(TNS) - Hundreds of rescue specialists will visit West Marin this fall for an annual statewide training exercise and conference.

The search-and-rescue exercise, known as SAREX, will be held at Walker Creek Ranch from Oct. 4 to 6. The event will be the first SAREX to take place in Marin, said Mike St. John, leader of the Marin County sheriff’s SAR Unit.

St. John said he expects 350 to 400 rescuers from around the state to participate in this year’s program. Last year, the event was held at Lake Tahoe Community College in El Dorado County.

“It allows us to collaborate and learn from recent major incidents to be better prepared for the next one,” said St. John, a retired battalion chief for the Mill Valley Fire Department.

The event will include training in areas such as rope rescues, off-road vehicles, crisis management, drone use, aerial searches, GPS tracking and search operations with horses and dogs.

The keynote speaker will be Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea, a central figure in disaster response in recent years because of the Camp Fire and the Oroville Dam crisis.

No public events are scheduled.

Read more