thank you for viewing our 2015 Annual Report. For information, contact Karen Knox (karen.knox@texsar.org).

1. TEXSAR:
Texas Search and Rescue
Annual Report 2015
January 18, 2016

2. 
Table of Contents
Page 1 2015 in Review
Shawn Hohnstreiter, Chair | Justen R. Noakes, CEO | Board of Directors
Page 2 Mission Statement | Core Values
Page 4 Board of Directors
Page 5 Deployments | Statistics
Page 7 Training Highlights
Page 9 Administration
Page 12 Financial Position
Page 12 TEXSAR Donors
Page 16 Partner Agencies | Organizations
Page 17 Member Volunteers
Page 20 TEXSAR Canine Team Members
Page 22 Conclusion

3. 2015 in Review
Shawn Hohnstreiter, Chair | Justen R. Noakes, CEO | Board of Directors
2015 has been a tremendous year of growth for Texas Search and Rescue. We are
grateful for an amazing team of dedicated member-volunteers who continue to grow in
number and capabilities.
TEXSAR’s team training meetings are overflowing with new member prospects eager to
learn about the organization and how they can give back to their communities. Our
training meetings and events often have waiting lists, and we are developing new
capabilities to meet the needs of our partner agencies and organizations. TEXSAR's
balance sheet is strong. We are working daily to ensure a strong financial future. We are
blessed with caring and capable team members who are the heart and soul of TEXSAR.
Their commitment to the team and our communities is what makes TEXSAR successful.
The Memorial Day 2015 Floods were life-changing and tragic events that remain fresh
in our minds. We continue to receive calls and email about the two lost children, Will
Charba and Leighton McComb. We continue to pray for their return home.
As survivor Jonathan McComb said, “Out of this horrible tragedy, good things have
happened." That could not be more true than for TEXSAR. During the floods and the
search efforts that followed, TEXSAR members provided in-kind services valued in excess
of one hundred thousand dollars searching for those who were lost and stranded. In fact,
37 people were rescued by boat during the Memorial Day flooding events alone. In total,
52 people were rescued by TEXSAR during 2015.
The increased need for TEXSAR's support during 2015 did not go unnoticed. We have
received an outpouring of support in monetary and equipment donations, as well as in
thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. This has been a truly humbling year, one we will never
forget.
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4. A milestone donation to TEXSAR was made this year by entertainer Jimmy Buffett
following a last-minute benefit concert at Stubbs BBQ in May. As CultureMap Austin
recalled, "After opening with hit 'License To Chill,' Buffett discussed Monday's flooding and
mentioned that the band had decided to leave the night's ticket proceeds (likely around
$200,000) in the hands of Austin charities to help with flood recovery." TEXSAR was
honored to receive a hefty portion of the proceeds. That gift has changed TEXSAR in
important new ways that we have outlined in this report.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire TEXSAR team, we cannot thank our
supporters enough for their generous outpouring of support. Likewise, we cannot thank
our member-volunteers enough. They have responded bravely and quickly to calls for help.
TEXSAR and the communities we serve remain deeply grateful.
Mission Statement | Core Values
“Committing to service-above-self, perpetual training, and inter-agency cooperation to
maintain a constant state of readiness for search, rescue, incident response and above all
else, safety.”
Core values:
 Integrity and Responsibility
TEXSAR is founded on ethical behavior and values by our members and partners and our
commitment extends throughout the organization as we interact with agencies, the public,
and one another.
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5.  Fiscal Accountability
We emphasize fiscal accountability by ensuring that all expenditures directly or indirectly
reflect the trust placed in TEXSAR by its donors and grant providers.
 Teamwork
We maintain an environment of mutual respect founded on open, honest communication.
We embrace the diversity of our team and individual perspectives in working together to
achieve our common goals.
 Excellence
We achieve excellence through constant training and preparation as our members
continually exercise their skills using the materials and equipment required to deliver the
highest quality services possible in any environment.
