Our Founders

We were founded by Former Police Officers, Rescuers and Professional Medics, Gary and Virginia Foo.

Gary & Virginia Foo

SAR Chief & Deputy

Gary is a serving Deputy Fire Chief in charge of Special Operations and Virginia is a full time Nurse in a busy Hospital. 

Gary and Virginia Foo met over 30 years ago as armed Police Officers on the same Police department and later became Technical Rescue specialists and Medics. Gary Foo later became a Tactical Paramedic and Virginia Foo later became an EMT.  They both studied Search and Rescue (SAR) and Gary has a company which teaches Medical and Rescue disciplines to the Emergency Services, internationally.

They have both always had a penchant for helping people in need and decided to use their training and skills to create an organisation which had other similar like minded humanitarians and benevolent people to help others when the need arose, especially in an emergency or disaster.  
ERT SAR (orginally as OSAR) officially started on 1st December 2002 although ​the genesis of ERT SAR was many years before.

Team Profiles

Gary Foo

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SAR Chief | Tactical Paramedic & D/Fire Chief

Virginia Foo

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Deputy | Nurse & Tech Rescue

Jeremy Irons

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Jeremy Irons | Patron

ERTSAR Medical Doctors & Medical Committee Members

Medical Humanitarian, Emergency, Assistance and Rescue Task-Force 2022
Medical Professionals, Standards & Governance (Training & Advice)
1. Bi-Monthly Specialist Medical Training  2. Humanitarian Medical Missions and Aid   3. Special Projects & Goal Support 
Dr Jen Frendo
ERT SAR
​Medical Director
Dr Frendo is our Medical Director, & Operational Medical Disaster Response and Marine Unit Member 
Prof Tony Redmond
CONSULTANT STRATEGIC
​ADVISOR
Founder of UK-Med Professor Tony Redmond OBE is a leading authority on Disaster Medicine & Published Author
Dr Iain MacNeil
CONSULTANT
Medical
​ADVISOR
Dr MacNeil is the Former UK ISAR Medical Director and a specialist in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care
Dr Nic Sparrow
PRE-HOSPITAL Emergency CARE SPECIALIST
Dr Sparrow is an Operational ERTSAR Member,, Founder of KERPA & an Emergency Care Specialist
Dr Ninoska Zeballos
GENERAL
MEDICAL
​DOCTOR
Bolivia based Dr Tola is in General Practise medicine and has worked closely with ERT SAR on deployment
Dr Zarrin Shaikh
Consultant CardiologisT &  PODCASTER
Dr Shaikh is a UK based Consultant Cardiologist &  deployed as an ERTSAR Member on Medical Missions
Dr Reham Awwad
RECONSTRUCTIVE COSMETIC SURGEON
Dr Awwad is a Surgeon based in Egypt & has worked as a Doctor with ERTSAR members in the Middle East.
Dr Nisar yaseen
ANAESTHETIST & GENERAL MEDICINE
Dr Yaseen has deployed on International ERTSAR Missions & is a UK and as a Saudi based Doctor
Julie Grainger
TACTICAL ADVANCED CARE PARAMEDIC 
ERTSAR Member Julie is a decorated 20 year veteran Tactical Paramedic with a large EMS & Police Service.
Dr Lauren Clarke
DISASTER MEDICAL
​SPECIALIST
Dr Clarke is a Disaster Medicine Specialist, member of ERT SAR and also works for the Intl. Red Cross
Dr Rachel A. Hight
TRAUMA SURGEON & RETIRED MILITARY DOCTOR
Board-certified trauma/critical care and general surgeon. Retired US Air Force Colonel in a 30-year career.
Paul Giles
 TRUSTEE AND ORIGINAL MEMBER & PARAMEDIC
Original Team Member, deployed to missions abroad, former Military, Former Police & Paramedic.
Dr Kari Jerge, 
TRAUMA SURGEON PROFESSOR & COMBAT MEDICINE
Assistant Professor of Surgery, double board-certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. TacMed.
Asfandeyer Niazi
Full ERT SAR Member & Holding Trustee
"Ash" is a full time UK Police Officer and deployed on many missions over a since joining some 15 years ago
Luka Zorenč
SPECIAL FORCES MEDIC & SPECIAL ADVISOR
Special Forces Operator Luka is a Tactical Medic and a Tactical Vet Tech. Luka is a Special Advisor and Trainer 
Chris Kendall
FULL ERT SAR MEMBER & RESCUE RESPECIALTS
Chris is a full time Firefighter and Station Commander and technical rescue specialist joining 14 years ago

TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALISTS & ADVISORS

Josh Foo
TECHNICAL RESCUE & MARINE UNIT LEAD
Josh is a Member and Full time Firefighter and Rescue Instructor and Specialist in a Busy City 
Dave Ivanko
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Dave is an ERT SAR Operational Member and a Full Time Firefighter with Technical Rescue Training
Jhaimir Cuellar
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Jhaimir is a Technical rescue Specialist and Instructor with a focus on Rope, Ice and water Rescue
Shain Kimbell
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Shain is an ERT SAR Operational Member and a Full Time Fire Captain, Instructor & in Technical Rescue.
Bill Neadles
RET'D Police Superintendant & tech Rescue
Emergency & Disaster Response leader for the Special Operations in Toronto Police & Toronto HUSAR
Ian Nuttall
UK-ISAR Member, SpecialisT USAR Dog Handler
Firefighter, UK ISAR (International Search and Rescue) member & 2011 Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient
Damian Cameron
TECHNICAL  RESCUE & USAR SPECIALIST
Full time Fire Service Rescue  Commander,   Former Fire Service College Instructor & Military Paratrooper
TONY EMSLEY
TECH RESCUE SPECIALIST ADVISOR
Royal Air Force (Ret'd) & Specialist in Technical Rescue. Founder and Chairman of Outreach Rescue
ALAN BELL
22 SAS
SPECIAL FORCES
​S/SGT
Alan Bell is a former member of 22 SAS, a Specialist Global Security Consultant  & friend of 30 years!
Paul Sevcik
Expert in Technical Rescue
40 year career or teaching, advising and consulting to  large & busy Fire Departments etc.
Lt Col J. Hayward
ROYAL
MARINES 
​COMMANDOS
Extensive Military Career with Leadership and Operational taskings
DES HORNE
22 SAS
SPECIAL FORCES
​TROOPER
Former 22 SAS Special Air Service Trooper
Special Advisor
& Security

Special Projects Team

Special Action Group: MOBLaT (Mobility, Logistics and Transportation)
Mike Bennett
​MOBILITY, LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT
Mike is a serving Police Officer, a Military Vet and the owner / builder at Terra Tech Off Road Vehicle Company
Mike Bell
MOBILITY, LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT
Mike is a vehicle technician / Mechanic and active member. If it's got wheels he can drive / ride it! 
Justin Levine
"MOBLaT" LEAD and ERTSAR HOLDING TRUSTEE
Justin is a very experienced member with international missions and is an avid "off roader"
Jason Ingamells
​BUSHCRAFT AND WILDERNESS SURVIVAL
Jason is the Director and Chief Instructor of the UK based Woodland Ways Bushcraft & Survival.
A few of our mission photos over the years