Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Minter.
Garrett, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After moving to DFW, I was looking to join a volunteer fire dept like the one I had served within my hometown. Upon finding out that unpaid agencies are all but nonexistent in the immediate area, I began to look elsewhere for an opportunity to serve my community with an equally strong comradery. I found the right fit when I joined TEXSAR in January of 2016. There I found a group of like-minded individuals with the desire to serve their fellow Texans while pushing themselves, mentally and physically, to be the best at their craft. Since then, I have had the pleasure of deploying with TEXSAR all across the state in a multitude of roles to help serve others, often in their greatest time of need.
I started out with TEXSAR doing Ground Search operations. Over the years expanded my skill set and experience to include Flood & Swiftwater, Rescue Boat Operations, Incident Command, Vertical Rescue, and other domains. Throughout that time, as an engaged member of the team, I’ve watched our organization grow tremendously while also fostering some of my greatest friendships. This year, I have assumed the role of the division lead for the TEXSAR North Texas division consisting of almost 80 members. My responsibilities include oversight of division growth, recruitment, training and deployments as well as expanding our partnerships with agencies throughout Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas.
It’s important to remember this is an all-volunteer organization. Like most members, I have a full time career as well. None of what I’ve been able to do would have been possible without the support of my company, North Tarrant Infrastructure. Over the years, they have gone above and beyond to ensure that I could always answer the call to service when needed.
Has it been a smooth road?
TEXSAR has seen tremendous growth over the last several years, not only in membership but also in capabilities and agency requests for assistance. That explosive growth has not been without its difficulties. In the months following our response to Hurricane Harvey, our membership almost doubled and has continued to grow steadily ever since. Ensuring that new members are proficiently trained and able to meet the professional standards that requesting agencies have come to expect from TEXSAR has been no small feat. Through the tireless dedication of my team members and their servant’s hearts, we have grown to become one of the premier search and rescue teams in the United States.
We are frequently contacted for assistance by agencies across the state, including cities and counties, up to and including the Texas Rangers and Attorney General’s office. However, our biggest challenge in north Texas has been building our reputation within the greater DFW area. We have spent a great deal of time cultivating relationships around North Texas to increase local awareness of the services we provide.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
TEXSAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with divisions in North Texas, Coastal Bend, Central Texas and the Gulf Coast. We have more than 420 members from all walks of life, blue-collar, white-collar, public safety and military that have come together in the service of others.
TEXSAR deploys to all 254 counties in Texas at the request of law enforcement, emergency management and public safety agencies. TEXSAR personnel is professionally trained to respond to ground search and rescue, flood and swift water rescue, Incident Management, medical response, aerial search with both drones and aircraft, disaster response and recovery, wildland fire, as well and advanced search planning. Additionally, we have a world class K9 search team that operates over land and water. I never miss the opportunity to see them in action.
TEXSAR is different from many other providers in that there is never a charge to requesting agencies for our services. Through public donations and self-funding, we can offer these specialized services to agencies in need of assistance without ever requesting repayment. We strive to uphold our motto at all times; Texans serving Texans.
I am most proud of the opportunity I have been given to serve alongside some of the most compassionate, driven individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing while also being able to work side by side with the most amazing public safety personnel in the nation. That is a humbling privilege that we do not take lightly. I never cease to be amazed by the lengths to which our members are willing to go, at great sacrifice to themselves, to help others in a time of need.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.texsar.org
- Phone: 512-956-6727
- Email: info@texsar.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEXSAR
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