 Training
TEXSAR will train and prepare to provide professional level skills and support to requesting
agencies and communities. TEXSAR will act as a Volunteer Organization Active in Disasters
in both the response and recovery phases of disasters and incidents.
 Operations
We will deliver service that meets or exceeds the requested assistance while ensuring the
safety and well-being of our members and partners.
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6. Board of Directors
TEXSAR wishes to thank the following Board members for their service during 2015.
 Shawn Hohnstreiter, Hohnstreiter Construction and Remodeling – Chair
 Justen R. Noakes, H-E-B Emergency Preparedness - CEO
 Brandon Goering, REAL-COMP Data and Marketing – Vice Chair
 Chief Sean Ford, Sunset Valley Policy Department
 Dr. Tyler Jorgensen, Board Certified Emergency Physician
 Jeffrey M. Turk, Formaspace
 Ben Alexander, K9 Branch Director (Advisory Board)
 Bryan Sky-Eagle, Attorney at Law (Advisory Board)
 Joe Hillis, Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (Advisory Board)
TEXSAR also wishes to thank General Charlie Miller, Gene Jorgensen and Robert Spratt
who served on the Board for a short time during 2015.
In December, 2015, TEXSAR member volunteers elected the following individuals to the
Board of Directors for 2016 (one year terms).
 Shawn Hohnstreiter, Hohnstreiter Construction and Remodeling – Chair
 Chief Sean Ford, Sunset Valley Policy Department – Vice Chair
 Justen R. Noakes, H-E-B Emergency Preparedness - CEO
 Jennifer Failla, Strada Wealth Management – Treasurer
 Michelle Nations, Community Volunteer – Secretary
 Brandon Goering, REAL-COMP Data and Marketing
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7.  Dr. Tyler Jorgensen, Board Certified Emergency Physician
 Dawn Keller, Health, Slingshot Inc. and West Texas Team Leader
 Ed Norman, Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management - Community
Preparedness Planning Coordinator
 Bill Sleep, Commitment to Coaching Inc.
Ex-officio Board members include Greg Fair, North Texas Team Leader and Laura Norman,
Gulf Coast Team Leader.
Deployments | Statistics
TEXSAR: Texas Search and Rescue has been a significant leader in disaster response and
recovery for more than a decade. TEXSAR serves all citizens of Texas and may only be
deployed by the Governor; local, state and federal law enforcement; and relief agencies.
We are proud to share the following statistics regarding our work during 2015.
 New members who joined in 2015: 99
 Years of combined experience (active days with TEXSAR) in 2015: 361 years
 People rescued: 52 (5 recoveries in which loved ones were returned to their families)
 The value of one volunteer hour in the State of Texas is $24.66. We estimate TEXSAR
member volunteers gave approximately 20,850 hours of service to the citizens of the State
of Texas during 2015, for a total estimated value of $514,161.
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8.  TEXSAR was successful in 2015 in part because member-volunteers loaned equipment for
TEXSAR’s use. We estimate the value of this loaned equipment to be: $100,000.
