Owen County Search & Rescue | Serving Owen County From The Water, Air & Ground
By Josh Rodamer
Sweet Owen Contributor
Outdoor adventures come with an inherent level of risk, which avid participants manage through planning and preparation; but what happens when risk becomes reality? Owen County has been witness, or perhaps victim, to the adventure of nature coming to our doorsteps. Wind, water, fire, and mishaps comprise some of these events that threaten life and property within the county ‘Where Community Matters.’
When community truly matters, community will
respond. Owen County Search and Rescue, often called OCSAR, is the only organization in the county with the ability to respond by land, water, or air to those aforementioned emergencies and natural disasters. Made up completely of volunteers and supported largely by donations, fundraisers, grants, and fiscal court funding, the organization will respond to disasters, missing persons, vehicle accidents, and water rescues.
The interaction between the general public and Search and Rescue is typically brief, only a snapshot in time, which calls upon hours of training and support activity. For instance, on February 17, 2025, members were called upon to evacuate a family that had become stranded by rising flood waters following a severe weather outbreak that resulted in over 300 road closures, 40,000 without power, and over 1,000 water rescues across the state. As the Kentucky River crested at 45.67 feet, the stress on the communities of Monterey and Gratz were overshadowed by the April 2nd-7th rain event that came within feet of breaking flood records in Lockport. Numbers often seem impersonal, but when your family is carried to safety, it becomes quite personal.
“I found myself in a situation only nightmares could dream of - flood waters were closing in and temperatures continued to drop, “explained Jennifer Noe. “When I woke up at 7am, I realized the flood waters were touching the foundation of the back side of my house and I called Owen County Emergency Management for help.” An evacuation plan was created and Jennifer was asked to get her family and essential belongings to a meeting spot approximately a half mile from her home. She and her children bundled up as snow had fallen overnight and temperatures were frigid.
“As we started walking down our road, we realized how serious the situation had become. Water had completely cut off all access to the main road in multiple areas and the only way to get to the rescue boat was to cross barb wire fences and climb up sharp wired posts,” recounted Noe. “We were freezing and terrified, but so relieved when we saw the boat coming towards us for rescue.” Noe is just one of many brave parents and individuals who recognized a hazard and called for help, giving OCSAR the one factor that challenges every response: time.
On higher ground, teams responded to Agee Road on July 21, 2026 to clear trees and reach residents to confirm there were no injuries following a regional tornado outbreak. Following the door-to-door checks of residents in this area, the newest tool of Owen County Search and Rescue was deployed to survey storm damage for Emergency Management and the National
Weather Service. OCSAR deployed a DJI M30T drone, purchased by funds awarded by the Kentucky Office of Emergency Management Rescue Aid Grant and placed in service January of 2026.
OCSAR has two FAA licensed remote pilots with several others working on obtaining the commercial licenses required to perform a drone operation. The OCSAR drone is equipped to search for missing persons with advanced thermal technology, carry small items less than 10 pounds, such as a life jacket, and provide observational information used in search and rescues. “In the rugged terrain of Owen County, a drone is an invaluable tool to gain perspective of the incidents we respond to, while increasing the safety of our volunteers,” explained OCSAR Captain and drone pilot Clay James. “Flights, called missions, can cover a significant amount of ground quickly.”
Several times a year OCSAR is dispatched along with Owen County EMS to extricate patients from vehicle, farm, and hunting accidents. In addition to using hydraulic rescue tools, saws, and stabilization equipment to physically extricate or remove someone from a vehicle or hazard, OCSAR transports patients from the scene of the emergency to county EMS partners. A Polaris UTV allows rescuers to safely and securely transport patients while minimizing injury potential to the county’s volunteer team of responders.
Quietly behind the scenes, however, the volunteers are supported by a generous community that responds with and to them. Food and water were providing by individuals and businesses to OCSAR during the April 6, 2025 flooding, a blessing during a long day of demanding work. The Owenton and Owen County Fire Department building fills with visitors during fish fry fundraisers, and individuals quietly make donations that put fuel in the trucks and allows for the purchase and maintenance of the required equipment. ‘Where Community Matters’ isn’t just a county tag line, but an esprit de corps forged in the waiting and preparation, evident in crisis, and carried forth by hard work and consistently showing up day in and out.
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