Meet our team

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  I'm a non-profit accountant with more than 8 years experience with Heritage Valley FCU. I have been with HVFCU for 10 years.  Im secretary of search and rescue.  I only have a few certificates including stop the bleed, CERT, first aid/cpr, basic Sartopo, intro to ICS.I have been around non-profits my entire life. I was treasurer for the Seven Valleys fire company relief association for about 3 years. I am active in my church, Zion Shaffer's United Lutheran Church of Seven Valleys. I belong to  the American Legion and the American Legion Riders. In my spare time I like to read, make homemade cards, and be with my family.  

 Jimi is retired from both the Pentagon Police Department and the United States Army Reserve.  She served on both Active Duty and in the Reserves.  She has graduated from both the U.S. Army Military Police School and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. She served as a Military Policeman at several levels.  Her assignments included patrol, radio operator, (Dispatcher), Traffic Section, Officer in Charge of Traffic Impound, Military Police Instructor, Platoon Sergeant/Detachment First Sergeant and Provost Sergeant at Theater Level Command.  She has been on assignments in Egypt, Philippines and Germany.  Her awards included the Army Achievement Medal, Army Accommodation Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal.  She retired from the Army Reserves as a Master Sergeant after 27 years.  Her Civilian job as a Police Officer included Postal Police as a Patrol Officer and in her last position at the Pentagon with the Pentagon Police, she served in the Traffic Section and as a Foot Patrol Officer.  She retired from civilian police work after a 35 years.  Shortly after retiring she joined the South Central PA Search and Rescue team in 2014.  Since joining our team, she has been selected to be our Security Officer, and recently elected to be the Finance Officer and Chair Person for the Fund Raising Committee.  She also serves as a member of our Training Committee.  She has completed several training courses including Pet First Aid, CPR and AED Certified, Water Awareness Course, Wilderness SAR Responder, Landing Zone Course and several NIMS Courses.  K9 Handler Timmer has been on nearly all team calls for assistance last year.  She is married to Kurtis Timmer and has three Adult Children and four Granddaughters.  

 Team Member Sarah Ronsani is a 9 year veteran of the United States Army and served as an Aviation Operations Sergeant. Sarah served in both in New York Army National Guard and Active Duty with the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, New York and has also deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.  She recently transferred from the NYARNG to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard in a complete branch and job specialty move. Sarah is now serving as a Staff Sergeant with the 193rd Special Operations Wing, 193rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, as a C-130J Crew Chief. Her awards include the Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Operation Inherent Resolve w/ Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Non-Commissioned Officer Professional, Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer Professional,  Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ M device, Basic Aviation Badge and more As a civilian, Sarah works as a Financial Analyst with the United States Fiscal and Property Office – Ft. Indiantown GAP. Sarah brings past experience as a Deputy Sheriff with knowledge of Joint Personnel Recovery Execution, Basic Search Operations, Fire Suppression, First Aid & CPR, Disaster Recovery, EVOC, Public Safety Telecommunications Dispatcher, Hazmat Awareness and Operations, DOD Hazmat Awareness and various ICS courses. Sarah joined the team in November 2019 with her husband Dan Messina.  

Deputy Chief Dan Koprowski  is a journeyman industrial maintenance and repair technician, pursuing a bachelor's degree part time in technical leadership at Bloomsburg. A former BSA volunteer and Eagle Scout, he enjoys reading, hiking, shooting sports, and tinkering in his spare time.  He possesses certifications in Wilderness First Aid, CERT, EVOC, CPR/AED/First Aid, ICS/NIMS courses, Water Rescue and Rope training.  HE serves as teh Communications Officer for the team as well. 

 William is an active member and one of the Original founders of the organization since 1998. He has an extensive and diverse background in emergency services, beginning as a junior firefighter at the age of fifteen in Baltimore County Maryland and remaining as an active firefighter Up until 2012 when he retired from the volunteer service. He has since gone on to achieve a multitude of experience and training in the fields of fire/rescue, search and rescue, emergency medicine, hazardous materials response, and technical rescue. He has received training and certifications at the local, state, and federal level, to include resident courses at such diverse locations as the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, National Fire Academy in Maryland. William has held multiple positions through-out his career in the volunteer emergency service Bill was one of the first volunteer paramedics in Baltimore County, Maryland as well as holding the title of Assistant Chief. Bill was York County, Pa. Chief 1-29, as well as The Safety Officer till 2013, he was also the first person to hold the position of Chief with South Central Pa. Search and Rescue.Since retiring in 2019 from UPMC Pinnacle Health as a Physical Security Specialist. In his rare spare time Bill is an avid reader, loving action and suspense novels. Bill also loves camping when he can find the time. Bill loves spending time with his wife of 23 yrs. As well as his children, grandchildren and his great granddaughter.A SMALL SELECTION OF CERTIFICATIONS IS AS FOLLOWS:PA state certified Interior Firefighter PA state certified EMT-B DCNR certified Wilderness Search Responder NIM/ICS 100-200Water Rescue Awareness Level  

 EMS Captain Nathaniel Stoner is an active duty EMT, Nurse, and Eagle Scout. Nathaniel has years of experience in Wilderness First Aid, focusing on improvised first aid for long term patient care and/or extrication in secluded areas. He also possesses certifications such as: Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, CERT, EVOC, CPR/AED/First Aid, Stop the Bleed, and numerous NIMS/ICS courses. Nathaniel serves his hometown as the Chief of the Franklin Township Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of York County, and is a member of the EMA staff for Franklin Township. Sharing his knowledge is also important to Nathaniel, utilizing his instructor certification through the American Safety & Health Institute. Nathaniel plans to continue to serve his community by working as a PHRN (Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse) through his current EMS agency.