Missing Austin Man
January 14 | Austin
Gillespie County Search
January 18 | Harper
Lake Travis Recovery Search
January 21 | Pace Bend
La Grange Search
January 25 | La Grange
Missing Woman Search
January 31, February 2, 6, 7 | Spicewood
Red Rock Search
February 27 | Red Rock
Rockwall Search
March 9 | Rockwall
Lake Medina Search
May 9, 15 | Bandera County
Galveston County Memorial Day
Weekend | Frog Fest
May 22-24 | Crystal Beach
Memorial Day Flooding Rescues
May 24 | Martindale
Memorial Day Flooding Search
May 26-31 | Blanco County
Memorial Day Flooding Search
June 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 | Hays and
Caldwell Counties
Galveston County 4th of July Weekend
July 3-5 | Crystal Beach
Graham Search
August 5 | Graham
Lufkin Search
August 18 | Lufkin
Central Texas Flood Blanco River Search
August 22 | Hays and Caldwell Counties
Galveston County Labor Day Weekend
September 5-7 | Crystal Beach
Merkel Search
September 24-26 | Merkel
Wood County Search
October 17 | Wood County
Central Texas Flooding Rescues
October 30 | Caldwell County
Central Texas Flooding Support
October 30 | Sunset Valley
Del Valle Flood Recovery
October 31 | Del Valle
Onion Creek Flood Relief
November 4-6 | Austin
Memorial Weekend Flood Search
(continued)
November 21 | Hays and Caldwell Counties
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9. Training Highlights
TEXSAR member-volunteers were offered ongoing training opportunities throughout the
year. Membership meetings are held in conjunction with basic training on subjects such as
field medical procedures and members must attend at minimum of 50% of these sessions
to be considered for deployments. In addition, TEXSAR offers certification workshops for
members in different disciplines such as Mantracking and Swiftwater Rescue. These
certification courses are paid for by the member-volunteers themselves.
Members live across the state from North Texas (Dallas based) to Central Texas (Austin
based), from West Texas (Odessa based) to the Gulf (Galveston based), and soon we will
have a South Texas team (Corpus Christi based). TEXSAR is the largest wildland search
and rescue organization in the State of Texas and it is growing fast.
TEXSAR Training
 Major Training Certifications (2 days in duration or more)
 Flood and Swiftwater Rescue
 Ground Search and Rescue
 Mantracking
 Rescue Boat Operator
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10.  Vertical Response
 Wilderness First Aid
 Wildland Fire
Medical Training
 Anaphylactic shock
 Blood Borne Pathogens
 CPR
 Hypothermia/Hyperthermia
 Orthopedic Injuries
 Patient Packaging
All Purpose Training
 Child Advocacy
 Communications
 Evidence Collection
 Fitness and Fitness Pack Test
 Haz Mat
 Hydrology
 Incident Management Team and
Incident Command
 Land Navigation and Maps
 Ropes and Knots
 Safety
 Snakes, Spiders and Critters
 Swiftwater Bank Support
 Witness Interviews
In addition, TEXSAR member volunteers participated in FEMA self-paced training
programs and more.
Training Venues
TEXSAR wishes to thank Sunset Valley City Hall, Camp Mabry, First United Church of
Coppell, and Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management for allowing TEXSAR to
hold meetings and training sessions in their facilities.
TEXSAR’s ultimate goal is to have its own training facility and equipment storage facility,
combined in one building. The search for a proper facility is in progress.
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11. Administration
TEXSAR received several generous financial and in-kind equipment donations that made
2015 a milestone for the organization. But standing above the rest was a grant from Mr.
Jimmy Buffett in May, 2015. We understand Mr. Buffett realized how instrumental
TEXSAR had been during the Central Texas flooding events that month, and he wanted
the organization to put down roots and expand its life saving work.
That gift, along with contributions from others, enabled TEXSAR to hire an experienced
nonprofit executive, Carolyn M. Appleton, CFRE, to help develop the organization's
infrastructure, and to hire its first paid employee, Karen H. Knox. Highlights are as follows.
 After a lengthy employee search that revealed many outstanding candidates,
TEXSAR hired its first part-time, paid employee in November, Executive Director
Karen H. Knox. Until 2015, TEXSAR operated entirely voluntarily, both from the
standpoint of its daily administrative duties and its volunteer search and rescue
activities. We are honored to have Karen guiding us as TEXSAR moves into a new
phase of expansion and greater service to all Texans.
o Karen has more than three decades of development, fundraising, volunteer
and event management experience with nonprofit organizations,
associations and volunteer organizations. Karen has worked with A Legacy
of Giving, Texas Historical Commission, Special Olympics Texas, Texas
Chemical Council, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi, and the
Muscular Dystrophy Association. She is also a CMP (Certified Meeting
Professional). Karen is a member of Austin CERT Deployment Team Alpha:
Community Emergency Response Team (FEMA).
