In a heart warming and emotional ceremony last fall, members of David Thompson Search and Rescue memorialized one of their founders - the late Daryl Anderson.

Anderson, who died a little more than 2 1/2 years ago, was remembered fondly by family members and those who worked with him in SAR work and local law enforcement.

During the Oct. 18 ceremony, DTSAR’s new truck, a Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty, was unveiled with Anderson’s name emblazoned on the rear quarter panels on each side.

For Anderson’s wife, Theresa, she was awestruck by the gesture.

“I’m speechless and I think it’s awesome,” she said. “If Daryl were here today, he’d be so honored,” she said. “I know how Daryl felt about search and rescue. He had the utmost respect for those who trained and worked it.”

Before Anderson served as county sheriff from 1999 to 2010, he was working as a county deputy when he founded the volunteer search and rescue group in 1969.

That came on the heels of two young girls going missing in the maze of the Ross Creek Cedars area in 1968.

Anderson was part of the successful search for the girls. He recognized the need for a group dedicated to the rescue and recovery of those who found peril while exploring and enjoying the beautiful and sometimes dangerous wild lands of Lincoln County.

“When DTSAR started, all the equipment it had was loaded on the back of Daryl’s truck,” longtime volunteer Terry Crooks said. “It sure is something to see how far it has come.”

Today, the group has several specialty units, including 4x4, boat, K-9, communications, dive, medical and mountain.

Current sheriff, Darren Short, credits Anderson and his wife for him entering law enforcement.

“I was working construction, not at home a lot due to the travel, but I was involved with the sheriff’s reserve program when Daryl encouraged me to join the force,” Short recalled. 

The money to buy the new truck came from the federal Title III program’s Secure Rural Schools funding distributed to Lincoln County to offset lost revenues from reduced timber sale receipts from federal lands. The funds have very limited authorized uses, mostly having to do with wildfire planning and mitigation and emergency response. 

Thompson SAR’s Noah Pyle said in May that getting a new truck is, “massive for us.”

Pyle said SAR’s aging fleet of vehicles includes two Ford F250s, one a 2001 model and the other a 2003.

“We spend quite a bit to keep them up and on the road, so getting a new truck is a big deal and we’re very appreciative of the chance to update our equipment and serve the county,” Pyle said.

He also said the truck is their primary tool for all their rescues, whether it’s on the water or in ground searches. 

Retiring county Forester Jennifer Nelson began squirreling away Title III funds a number of years ago with the idea they may be needed in the future.

But after years of the county being allowed to rollover the Title III funds, the Trump Administration is requiring any unspent money to be returned to the Treasury. 

Nelson said the current federal budget continuing resolution does not include reauthorization of SRS, meaning no additional funds will be available in 2025 or 2026, and possibly longer.

She said she reached out to the county Emergency Management Agency, headed by Boyd White, to see if any emergency response groups could benefit.

Four proposals were received through the 45-day comment period, all of which met the requirements for Title III funding. The county commissioners unanimously approved the purchases. 

Troy Volunteer Fire Department received $123,000 and Libby Volunteer Fire Department got $86,000.

Troy VFD planned on buying can 24 LC3 Harris fire-rated radios to replace outdated models that are the lifeline for fire crews working in a variety of extremely challenging conditions.

The rest of the money - $41,000 - will equip a 2008 water tender with tank, radio, lift, lights, siren, plumbing and electrical supplies.

For their 2008 water tender, the money will allow the department to upgrade the existing equipment and put it on a 4 WD chassis.

Libby VFD planned to use the money to develop a 32,000-gallon water site for firefighting in the Wildland Urban Interface in the Flower Creek Road area.

The tanks will be filled with water from wherever the fire department can get it and the water will be pumped from the tank to a fire hydrant where any agency fighting a fire can use the water.

Nelson said she was very happy the commissioners approved all four project proposals and that the money would go toward helping people during emergencies in Lincoln County.