Pine Creek K9 Search Unit First Responders Day Set for Sunday

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Pine Creek K9 Search Unit will host a First Responders Day on Sunday afternoon.

The event will run on Sunday, August 21, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

In attendance will be the PSP Aviation Unit, fire trucks for the kids to explore, plus some of the K9s for the public to meet.

Other search and rescue teams will also be there.

“This is a day that the public can meet first responders and ask them questions they might have,” Deputy Chief Tam Bradybaugh said. “We are also looking for any pet-related vendors; and if any other fire department, or police department, or first responder wants to join, they are welcome, too.”

Officially established in 2016, Pine Creek K-9 Search Unit was founded after a previous search and rescue group, Track and Trail, was disbanded.

“There were seven members that decided we wanted to keep doing our part for community,” Pine Creek K-9 Search Unit Chief AJ Moore told exploreJeffersonPA.com.

According to Moore, those members reached out to Pine Creek Volunteer Fire Department–who were more than willing to help.

“We are technically a division of the Pine Creek Volunteer Fire Department. They have the fire and rescue, and we have our search and rescue. And, we do our own fundraising and have our own officers, but if we get a call, they respond with us to help out.”

While the unit is stationed out of the Brookville area, their coverage area spans Jefferson, Clarion, Forest, Elk, McKean, Clearfield, and Cameron Counties, and they often range outside that coverage area for calls, as well. They’ve been called west as far as Clintonville, south to the Maryland border, and east as far as the State College area.

“We’re on the list of resources for the state, so we can be called anywhere in the state,” Moore noted.

Over the last three years, they’ve handled over 30 calls, with a notable call on December 1, 2019, when they located a missing hunter in the Millmont, Pa. area.

Multiple members of the team traveled two and a half hours through an ice storm to reach the search area. Luckily, the search was both short and successful, and the missing hunter was safely located after just a half hour of search effort by the Pine Creek team.

“His issue was a medical condition. He wasn’t physically able to leave the woods himself,” Moore explained.

The missing hunter was then loaded into a quick cot and carried a substantial distance to where medical personnel were waiting.

“There are all kinds of good outcomes like that. We don’t like to leave the scene until we find the person alive and well, or at least find a body. We want to end the search without leaving an unsolved case.”

Moore said they are always open to adding more members to their team, and dog handlers aren’t the only members they need.

“We also have active members who assist on searches and do fundraising; nonactive members who help with fundraisers and can come to calls but aren’t required to; and hiders who just hide and help with practice for the dogs.

“There’s a job for everyone. If you can use a pen or pencil, we can use you.”

For those who are interested in joining the Pine Creek K-9 Search Unit team, more information on positions and how to join is available on their Facebook page.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Aly Delp also contributed to this article.


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