 With more charitable donations and financial activity to monitor, accounting and
tax filing has assumed greater importance for TEXSAR. Montemayor Hill &
Company, PC of Austin was hired in fall, 2015. The firm will prepare TEXSAR’s first
full tax return in early 2016. To date, TEXSAR has filed only the most basic tax
returns because it has operated almost entirely voluntarily.
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12.  To ensure the public knows TEXSAR is committed handling charitable donations
and running the organization as professionally as possible, we established our
presence on GuideStar, the nation’s largest repository of information about
nonprofit organizations. By sharing comprehensive information to ensure
TEXSAR’s commitment to public transparency, we attained the coveted gold seal
in September, 2015.
 TEXSAR also established a profile on GreatNonprofits, a partner website of
GuideStar. There we have solicited organizational reviews by volunteers and the
public. It is hoped in the months and years ahead, more people will share their
testimonials. As Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Microsoft
notes, “GreatNonprofits focuses on helping people make great giving decisions
through socially sourced feedback and reviews.”
 TEXSAR committed itself to communicating more regularly with the public and its
supporters via e-newsletters and informational emails. Using iContact, we
designed and distributed several e-newsletters and e-notification to an ever-
growing list of supporters. Links to each newsletter may be found on the TEXSAR
website. Our email list continued to grow during 2015.
 The website continues to evolve. New pages focus on the biographies of the
TEXSAR Board of Directors; TEXSAR's mission statement and core values; and
media coverage stretching back since 2012, with links to media websites and the
original stories. We fine-tuned TEXSAR’s donation page to add more giving
options, including planned giving. A new page for TEXSAR publications was added
to the Media Room section of the website, with links to our suite of iContact e-
newsletters. Last but not least, the website was fine-tuned for mobile viewing.
Additional improvements will continue into 2016.
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13.  With no staff prior to November, 2015 - but several important new donations - we
composed, mailed and emailed formal acknowledgement letters and notes to more
than 100 contributors. Donor stewardship is critically important, and TEXSAR
intends to maintain strong relationships with every donor for the long-term.
 With an eye to future years and increased interest in online giving, TEXSAR
registered for two annual giving days, #GivingTuesday (national) and Amplify
Austin (Central Texas). Profiles were created for TEXSAR on both platforms,
making implementation of campaigns easier going forward. TEXSAR’s existing
online donation platform, GoFundMe, was fine-tuned and regular project updates
were posted during the fall.
 TEXSAR was honored U.S. Congressman Michael T. McCaul, Chair of the House
Committee on Homeland Security, agreed to speak during a TEXSAR luncheon
event in November. Regrettably, the threat of flooding at this same time caused
TEXSAR to postpone the event. In anticipation of this and future public events, we
established an Eventbrite account for ease of registration, payment and event
management; and we also created two portable promotional banners for displaying
at events statewide.
 In December, Google agreed to work with TEXSAR on a half-day search and rescue
"tech" event at Google Fiber Space in April, 2016. TEXSAR uses a variety of Google
apps in its work, and we hope to have Google engineers present to discuss current
and future applications to TEXSAR's work.
 TEXSAR's future depends on identifying and securing financial support from
current and new individual, corporate, foundation and other contributors.
Extensive prospect research began in the fall. Grant proposals principally for
equipment valued at a combined, estimated total of $500,000 were prepared,
submitted and/or scheduled. We await responses in 2016. Meetings with potential
donors were also requested, and will continue to move forward with meetings and
new partnerships in 2016.
 TEXSAR's social media platforms – principally Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn –
were updated. Twitter, formerly an adjunct of Facebook, became a freestanding
platform and more actively managed. TEXSAR's following on all platforms
continued to grow in 2015.
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14. Financial Position
TEXSAR ended 2015 in healthy financial standing. Due to unprecedented monetary
donations received from individuals, families, foundations and corporations, TEXSAR met
all financial obligations and maintained strong working capital.
