VSAR Team Profiles

Team Profiles Sort by: Last Name - First Name
	Nicole Celentano Gallagher (SARTECH III, Registered Nurse, Forensic Nurse, Paramedic-Florida, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (CPR, AED), Advanced Open Water Diver) ncgallagher@valleysar.com
	Nicole has over ten years of experience as an Emergency Room Nurse and she is currently a Deputy Coroner for Northampton County. She has been with the county for five years. Nicole has two Chocolate Labs, Jess and Jake. She hopes to begin training with Jess for his K-9 SARTECH III soon. Nicole is very dedicated to helping people and she is committed to becoming a valuable part of the Valley SAR team. Nicole believes that everyone should live for the moment and enjoy every day!

	Mike Corona (SARTECH III, FTM/FTL, CPR, AED, Basic 1st Aid, Water Rescue 1 & 3, K-9 First Aid, SAR 1st Responder, Wilderness Extracation, Wilderness Survival, Ice Rescue, Rope/High Angle Rescue I, Rope/High Angle Rescue II, Wilderness Grid WRGT & WRGA) mcorona@valleysar.com
	Mike is the Vice President of Valley SAR. He is a very motivated and committed part of the team and is in the process of creating a training program for all VSAR Members' continued advancement. Mike has been involved in Search and Rescue for over a year and has having completed a variety of certifications. He plans to continue and advance in all aspects of SAR. Will work for food.

	William (Bill) Evans (SARTECH III, Wildland EMT ,FF1,Specialized Wildland Firefighter, Hazmat Operations level) wevans@valleysar.com
	Bill comes to Valley SAR with nine plus years of emergency experience.With his Wildland EMT training he brings a new and exciting facet to the team. While not with the team Bill enjoys hiking and spending time with his two daughters. He is also a big news junkie.

	Nelson Fogle nfogle@valleysar.com


	Dave Huber (SARTECH III, EMT, WRGT & WRGA, Ropes and Rigging, Rope High/Angle Rescue I, II & III, CPR/AED,) dhuber@valleysar.com
	Dave is the Chief of VSAR and comes to us from Han-Le-Co Fire Co. where he is also the Asst. Chief & Northampton Regional EMS where he is a part-time EMT. Dave has over 13 years of Fire, Rescue and Medical Experience. Some qualifactions include: SARTECH III, Ropes & Rigging, Rope/High Angle Rescue.Wilderness Grid WRGT & WRGA, DOH EMT and Rescue Tech. Confined Space, Trench and Haz-Mat Ops., NIMS, ICS, Fire Officer I. Dave has handled many large scale vehicle rescues, MCI's and fire's through Han-Le-Co Fire Co. Dave is also a Red Cross CPR/AED, 1st Aid & O2 Instructor.

	Bill Mannix (SARTECH II, PA EMT, Basic Ropes and Rigging, Wilderness Evac, Wilderness survival, Rope and Rough Terrain Rescue, Rope/High Angle Rescue I, Rope/High Angle Rescue II, Wilderness Grid WRGT & WRGA) wmannix@valleysar.com
	Bill is the Assistant Chief of our Organization and strives to promote teamwork, training and certification avenues to all the VSAR members to help make the team the best it can be. Bill lives in Whitehall, PA with his wife Kristine & son Aiden, and is a very dedicated, and highly motivated part of the team. He owns a computer consulting company and enjoys being outdoors. He currently holds SARTECH-II certification. He brings 15 years of Firefighting and EMS experience to the team, as well as being a past officer in another SAR group. Bill is continually expanding his knowledge and "Comfort Zone", and is always striving to further his certifications through training and practical excersizes.

	Lakota Ramirez
	What an awsome young black Labrador Retriever. Lakota has natural skill that is quite apparent. Her handler, Len, and the rest of the K9 team have been very excited about her progress. If its there, she'll find it..following looping trails of "confused" subjects and identifying dropped subject gear along the way! Lakota will be a great asset to Valley Search and Rescue!

