(HAMPTON, Va.) — Coast Guard Sector Virginia and the Port of Virginia hosted the 17th annual Steven Todd Dooley Search and Rescue (SAR) Forum on Monday near Hampton Roads.
The forum is an annual event that continues to strengthen regional interagency partnerships and communication, as well as improve the life-saving processes and skills required of search and rescue agencies. Courses and presentations were offered over the duration of the event, as well as multiple demonstrations to increase boating safety knowledge.
More than 150 students, 35 agencies and 30 boats from law enforcement and fire departments across Virginia came together and participated in the weeklong event.
Throughout the week, students participated in search and rescue pattern courses, nighttime flare evolutions, a helicopter demonstration, and a final mass rescue exercise on Friday. These events help all attendees work side by side and train intensively to be ready for any and all search and rescue cases in the Hampton Roads region.
– U.S. Coast Guard
