For Immediate Release
| PR #: | 2000014 |
| Date Issued: | Jan 31, 2020 - 2:27pm |
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Forty years as a Hasty Team volunteer and Bill Macaulay is still committed to serve |
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| CONTACT: | Bob Harmon Washoe County Sheriff's Office Office 775-785-6235 Cell 775-722-5517 |
"It's like being part of something bigger than yourself"
Last weekend, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam recognized Hasty Team member Bill Macaulay with a Meritorious Service medal in honor of Macaulay's 40 years of volunteer service to the Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue program.
"Bill Macaulay's commitment to search and rescue reflects the highest level of selfless public service," Sheriff Balaam said. "His extraordinary story is based on his Christian belief that it is important to assist others combined with what he describes as a ‘tolerance for the unexpected.'"
The son of a scoutmaster, Bill started backpacking at the age of 12 and soon developed a serious interest in mountaineering and backpacking.
In 1979, Bill called on Washoe County Search and Rescue for help after his brother was seriously injured in a fall while hiking to the Mt. Rose summit. During that experience, Bill acquired what would become a lifelong interest in search and rescue. Bill joined the Sheriff's Office Hasty Team that same year.
Since then, he has spent thousands of hours in the wilderness. Many of those hours were dedicated to perfecting his skills as a search and rescue volunteer. Through training and practice, Bill has become proficient in numerous areas of search and rescue techniques and communications. He is qualified to instruct many of those techniques to others and is often called on to do so.
Bill has been an integral part of countless life-saving missions and searches. Some of his volunteer career highlights include:
- Galaxy Flight 203 plane crash in 1985
- Commendation from Washoe County Sheriff Vincent Swinney for a Christmas Day 1983 rescue in Pershing County
- Commendation from Mono County Sheriff's Office for his work recovering victims from a tour bus accident in 1986
- Sierra Chemical Plant explosion in 1998
- Search for Rick Gentry in the Galena Creek Regional Park area in 2010. Bill and wife Lynn Macaulay were successful in locating Mr. Gentry's remains in February 2011
- Murphy Mine rescue attempt in 2011
- Lifesaving rescue of two missing kayakers at Stampede Reservoir in 2012. In this instance the Sheriff's Office RAVEN helicopter transported both victims directly to the hospital due to extreme hypothermia
- Lifesaving rescue of fisherman whose canoe capsized in Pyramid Lake during the winter of 2014 (follow this link for a video of that story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzLXKgXM-WA )
"Being part of Search and Rescue makes you a better person," Macaulay said. "It's like being a part of something bigger than yourself."
Search and rescue is a family affair for the Macaulay's. Bill's wife Lynn joined Washoe County Search and Rescue (WCSAR) in 1987 and became a Hasty Team member in 1991. Both of Bill's brothers have also volunteered for Washoe County Search and Rescue teams.
Bill and Lynn have had four search dogs: Khumbu, Zephyr, Geiger, and their current search dog, a yellow lab named Ophir who is often seen assisting rescue missions throughout the Sierra. In addition to Washoe County, the Macaulay's are members of the Yosemite Search and Rescue Dog Group and Nevada County Search and Rescue.
Bill and Lynn are also members of the Washoe County's Specialized Vehicle Unit, another of the Sheriff's Office search and rescue teams. In 2015, Bill and his wife Lynn received the Everyday Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada
Bill's volunteer resume is extensive. He has training in numerous areas of technical rescue, rescue management, and rescue communications. He is qualified to instruct in numerous areas of wilderness rescue and survival and has been part of standards and testing committees.
All that he has learned, and all the skills gained over the years through training and experience, he continues to give back to benefit the safety of the northern Nevada and Sierra communities.
"From my own experience, I appreciate the value of capable and inspirational mentors," Macaulay said. "There is no margin of error with Search and Rescue and it's important for every team member to know their skill levels and their limitations. Mentors set the standards."
In 2017, Bill retired as a captain with the Sparks Fire Department though it appears he plans to keep going strong as a Washoe County Search and Rescue volunteer.
"I'm grateful for the support from my family and blessed by the opportunity to participate," Macaulay said. "Lynn and I firmly believe belief that we should continue to serve others for as long as we are able to do so.
"I just hate the idea getting out of it."
Use this line for a video slideshow tribute to Bill Macaulay's volunteer service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfxEKyzgwIU&feature=youtu.be
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to preserving a safe and secure community with professionalism, respect, integrity and the highest commitment to equality. Sheriff Darin Balaam is the 27th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County since the Office was created in 1861. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office strives to ensure public safety by building trust and creating partnerships within the diverse communities in which we serve. We will promote the dignity of all people supported by our words and actions through open communication while fostering an environment of professionalism, integrity and mutual respect.