TEXSAR maintains three bank accounts at Wells Fargo. Balances ending 2014 were as
follows: checking account ($7,679.95); savings account ($10,300.77); and deployment
account ($2,000.00). Balances ending 2015 were as follows: checking account ($15,753.99);
savings account ($92,930.25); and deployment account ($10,000.00). In summary, at year-
end 2014 our combined banking account balance was $19,980.72. At year-end 2015 our
combined banking account balance was $118,684.24. At year-end 2015, TEXSAR estimates
the value of its equipment inventory to be $204,000.
In fall, 2015, TEXSAR hired a professional accounting firm to prepare and file its first
substantive tax return, Montemayor Hill & Company, PC. The firm will provide a formal
financial statement (qualified opinion), which will also be made available to the public via
TEXSAR’s GuideStar profile in 2016.
TEXSAR Donors
TEXSAR wishes to thank the following generous contributors from 2013 through 2015.
Those marked with an asterisk (*) provided in-kind contributions. Texas Search and
Rescue also wishes to thank those donors who have asked to remain anonymous.

$10,000 and Larger
Jimmy Buffett
Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation
Mercury Marine*
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation
Cruising Kitchens*
Shawn Hohnstreiter*
Jeffrey M. Turk*
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15. 
$5,000 to $9,999
H-E-B

$1,000 to $4,999
IBM
Richard Belliveau
Charity League of Corpus Christi
eBay Foundation Corporate Advised Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Gilmass Jamuley LLC
Eugene Jorgensen
Reid Enterprises
Deberah Cain
Kathryn Harris
Patti and Randy Riggs
Bill Sleep*
Susan Turk in memory of Ralph and Sue McNeil Carey, Randy and Michelle Carey Charba,
and Will Charba; Laura Schultz McComb, Jonathan Andrew McComb, and Leighton
Elizabeth McComb, and in honor Jeffrey Matthew Turk
The University of Texas McCombs School of Business
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16. 
$200 to $999
Troy Hawks
Kenny and Lisa Troutt
David Unger | Marathon Petroleum
Volunteer Incentive Program
Encana Cares Foundation | Troy Nelson
Sean Jones
Michelle Covey Havard
Suzanne and David Johnson
Michelle Nations
Charles Coulter
Louisa and Joseph Harwood
Michael Mayeux
Martin Ritchey
Diana Seerey
Susie Turk
Adam Wagner
Salesforce.com Foundation
Barley Swine
Teri and Kevin Beckrickson
Tom Byer
Ann Chiburis
Neil and Sandra DeFeo Foundation
Penny Goering
Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)*
Janice Wingo
River Austin
Tom’s Dive Shop
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17. 
$100-$999
Retrovore, LLC
Bruce White
Shay Williams
AmazonSmile
Maudie's Too, L.P.
CGA Law Firm
CWS Apartment Homes LLC
Mike and Flo Adams
Carolyn M. Appleton
Diane Breidenstein
Charles Carrington
Dodie and Larry Cashell
Pilar Cobb
Jimmy Cowles
Angi English
Renee McCurdy Fensholt
The Graysons
Harold and Beth Hahn
Anne Hannafin
Angela Hunt
Patti and Randy Kotara
Mikela Lea
John A. Legge
Catherine McFarland
Dana Miller
Javier Miramontes
Karen Person
Lisa Pigg
Trisha Pollard
Steve Powell
Tim Powers
Gregory L. Pyles
Lisa Rosenberg
Michael Sabat
Jennifer and Scott Saltsman
Shannon Simar
Reynold F. Stelloh III
Gwen Throckmorton
Nina Tollett
Alan Trombley
Nancy and Jamie Weeks
Denise Whatley
Travis Williams
Aquarius Pools of Austin
Nancy and J.R. [sic]
Roland Ranches
Shefman Law Group
Toni Schmid Stevenson
Sarah Warner
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18. Partner Agencies and Organizations
TEXSAR wishes to thank the following organizations for their partnership during 2015.
