WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK

Volunteerism is a time-honored tradition. People have been volunteering their services in a multitude of ways since time immemorial. 

     But why are volunteers even more essential in this modern age than ever? Simply put, there are some services that would be cost prohibitive if they were to employ enough highly trained people to be on call 24-7.

     Nowhere is the need more critical than emergency services. Thankfully people don’t go missing every day, but when they do, it’s no small feat to locate them and return them to safety. As you know it takes many dedicated individuals working together to reach a common goal.

     People are busier than ever these days. Because of that, it’s getting ever more difficult to find dedicated people willing to give freely of their time and talents in direct competition with dozens of other interests and obligations. People who get involved in Search and Rescue are a special breed; people who are willing to forgo their own obligations at a moments notice. They put their own lives on hold and hurry to the aid of the person/s in trouble. On top of that, they devote many hours to acquiring specialized training and constantly updating that training. They dedicate even more of their time to fund raising activities so the team can buy equipment and keep it up to date.

      This survey is a first step in putting together a document explaining what motivates GSAR volunteers to do what they do. Depending on the level of response it may simply be an article or a pamphlet. However, if a lot of members choose to participate, it may evolve into a larger project, possibly a book that could be made available for sale to raise funds for GSAR and/or be used in recruiting efforts.        

     Please answer the survey honestly, in as much detail as you can manage. Not everything will be quoted directly. Some material may be used to calculate averages or to compose lists or charts. When choosing photos to include, please choose more unique views, preferably depicting team actions and activities involving yourself or fellow team members. (Not all photos will be used but credit will be given to the photographer for those that are.)

     Our survey is open to everyone with a connection to GSAR. Active searchers, retired searchers, spouses and partners of searchers, offspring, and even employers of searchers. Anyone who supports GSAR volunteers and appreciates what they do. For questions pertaining to the searcher in your life, answer the way you think they would answer from your own perspective.

     One last word. In case you think we only want responses from long-time GSAR members. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want to hear from brand new people too. This will help give us some insight into what is attracting volunteers these days.

     Thank you in advance for your participation.

     Best Regards,
     William H. Gould (Colchester Ground Search and Rescue)

There are two survey forms on this page. The first form is for search volunteers only. The second form is for anyone who supports a search volunteer, whether as a parent, a spouse/partner, a roommate, or employer.

(Required fields are indicated by an asterisk. *)

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