If “all hands on deck” was in the dictionary, a picture of Berks County Search and Rescue (SAR), Inc. would appear next to it. When the organization was founded nearly 30 years ago, the team was just as dedicated as it is today, recently banding together to earn recognition as a Certified Autism Center (CAC).
According to Berks County SAR Board President Scott Hertzog, a large majority of people who are lost and missing worldwide are autistic. Historically, first responders who report to the scene after receiving a call about a missing person would drive around with lights and sirens and use their loudspeakers to try to draw the individual out. But Hertzog acknowledges that those tactics force autistic individuals deeper into seclusion, thus making the search more challenging for everyone involved.
“The most moving experience I had was two years ago,” recalls Hertzog, who joined the team in 2020. “I was leading a team of drone pilots in South Heidelberg Township, and we located a missing boy's bicycle and a makeshift tent. We knew the kid was in the area, so we brought our people in, and the police brought the mother over. When she showed up, she walked along the line of the woods and called his name, and the kid came running out into her arms. It was like the most emotional movie scene you could ever see happening in real time.”
A little over a year ago, the organization’s public information officer, who also has an autistic family member, contacted Superheroes for Autism (a Berks County nonprofit for autistic families) on behalf of the SAR team. This led to team training with Superheroes for Autism and the Easter Seals of Eastern Pennsylvania and prepping to apply for the SAR’s first-ever grant from United Way of Berks County to help fund the training to become a Certified Autism Center.
“We did the application ourselves and took two months compiling our data to put the grant application through. The award date was sometime in July of 2023, and then in October, we were approved and everybody jumped on the training. We gave everyone three weeks, and we were actually finished and certified within about a week of signing the paperwork with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBECCES). It went faster than we could imagine,” says Hertzog.
Berks County SAR has come a long way since it became interoperable with the Department of Emergency Services. Hertzog says the collaboration between emergency services and the relationships that SAR has built with Berks County residents has been the most rewarding part of his work.
“We get together with a lot of autistic groups, and we hear from a lot of parents that they aren't so willing to open up to anyone because it's never done anything for them before. Now, they have confidence, and they have us as a county-wide resource that works side by side with other first responders.”
Fun Facts
Hug a Tree.
Berks County Search and Rescue hosts a one-hour program called Hug a Tree and Survive dedicated to educating children on what to do if they get lost.
Join the Search.
Anyone over 18 years old can volunteer with the team whether they want to be involved in the searches or assist with fundraising and events