 Caldwell County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
 City of Austin Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) through City of
Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM)
 City of Austin Police Department
 City of Sunset Valley
 Galveston County Office of Emergency Management
 Hays County Office of Emergency Management
 Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)
 Texas A&M Forest Service
 Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM)
 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
 Travis County Sheriff’s Office
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
TEXSAR also maintained memberships with the following during 2015.
 Capital Area Council of Governments
 State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association
 Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
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19. TEXSAR Member Volunteers
To the following individuals we owe a debt of gratitude.
Aaron Franklin Bobby Macpherson Chance Berry
Adam Crispin Brad Garman Charlie Grove
Al Benson Brad Gwatney Chris GarbeChris Scharff
Alan Huddleston Bradley DeRoo Christi Adams
Alex Hutton Brandon Goering Christopher Minckler
Alex Perotti Brian Kassa Christopher Thompson
Allen Robinson III Brian Morton Clay Cobb
Amanda O'Malley Brian Sailors Clayton Aldrich
Amy Thomas Brianna Acevedo Connor Byer
Andy Anthony Bryan Bible Courtney Brown
Anthony Scopel Bryan Blakely Courtney Crawford
Arnold Steed Bryan Henson Craig Trimble
Ben Alexander Bryan Musolino Dalan Janysek
Bill Sleep Bryan Poe Danny Harris
Blake Gouge Bryan Sky-Eagle David Unger
Blake Guidry Cameron MacGregor Dawn Keller
Bo Wingo Carine Chalfoun Dawn Labosco
Aaron Franklin Carol Wilson Dawn McGee
Adam Crispin Cedric Verdier Deanna Worden
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20. Debbie Rich Jason Webb Ram Torres
Derek Georg Jay Hoffman Randy Collins
Derek Moreland Jeb Kaffaga Rebekah Napieralski
Diane Morrow Jeff Turk Renee Hollie-Thigpen
Don Dougherty Jeffrey Stalder Richard Belliveau
Don Gentry Jennifer Blanton Richard Ryle
Donis Rhoden Kiersten Legge Rick Van Hoozer
Doretta Jenison Kimberly Morgan Rob Naylor
Doris Clark Kirk Stolzenburg Robert Harris
Doug Bradshaw Krystal Stalder Roberta Riley
Doug Haggard Lance Singleton Rolan Rast
Douglas Snyder Laura Norman Ryan Byrd
Dustan Jesko Leroy Brown Scott Brammer
Easton Haslam Lin Avey Sean Jones
Ed Norman Lisa Reyes Shane Foster
Edward Ingram Lucas Leishear Shannon Sharp
Eric Nagel Lynn May Shawn Hohnstreiter
Fernando Moreira Lynn Stender Shawn Tracy
Floyd Davis Marcus Gellner Sheila Dolbow
Frank Rich Mark Baumann Stela Moctezuma
Frankie Hefley Mark Huff Stephanie Dill
Ginger Locke-Floyd Mark Mitchell Steve Eckart
Donis Rhoden Mark Richardson Steven Smith
Doretta Jenison Meg Hinkley Stuart Viney
Doris Clark Megan Whitley Susan Rodenko
Doug Bradshaw Melissa Frederick Suzanne Johnson
Grant Taylor Michael Bradley TC Crippen
Greg Fair Michael Brown Thomas Hunt
Greg Robinson Michael Redditt Tiffanie Turner
Greg Roseberry Michelle Acevedo Tim Powers
Heather Garman Michelle Nations Tim Stevens
Hector Padilla Mike Pennington Timothy Loucks
Jackie Dobson Misty Cobb Tom Bell
Jackie Ogden Misty McClellan Tom Couch
Jake Ragusa Neil Summer Tom Hanson
Jake Saunders Niki Bender Travis Williams
James Dodson Noel Lee Tricia Davis
Jamie Hatcher Pam Simek Troy Youngblood
Jamie Leigh-Powell Paul Hinkley Tyler Jorgensen
Jamine Doty Penny Goering Tyler Pankonien
Jan Stalder Phree-Ranier Phillips Vince Devine
Jason Kihlberg Quinn Meredith Warren Carin
Jason Pierce Rachel Lindsay Wesley Howell
Jason Samp Rachel Ralston Will Boettner
Debbie Rich Ralph Munoz Wyatt Talbot
Derek Georg
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21. Number of TEXSAR Member-Volunteers by Certification:
 Ground SAR Technicians: 95
 K9 Handlers: 15
 K9's: 26 (12 active, 14 in training)
 Flood and Swiftwater Technicians: 58
 Rescue Boat Operators: 13
 Vertical Rescue Technicians: 13
 Medical Personnel (EMT-B or greater): 20
 Incident Management Team Members: 19
 Wildland Firefighters: 17
 Structure Firefighters: 10
 Mantrackers: 42
 National SAR School Certified Search Planners: 5
In addition, TEXSAR has the following administrative committees. We thank our
committee chairs and co-chairs.
