Gov. orders creation of search and rescue taskforce

This is a press release courtesy of the Governor's Office

The creation of the task force follows the January 5 completion of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management chronology outlining the facts surrounding the efforts undertaken by state agencies involved in the search for the Kim family last month. The task force will also be assisted by the information and recommendations in a report by the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association issued yesterday.  The panel will submit its recommendations to the Governor no later than March 31, 2007.

"I appreciate the hard work by the Office of Emergency management and the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association to provide a full account of the search for the Kim family. It is important that we move forward in this process based on informed discussion and constructive consideration,” said the Governor. “Oregon remains a state of diverse environments and large unpopulated areas. I look forward to this task force’s recommendations on how we can further improve search and rescue efforts in the future."

The task force will be led by the Governor’s senior policy advisor for public safety, Joe O’Leary. It will be comprised of 13-15 members including representatives from the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Military Department, the Portland Police Bureau, the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Bureau of Land Management, and the United States Forest Service. It will also include a member of the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate, a certified search and rescue volunteer, a representative from the cellular phone industry and a member of the general public.

The Governor's executive order requests that the task force report back to him no later than March 31, 2007 with its finding, conclusions and recommendations for the 2007 Legislative Assembly.