	Len Ramirez Sr. (NASAR SARTECH III, FUNSAR, Managing Search Operations, Redcross 1st AID/CPR, Redcross K9 1st AID) lramirez@valleysar.com
	Len has proven to be a highly motivated and valuable part of the VSAR team. Since joining our team he has taken the initative to prepare himself for the NASAR SARTECH II exam and plans to challenge that certification in 2008, Len also handles Lakota, a very promising young trailing dog. Len and his wife, Kathy enjoy bowling and trips to their condo in the Outer Banks. Lens wife, Kathy, and son, Logan,also generously volunteer time when ever possible to help the VSAR K9 unit with training.

	Frontiers Mystic Blue Sioux (Bluie/Mys Blue) Richards (AKC, AKC-CGC/Therapy Dog, Certified/Active TDI dog )
	Blue is Okie's 1/2 sister sharing the same father HRCH Frontier's Cherokee Rebel MH. The work ethic is surely in her genes and already she is showing great promise as a trailing dog with HRD exposure. Blue also "moonlights" as an Active Visiting dog under the Therapy Dogs International, TDI, program. Her handler, Brenda, looks forward to training Blue to become a productive dependable asset to the VSAR team.

	Brenda Richards (PA DCNR FTL, PA DCNR Air Scent K9 Specialist, NASAR SARTECH II, NSAR K9 SARTECH III Area Search, Wilderness SAR Managing Search Operations, Rope/High Angle Rescue I,SAR Dog 1st Aid, Ropes & Rigging RORE, SAR 1st Responder WRSR, Wilderness Grid WR) brichards@valleysar.com
	Brenda is our team K9 Coordinator and brings many years of K9 training and a background in veterinary medicine to the VSAR K9 Unit. Brenda enjoys spending as much of her time as is possible working with her K9 partners Okie and Blue; and helping other handlers to acheive their goals. She has been involved in search and rescue for a number of years now having helped several handlers and their dogs to acheive certification. Brenda and K9 Oklahoma were the first K9 team in the state to challenge and successfully complete the new & more comprehensive PA DCNR Air Scent K9 Peformance Expectation Guidelines in March 2007. She is a founding member of the VSAR team and has served as it's President since VSAR's inception. ADDITIONAL TRAINING: CPR/AED basic 1st aid, Wilderness Extrication, Wilderness Survival Basics, Collapsed Structure I & II, PA C.E.R.T. member, PA C.A.R.T. member, NIMS 100, 200 & 700, 800, Ice Rescue

	Frontier Oklahoma ResQ Rebel (Yellow-Man/Okie/Rocket Dog) Richards (AKC, AKC-CGC, PA DCNR K9 Air Scent Specialist, NASAR K9 SARTECH III Area Search dog)
	Okie comes from a long line of accomplished field dogs. It is no wonder he excels in his search and rescue work. Okie started practicing the art of people finding at the age of 9 or 10 weeks old and has stuck with it ever since. He finds search work to be fun and rewarding. He approaches every new problem that is presented with joy and enthusiasm. Okie and his partner, Brenda, passed the K9 SARTECH III certification in September 2004 and PA DCNR K9 Air Scent Specialist March 2007 under the new and more comprehensive standards, still they continue to work on strengthing search skills and acheiving new goals.

	Lorraine Roberts (SARTECH III CPR/AED, Basic 1st Aid,Wilderness Survival) lroberts@valleysar.com
	Lorraine has worked in the garment industry for 35 plus years. She and her husband Jim are two of the newest members of VSAR. They have had German Shepherd in the past and know how smart and reliable they can be. Lorraine is helping in the training of Cujo with Jim. Lorraine will go get lost in the woods so that Cujo can get his training. She attends meetings and training classes with Cujo to help with the on going progress.

	Cujo (Cujo) Roberts (AKC-CGC, Therapy Dog)
	Cujo is a 2 1/2 year old German Shepherd, but don't let his long hair and good looks fool you. He's smart, quick, ready to find his subject. Along with his humans, they own nine acres of wooded land where he can get the training he needs to be an excellent SAR dog. His humans love to bring over family and friends to get lost in the woods, so Cujo can show off his talents.Cujo had his obedience training at Trifecta Kennels in Gilbert, PA. In July 2006 he passed his AKC-CGC and Therapy dog tests. As a member of VSAR we hope Cujo can be a excellent asset to the team.

