Amerisar, the heart and soul of America
Stacy McCarthy, Outpost Staff
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Photo by Larry Kaplan. Amerisar booth at Fourth of July Parade. |
Amerisar, a nonprofit organization, was created in 1997 to assist any federal, state, local, public or private agency, organization, or person in a time of need.
Our tasks before us are very difficult but the rewards are enormous, said Laurence Kaplan, director of America Search and Rescue.
Kaplan started the organizations a result of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. He saw a need for volunteer teams during times of emergency. His goal is to help small governmental departments with little resources and funding, by organizing teams of local volunteers. . Amerisar, located in Reno and San Francisco, hopes to expand to other communities.
Kaplan said the organization relies solely on volunteers. The members consist of current and retired law enforcement personnel, firemen, EMT's, military personnel, paramedics, and other professionals. Currently, 100 members volunteer their time to help others. Twenty of those members are residents of northern Nevada.
America was built by volunteers and those who dream and turn those dreams into reality, Kaplan Said. Volunteers are the heart and soul of America.
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- Assisting the San Francisco Police Department, on the eve of the millennium. Volunteers patrolled the ocean beaches on ATV's, along with The United States Park Police. Kaplan said there was no major problems, but it was a great way to offer support to the community.
- Coordinating the Xiana Fairchild Missing Child Search, in Vallejo, on January, 10, 2000. Amerisar provided communications, manpower, and additional resources to assist in the search for a missing child. No evidence was found to the whereabouts of the missing girl. However, they were able to utilize their field training and experience, first hand, the need for team cooperation.
- During a 5-alarm fire in San Francisco, Amerisar provided blankets, cellular phones, and comfort to many people, who were casualties of the destructive blaze. The fire raged through one-half a city block, leaving hundreds of people at the mercy of volunteers.
Amerisar provides available resources, manpower or equipment, to departments with limited resources and aids in the event of a disaster, Kaplan said. It plans to develop a national training facility consisting of a ground weather and satellite station, a communication center and a visitor's center. They plan to fund this center with donations from the community.
The facility will incorporate all forms of training, from high angle rescue to water and ice rescue. It will also include medical training, fundamentals of search and rescue, off-road driver training, security and law enforcement training and an emergency operation course.
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Photo by Larry Kaplan. Child riding on rescue equipment during the Fourth of July Parade. |
One of our goals is to assist volunteers with training at either a low cost or at no cost at all, Kaplan said. It is hard enough for the volunteer already, let's do something for them.
Reno volunteer firefighter, Jim Gardner, said that Amerisar would bring added resources that are vitally needed to the Northern Nevada region. During the 1999 Elko fires, there was a need for extra water trucks and personnel.
Fire activity, for the 1999 season, set all-time records for the severity and degree of fire damage. One-hundred and thirteen fires burned a total of 1,642,484 acres, using 75 percent of the United States firefighting resources. The 1999 fire activity surpassed the 1994-1998 average of 44 large fires per year by 135 percent and surpassed the 5-year average of acres burned by 773 percent.
This increase in fire activity is one of the major reasons Amerisar is branching out to northern Nevada. With the increased need for emergency resources, Amerisar feels obligated to provide assistance to local emergency services and to the public, Kaplan said.
Amerisar is a nonprofit organization that is supported by private companies, grants, fundraising, donations, and member support.
There can never be enough support nor can you put a price on a life.
Vehicles, communication equipment, computers, and other resources have been donated to support the organization.
We are currently seeking financial support to assist us with future developments, Kaplan said. We need to fill the gap in the emergency system where there is a lack of needed support.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or making a tax-deductible donation: contact Lawrence Kaplan at (775)849-2954.
Posted March, 6 2000
Copyright 2000 Nevada Outpost.
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