 Team Member Shawn Henderson is a veteran of the United States Army with 8 years in active duty and active reserves. As a light Infantryman (11B) in the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) he served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in both Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Shawn served in the US Army Reserve as a Heavy Anti Armor Infantryman (11H),(ITV). He earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, graduated from the Air Assault School in Fort Campbell KY. First Aid, CPR and AED Certified, completed ICS 100, 700, and 800, DHS Human Trafficking Awareness, Wilderness Search Responder, Basic and Advanced Grid, is a Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Events Instructor, Technical Search Specialist, completed Mental Health First Aid training, Mental Health Crisis Intervention/Suicide Prevention training, is Qualified on the Glock model 45 service pistol and 12 Guage Shotgun. Shawn is currently a State Corrections Officer who has served over 22 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, was an Automotive Technician for almost 8 years, completed 2 years of college in Automotive Technology, was a Federal Employee (Fabric Worker) who worked on helicopter sound insulation and parachutes. Shawn trains and has competed dogs in the sport of Canine Weight Pull for over a decade, is partnered with his significant other in a hobby rabbit farm, is a hunter, enjoys shooting sports, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and enjoys cooking. 

   Jennifer Lettich-Snyder has been in SAR for 5 1/2 years. She has been in the fire and EMS service 18 years. She has completed Advanced Compass and Grid course, Crime Scene Investigation Protocols, Stages of Decomposition course, Dementia and Lost Persons, Drone Awareness in SAR, Search Responder, MSO, Lost Person Behavior, Wilderness Crew leader, Canine Search Specialist and NASAR SARTECH II. K-9 Handler of Charlotte HRD/Trailing and Penelope in training.

  Nicole is a special-education teacher with a passion for advocating for children. She currently teaches at a comprehensive high school, working with students on the Autism spectrum and other related disabilities in a career that’s spanned more than 20 years. She specializes in working with students with complex-communication needs – those individuals who cannot cope with everyday communication situations by means of speech alone. Most importantly, Nicole believes that every child should have a “voice.” She holds several graduate degrees, including a master’s degree in deaf/blind education and a rich background in American Sign Language.

Nicole enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family. In addition to her search duties, she also serves as a K9 handler for teams Charlie and Moose. 

Aside from helping others, Nicole also enjoys the outdoors and working with animals – all of which are a natural fit for her in the search-and-rescue field.

 Alex Taylor is full time Neuro Critical Care Physician Assistant with prior experience in General and Trauma Surgery. Graduate of King's College's PA program in 2018. He started as an EMT in high school in 2012, now having advance to be certified as 1 of less than approximately 50 Prehospital Physician Extenders in the state of Pennsylvania. He has also been involved in search and rescue since 2011 through Civil Air Patrol and later South Central PA Search & Rescue, where he currently serves as EMS Captain. He holds certifications such as Search & Rescue technician I, Advanced Wilderness Life Support, Advanced trauma life support, in addition to other certifications. Having been to Haiti twice on medical mission trips and serving through COVID at the ICU level he hopes to provide insight to help you stay safe during your next adventure or Search. 

I’m a security officer. Currently a volunteer Firefighter in Maryland, ICS 100 through 800, Cert 315/317, EVOC, SARTECH III. I’m my free time I enjoy fishing, camping and hiking.

Team member Christopher Fetters is a Coast Guard veteran with over 30 years experience in prehospital, trauma, and critical care medicine.  He is the Product Owner at Vital Biosciences Inc., a Toronto-based medical device company and has decades of experience in developing and marketing clinical laboratory products for a global marketplace.  He is named on two medical device patents and sits on the editorial board of the Point of Care Journal.  Chris is an Advanced Life Support provider in PA and has reciprocity in Maryland with Abingdon Volunteer Fire and EMS.  He is a Hazardous Materials and Radiological Technician with the County of York Hazardous Materials Team and serves as a staff member with Newberry Regional EMA.  He has attended a wide variety of FEMA classes on incident management and all-hazard response.  Chris is a member of WellSpan Health's Disaster Response Team and possesses certifications in mass-casualty and Advanced Disaster Life Support (ADLS).  Chris' rescue disciplines span Ropes, HazMat, Vehicle, Ice, and Water Rescue.  Chris is HAM Radio Technician and is preparing for his Rescue and Public Safety Diver.