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 joined the Fire Service and Virginia Foo later became an EMT and Nurse.  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 with an 'all hazards' capacity 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

CANADA

TECHNICAL RESCUE, MEDICAL SPECIALISTS & LEADERS

Dr Jen Frendo
ERT SAR
​Medical Director
Dr Frendo is our XO, (Exec Officer) Medical Director, Covid lead, & Operational Marine Unit Member 
Josh Foo
TECHNICAL RESCUE & MARINE UNIT LEAD
Josh is a SAR Captain, a Builder & Full time Firefighter and Tech Rescue Instructor in a Busy Fire Department.
Brent Burnside
DRONE, TECH RESCUE & MARINE UNIT Specialist
Brent is an ERTSAR  member, Serving Police Officer, Drone Operator, Marine Unit member & Rescue Specialist
Dr Nic Sparrow
PRE-HOSPITAL Emergency CARE SPECIALIST
Dr Sparrow is a Medical Doctor, an Operational ERTSAR and Medical Team Specialist & Founder of KERPA 
Jamie Shurr
TECHNICAL RESCUE & MARINE UNIT LEAD
Jamie is an ERTSAR operational member and a Seasoned Firefighter Captain. He's also an ordained Minister 
Dave Ivanko
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Dave is an ERT SAR Operational Member and a Full Time Firefighter with Technical Rescue Training
Ally Hendricks
PARAMEDIC & PRE- HOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE
Ally is an ERT SAR member and front line Paramedic & also in the process of becoming a firefighter.
Jhaimir Cuellar
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Jhaimir is a Technical rescue Specialist and Instructor with a focus on Rope, Ice and water Rescue
Steve Jones
DRONE, Marine, CONSPACE, TECH RESCUE & LEADER
Steve is Firefighter, Tech Rescue Team Leader, active member of the Marine Unit and Drone Operator
Julie Grainger
TACTICAL ADVANCED CARE PARAMEDIC 
ERTSAR Member Julie is a decorated 20 year veteran Tactical Paramedic with a large EMS & Police Service.
Shain Kimbell
TECHNICAL RESCUE SPECIALIST
Shain is an ERT SAR Operational Member and a Full Time Fire Deputy Fire Chief with a busy Fire Service.
Alvin Paliuanan
TEAM LEADER. MARINE UNIT & TEAM SECURITY
Alvin is an ERT SAR Operational Member, Serving Police Officer, Team Leader & Marine Unit Member.
Greg Segui
TEAM LEADER, MARINE UNIT 
​MEMBER 
Greg is a former MP (Military Police Officer) & ERT SAR Operational Team Leader and on the Marine Unit
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
Joy Frendo
TEAM LEADER & MARINE UNIT MEMBER
Joy is a former School Teacher and a Team Leader trained in Rope Rescue & Marine Unit Member
Patrick Robinson
LOGISTICS, Boo ELECTRICS Lead &  TECH RESCUE 
Patrick is an ERT SAR Operational Member, EMR and years in the Motion Picture industry setting up camps
Stephen Mattei
ERTSAR LIAISON & Command Support
Steven is a Pre-Service Firefighter and Red Cross EMR Medical Qualified & Operational ERT SAR Member
Kevin Vagg
LOGISTICS, BoO Comms, ADMIN & Tech RESCUE
Kevin comes from the Coms industry and is an ERT SAR member with Tech Rescue & Medical Training
Ryan Faye
PARAMEDIC & MARNE UNIT and TEAM LEADER
Ryan is a Paramedic Supervisor, ERT SAR Operational member, Marine and Tech Rescue Team Leader.
Mike Bell
MOBILITY, LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT
Mike is a vehicle technician / Mechanic and active member. If it's got and engine, he can fix it! 
Bill Neadles
RET'D Police Superintendant & tech Rescue
Emergency & Disaster Response leader for the Special Operations in Toronto Police & Toronto HUSAR
ALAN BELL
22 SAS
SPECIAL FORCES
​S/SGT
Alan Bell is a former member of HM 22 SAS Special Forces , a Specialist Global Security Consultant  & friend of 30 years!
Paul Sevcik
Expert in Technical Rescue
Paul has a 40 year career as an expert of teaching and consulting to large & busy Fire Departments etc.

United Kingdom

Justin Levine
"MOBLaT" LEAD
TECH RESCUE and ERTSAR HOLDING TRUSTEE
Justin is a very experienced member with international missions and is an avid "off roader"
Ian Nuttall
UK-ISAR Member, SpecialisT USAR Dog Handler
Firefighter, UK ISAR (International Search and Rescue) member & 2011 Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient
TONY EMSLEY
TECH RESCUE SPECIALIST ADVISOR
Royal Air Force (Ret'd) & Specialist in Technical Rescue. Founder and Chairman of Outreach Rescue
DES HORNE
22 SAS
SPECIAL FORCES
​TROOPER
Former 22 SAS Special Air Service Trooper
Special Advisor
& Security
Paul Giles
 TRUSTEE AND ORIGINAL FIRST ERT SAR MEMBER & PARAMEDIC
Original Team Member, deployed to missions abroad, former Military, Former Police & Paramedic.
Lt Col J. Hayward
ROYAL
MARINES 
​COMMANDOS
Operational Specialist, Extensive Military Career with Leadership &  Operations
Dr Nisar yaseen
ANAESTHETIST & GENERAL MEDICINE
Dr Yaseen has deployed on International ERTSAR Missions & is a UK and as a Saudi based Doctor
Bradley Collins
FINANCE, GOVERNANCE GRANT WRITER
Bradley is a Charity and Business Consultant and writes grant proposals for organisations
Dr Iain MacNeil
Trustee CONSULTANT
Medical
ADVISOR
Dr MacNeil is the Former UK ISAR Medical Director and a specialist in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care
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
Dr Zarrin Shaikh
Consultant CardiologisT &  PODCASTER
Dr Shaikh is a UK based Consultant Cardiologist &  deployed as an ERTSAR Member on Medical Missions
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
Chris Kendall
TRUSTEE,
ERT SAR MEMBER & TECH  RESCUE SPECIALIST
Chris is a full time Firefighter and Station Commander and technical rescue specialist joining 14 years ago
Damian Cameron
TECHNICAL  RESCUE & USAR SPECIALIST
Full time Fire Service Rescue  Commander,   Former Fire Service College Instructor & Military Paratrooper
Prof Tony Redmond
CONSULTANT STRATEGIC
​ADVISOR
Founder of UK-Med Professor Tony Redmond OBE is a leading authority on Disaster Medicine & Published Author
Jason Ingamells
​BUSHCRAFT AND WILDERNESS SURVIVAL
Jason is the Director and Chief Instructor of the UK based Woodland Ways Bushcraft & Survival.
We shall be announcing our new Trustees after the 2022 AGM

International Medical Advisors

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 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 Kari Jerge, 
TRAUMA SURGEON PROFESSOR & COMBAT MEDICINE
Assistant Professor of Surgery, double board-certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. TacMed.
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 
A few of our mission photos over the years

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