A Search and Rescue Team. Running Barely Legal how I was duped and you should be aware of when volunteering.

I meet meet him  when I belonged to Allegheny Valley React  one of his search members joined our group and as it turned out was a thief and we immediately removed him . Thieves and con artists and other assorted criminals love non profit groups because they join become officers and then loot them and disappear and are ever hardly prosecuted and if they are hardly ever punished. Happens in volunteer fire company's all the time  and they will keep taking them back as members remember my saying the fire service is its own worst enemy better believe it.
As I found out more about this individual after couple years of no positive answers from him I got the hell out glad I did. 

Well any ways I helped  him get rid of this individual from his team the proper way  and he asked me to join sure I said I always wanted to be a fireman or other wise be involved in rescue  and by that time the React teams where becoming irrelevant .

At the time the group was known as Medsar having evolved from the name from a defunct ambulance company South Hills Ambulance or Medical Rescue  or some similar such name.
They where located at the then small airport now industrial park in Cabot Pa. which was once  Pittsburgh Independent Drag-way  known as PID  off Pa. 50 in Washington county .A one time dragster strip.

I helped with several small electrical needs of theirs as my body was healing from crushing my right ankle . Got me out of house and chance to see if I was going to be able to work again.
But the owner closed the airport and the team had to move .
  ends up the section 8 apartment complex in Crafton heights section of Pittsburgh  where he lived and worked as a guard in the evening had a water damaged apartment we could move the team into  and clean up and use for free and with the move and all the expense of getting rid of the thief who stole from the team they had to file bankruptcy and reorganize after losing many disillusioned members  including a part time cop who stole climbing equipment from the team and paid the bill back before he was prosecuted like I said all these volunteer groups get some real losers in them thats why hard working volunteers like myself get disgusted and leave.
so with the newly formed team a new name - Search ,Rescue and Recovery of  Western Pa.
I was made deputy chief and allowed a red light and sirens which I never would have put on my vehicle as I later found out the team did not have the required permission from Penndot to have lights on vehicles. I could have gotten a major fine if ever challenged.
 This among other reasons is why I quit when I could not get straight answers from Lee.
The team raised money by providing   over night and show time security and crowd and traffic control assistance at Airshows  thru out Western Pa for Air Shows Unlimited   with offices at Beaver Airport  run by a Beaver County Commissioner where our group had a sub headquarters also .  But after asking how much we made and told we did not after a couple shows  at Beaver, Jefferson county and Akron Ohio I said this is bull shit the group not getting paid thats when I got serious about looking at the books and how Lee was getting paid. Seems if show did not make money we got nothing or so I thought but I also heard this from a react group who refused to do any more air shows in Erie after the show there made no money as the weather was bad that day..
It was after this and I joined the fire company and started reading articles on Fire police and fire dept rules I realized something was very wrong with this group.  My god the trouble we could have gotten into operating over state lines with air shows unlimited.  In fact recently it was revealed in an article in Pa. Fireman's Magazine where  Pa. Fire Police units providing mutual aid over state lines on request something they are absolutely forbidden from doing but they do it any ways . But because our group had a good probono lawyer  we never had problems they where always taken care of in effect we where operating above the law with no permits no license and no insurance to speak of. 
All because of a couple powerful individuals who kept it that way. But thats common practice around here just look in recent months how Pittsburgh Police chief  has resigned and facing serious federal felony's for stealing off duty officer  funds ,. the beaver county sheriff was indicted and arrested for harassment and several other chiefs fired over HIPPA violations and inappropriate conduct.
My god the corruption around here is everywhere and right in your face and constant one scandal gets uncovered corrected and uncovered again.

http://thesecuritygame.blogspot.com/2013/03/off-duty-officers-as-security-guards.html

It was during this time Lee started the MACC center Multi Agency Communications Center  .

because myself and several others where amateur radio operators and we had a mini dispatch center set up to handle our own rescue calls we went on occasionally when called ,we started handling radio calls from crime prevention groups patrol units who had 2 way radios .

and other such groups. We even helped with a search for a man who disappeared after getting into trouble with Russian mob supposedly   when asked to help by the Squirrel  Hill block watch group who we dispatched thru the macc center .

But with all the good we did it had to end I had enough of the double talk and bull shit with the funds the lights and everything else and not getting straight answers .I was really worried about liability as more and more  search and rescue teams where getting set up wrongly  busted by the state and one of our groups members  medical bills where not paid when he injured his leg. It seemed every story  he told about his life where phony or exaggerated as well. One day my chief at Penn Hills 4#  called me and needed the teams help a man was missing along   Pa. Rt.910 they found his car but not him. The team arrived and right away Lee who had no authority in the area tried taking over the search with that I told him to take a f#!king hike and quit and started making phone calls  and inquiries 

Ends up they had no permission for red or blue revolving  lights ,no insurance I could find no nothing but a barely legal  paper organization.

By that time he had sweet talked a dear friend of mine to locate the team on her cousins old  farm in O'Hara Twp. off Skonojin Road.and give him an old pick up truck she spent a fortune on restoring which is anther story.

The team left after couple years  back to Lees residence and was finally put out of business by state police when they had there lights  and emergency vehicle license plates confiscated.

But everyday you see all kinds of group's and businesses started around here an not worth the paper there written on. Its not till there is a serious incident are they put out of business like the . Pa. State Police of Erie & Crawford county  who where legally charted to track down horse thieves in 1800's  and mainly helped at parades etc. but had some rouge members cause problems and where shut down by state couple years ago because they wore uniforms exactly like state police  and public could be easily confused.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Police_of_Crawford_and_Erie_Counties

I have made it a mission in the last decade to shut down and challenge many groups  and people I know who have no authority doing what there doing often times illegally collecting funds  and operating under names of defunct groups. I find illegal guard outfits as well .When  I find them I turn them into police and attorney generals office for investigation. If I do not do it there are others as well helping to stop this problem in Pa. as well including a major player in the investigation field  before more people get hurt.
This above the law mentality has to go away I thought the days of the Coal and Iron police in Pa. which where nothing more than legal commissioned thugs went away guess it never did as long as groups like this are allowed to operate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_and_Iron_Police

I spent plenty of time and money to make sure I have a business license , Insurance and any permits, training etc. I need to operate properly  in the alarm and electrical field and so should they as a non profit organization.
I feel bad for anyone duped by these people and groups or has run afoul of there illegal tactics.
now a days I question  , verify  and investigate before dealing with any one I am not sure of.
There are so many people not doing the right thing many unaware there violating laws and have no insurance or liability coverage should something go wrong .

One of the main reasons I will no longer volunteer for any group any more there is way too much goes on that can get you in serious trouble when your trying to do good..