	Jim Roberts (SARTECH II CPR/AED, Basic 1st Aid, Pet 1st Aid,Wilderness Survival) jroberts@valleysar.com
	Jim has worked in the HVAC business for 25 plus years. He is the main handler of Cujo, along with his wife Lorraine they are dedicated to the training of Cujo for the VSAR team. He and Lorraine love the outdoors, and live in the mountains.

	Alexia (Alex) Thaler (AKC-CGC, TDI certified)
	Alex is a 3 year old female German Shepherd handled by Joann. Alex has been trailing since she is 6 months old and has a wonderful personality and an outstanding work drive. Alex also "moonlights" as an Active TDI dog, providing therapy services for special needs children. She will surely be a great asset to the VSAR team.

	Colbey (Colbey) Thaler (AKC-CGC, NADSR Canine Social Citizen, NADSR Novice Tracking I, NADSR Novice Obedience I & II)
	Colbey is a 3 year old German Shepherd who has been training in trailing since he was about 6 months old. He will do anything for praise (and a tennis ball) from his handlers, including jump a 5 foot wall!

	Joann Thaler (NASAR SARTECH II, CPR/AED, Basic 1st Aid) jthaler@valleysar.com
	Joann comes to our team with a background in nursing and prior experience in K9 trailing. Since joining VSAR she has been an instrumental part of our K9 unit helping others and training her own dog, Alex. Joann has completed her NASAR SARTECH II and plans to certify with Alex as a NASAR SARTECH III Trailing Team.

	Dan Thaler (NASAR SARTECH II, CPR/AED, Basic 1st Aid) dthaler@valleysar.com
	Dan is a former volunteer firefighter hoping to jump back into the world of rescue. He has been training his German Shepard, Colbey, in obedience and tracking. Now he is ready to take Colbey's training to the next level and certify for search and rescue trailing under the NASAR standards. Dan is also interested in the "more exciting" aspects of SAR work like high angle rope rescue and wilderness extraction.

	Lacey Thaler (NASAR SARTECH III, CPR/AED, Basic 1st Aid) lthaler@valleysar.com
	Lacey was involved in many areas of EMS for over 4 years. She was a PA volunteer First Responder and Certified Ambulance Driver, NJ EMT, both paid and volunteer, and a delegate for the NJ First Aid Council. After a several year hiatus, she is eager to get back into the medical field and volunteer again.

	Ritz James Veteran Retired Member (AKC-CGC, Call Out Qualified, Canine SARTECH III)
	Ritz is a 5 year old Golden Retriever who has been involved with Search and Rescue for 2 years. His main niche is air scenting but he will do some trailing. Ritz and his handler, Marianne James, have challenged the Canine Sartech III testing this past year and are now certified in this area. We took a short break from training but that will resume again mid February and will be a biweekly program. Each training session reinforces the skills he has. We are currently working toward our Sartech II certification. As soon as his vest is placed on him, he is ready for a search.

	Marianne James Veteran Retired Member (SARTECH II, CPR, AED, Basic 1st Aid, K9 SARTECH III air scenting dog handler, Wilderness Grid WRGT & WRGA) mjames@valleysar.com
	Marianne has been involved in the Search and Rescue for two years and has been busy training Ritz, her air scenting Golden Retriever. In the coming year she is planning to challenge the FTM/FTL and Canine Sartech II tests. She is a founding member of VSAR and is also the K9 Coordinator for the team. Marianne, her husband Joe, Ritz and Brandon (English Black Lab) enjoy the outdoors.

	Joe James Veteran Retired Member (CPR, AED, Basic 1st Aid, Wilderness Grid WRGT & WRGA) jjames@valleysar.com
	Joe has been involved in Search and Rescue for over a year. While his work schedule hasn't allowed for any extensive training, he has used the knowledge he has obtained during in-team training and training with Marianne for Ritz while on searches. Hopefully in the near future this work schedule should change. When that happens, he will be challenging the FTM/FTL and SARTECH II testing. He is also interested in training for water and ice rescue and rope work. He is a founding member of VSAR. Joe is married to Marianne and they have two dogs, Ritz a Golden Retriever (who he helps to train) and Brandon an English Black Lab.