Who We Are?

STAR 1 Search and Rescue is a nonprofit, professional volunteer group that provides Iowa public safety agencies with vital search and rescue resources. STAR 1 was founded in 1993, in response to the need for search and rescue resources recognized by the fire and EMS personnel in Story County, Iowa.

What We Do

STAR 1 provides statewide search resources including search management, search technicians and canine teams to assist law enforcement and public safety agencies with the search for lost or missing persons.  We work closely with local law enforcement agencies around Iowa and with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). We maintain compliancy with the credentials and certifications set forth by the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

STAR 1 responds 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and our services are provided free of charge.

K9 Search Teams

STAR 1's K9 Search Teams train for and can be certified in the following search specialties:

•         Live Area Search- Search dogs seek out any live human scent in an assigned search area
•         Cadaver Area Search-  Can be deployed if the lost person is believed to be deceased
•         Wilderness & Urban Trailing- This search method is useful in area highly contaminated with other human scent
•         Water Search- A drowning victim can be located in a body of water. Dogs can work from shore or boat.
•         Human Remains Detection- Canines trained to locate partially decomposed and/or disarticulated human remains
•         First Responder Live Search- Search dogs can find and indicate the location of a live person trapped within a collapsed structure
•         First Responder Cadaver Search- Canines can locate a deceased person within a collapsed structure by cadaver dogs trained to work in rubble situations
•         Evidence/Article Search- Search dogs can locate objects with human scent.

STAR 1 is a non profit organization. All deployments, training and equipment purchases come directly from out members. Therefore, we are constantly in need of funds to be prepared for and complete searches. Please consider supporting us through monetary donation, equipment or your time.

For further information contact:

Story County Emergency Management

515-382-7315

Email: storyema@aol.com

Jim Peters- Team Coordinator

Email:   jpeters180@mchsi.com