 Fundraising: Justin McInnis
 Logistics: Derek Moreland | Michael Bradley
 Membership: Christi Adams | Penny Goering
 Technology: Charlie Grove
 Training: Bill Sleep
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22. TEXSAR Canine Team Members
TEXSAR has one of the finest canine teams in the state of Texas. They are indispensable to
TEXSAR, and are highly trained, year-round. Ben Alexander is TEXSAR’s K9 Branch
Director. Below, we list each of our canines and in parentheses, the names of their
handlers.
 Caile (Ben Alexander)
 Cara (Tiffanie Turner)
 Cephira (Deputy Randy Thomas)
 Fetch-It (Tiffanie Turner)
 HotRod (Jamie Leigh-Powell)
 Kovu (Brianna Acevedo)
 Orion (Joe Huston)
 Rowan (Tiffanie Turner)
 Seeker (TC Crippen)
 Tide (Amanda O’Malley)
 Twist (Jennifer Blanton)
 Wink (Jennifer Blanton)
Certified Wilderness Area dog teams:
 Caile (Ben Alexander)
 Kovu (Brianna Acevedo)
 Wink and Twist (Jennifer Blanton)
In training:
 Astro (Jason Kihlberg)
 Chief (Courtney Brown)
 Rip (Ben Alexander)
 Rue (Connor Byer)
Certified Trailing dog team: Wink and Twist (Jennifer Blanton), and pending, Seeker (TC
Crippen).
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23. In training:
 Crash (Jennifer Blanton)
 Nadia (Bryan Musolino)
 Reka (Adam Crispin)
 Runner (TC Crippen)
 Snitch (Brianna Acevedo)
Certified Canine Human Remains (HRD) Land teams:
 Caile (Ben Alexander)
 Cara, Rowan and Fetchit (Tiffanie Turner)
 Hotrod (Jamie Powell)
 Orion (Joe Huston)
 Tide (Amanda O'Malley)
 Wink, Twist and Crash (Jennifer Blanton)
Pending certification is Gabe (Diane Morrow). In training are candidates Iv and Rip (Ben
Alexander). Certified Water Recovery teams include Wink and Twist (Jennifer Blanton),
and Caile (Ben Alexander).
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24. Conclusion
2015 was a milestone year for TEXSAR: Texas Search and Rescue. We thank our member-
volunteers, donors, and agency partners.
TEXSAR looks forward to continuing its service to the citizens of Texas in 2016 and
beyond. For information, please contact Karen H. Knox, Executive Director
(karen.knox@texsar.org).
Texas Search and Rescue
P.O. Box 171258
Austin, Texas 78717
(512) 956-6727
IRS EIN for TEXSAR Inc.: 84-1644603

Photography credits:
Cover and Page 4: Christopher Vu | Pages 2, 5, 17 and 24: Andrea Booher
Page 7: Carolyn M. Appleton
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