Security officer serves community through search and rescue
To many, Rolf Huntemann is a friendly face at the front desk of 300 Union, J.D. Irving, Limited’s Saint John head office. He’s been a security officer with the company for two years. In his spare time, he’s also the president of the River Valley Ground Search and Rescue Team (RVGSAR), a role he’s held for the last year and a half.
Founded in 1985, the team focuses on locating people who get lost or are missing in both wooded and urban areas in southern New Brunswick, spanning from Grand Bay-Westfield and Saint John through Quispamsis, Rothesay and Hampton and up to the Fundy Footpath. They sometimes take calls from Charlotte County and Sussex, too.
The 100 per cent volunteer team of about 30 also helps emergency management organizations in the region and aids police forces with evidence searches.
Rolf became involved with the organization in 2018 when he moved back to the region.
“I wanted to give back to the community,” he said.
The number of rescues carried out by RVGSAR varies from year to year. Last year they had one rescue, the year before they conducted six across the region.
In his off-work hours when a call comes in, Rolf, whose role now involves logistics, jumps into action.
“I grab my stuff and go,” he said.
“I don’t go actual searching anymore, so I drive to the mobile command post and go out to the scene.”
Rolf said the nature of his shift work as a security officer provides him flexibility when it comes to his volunteer work, a facet of the job he says he appreciates.
He added that RVGSAR can always use new volunteers, helping with anything from the actual searching to working in the background. Three other members of the team also work for J.D. Irving, Limited, he said.
For Rolf, volunteering with search and rescue allows him to serve his home community.
“I wanted to do some type of volunteering and I wanted to be outdoors,” Rolf said of his reason for joining. “And I found that this is a good thing to do.”
