Ken Anderson and Jeff Hasse represent two of the more than a dozen Search and Rescue (SAR) groups that have worked missing person cases with the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center. Ken is President of Emergency Support Services (ESS) which was started in 1986 to provide SONAR technology for drowning victims in the region. Ken also provides SAR equipment to first response agencies. Jeff is President of Midwest Technical Rescue Training Associates (MTRTA) which was initially organized in 1993 to provide technical rescue training to various agencies. These two highly skilled individuals have worked together for almost 25 years and are founding members of Search, Rescue, and Recovery Resources of MN (SRRRMN), a statewide association of SAR groups. Jeff and Ken have been offering their resources and services to JWRC and its clients for almost twenty years.
From those early beginnings, their organizations have grown in both quality and scope of the services we provide to JWRC and families of missing children. SRRRMN provides training on various search, rescue, and recovery skills to first responder agencies. One of the main services provided is the management of missing person searches. There are many challenges that volunteer search and rescue groups face, one of which is obtaining legitimacy in the eyes of law enforcement agencies and other decision makers. These organizations understandably want to ensure that they are using qualified and professional resources. One of the ways SAR groups become stronger is through networking with other high-quality organizations, including law enforcement. Ken, Jeff, and their colleagues assist in vetting SAR resources for the agencies having jurisdiction over the search, develop a comprehensive search plan, provide logistical services during the deployment of SAR resources (cartography, communication, command and control), brief and debrief teams, and provide written summary reports to authorities in charge. This assistance is highly technical and has been so critical in so many of JWRC’s cases.
The practice of search and rescue requires the artful use of the sciences and Jeff and Ken strive to find professionals in academic fields such as meteorology, hydrology, odontology, and air dispersion modeling to further their collaboration. Committed to deepening the field of search and rescue, Ken and Jeff refuse to rest on their laurels as they are always working to improve networking, training, and resources. Join us in thanking them for their years of dedication to the many Search and Rescue organizations they are involved with, and for their leadership in the field.
"We have been so fortunate to have a professional relationship with Ken Anderson, Jeff Hasse, and their colleagues at SRRRMN for almost 20 years. I have always been so inspired by their professionalism, attention to detail, and heart for this hard, hard work."
