Border Patrol, Search, Trauma and Rescue

The Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR) is a specialized unit of the United States Border Patrol trained in emergency search and rescue. It primarily assists injured or stranded migrants who enter the United States illegally from Mexico at remote desert locations.

Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR)
Agency overview
Formed1996 (1996)
HeadquartersEl Paso, Texas
Parent departmentUnited States Border Patrol

The BORSTAR national headquarters is in El Paso, Texas, and units are stationed in each southwest Border Patrol sector.[1][2]

History
BORSTAR training, 2006
BORSTAR diver surveys the bridge of sunken ship Black Bart off the coast of Panama City, Florida.
Rappelling on Mount Lemmon, 2011

Officials in the Border Patrol's San Diego Sector asked for permission to start a rescue team to help agents and civilians who needed assistance. BORSTAR was created in 1996 in response to the growing number of migrant deaths along the Mexico–United States border.

In 1999, a BORSTAR training academy opened in Tucson, Arizona, and in 2001, the unit added rescue dogs.[1][2]

Training

BORSTAR is composed of volunteer agents from the U.S. Border Patrol. After serving two years, agents may apply to attend the five-week training course. BORSTAR members learn rescue techniques, land navigation, communications, teamwork, tactical medicine, swiftwater rescue, and air operations. They also obtain their basic-level certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. Some members receive additional specialized training which may include watercraft rescue, boat operations, cold weather operations, paramedic training, and SCUBA diving.[1]

Scope of operations

In addition to assisting migrants, BORSTAR units have helped hikers, motorists, and other Border Patrol agents in need of rescue.[2] BORSTAR units have responded to FEMA requests for assistance, including Hurricane Katrina rescue operations.[3]

The Border Patrol states that "situations vary in difficulty from simply locating victims and providing them with water to complex rescues requiring agents to rappel into remote canyons to assist victims and extract them by helicopter."[1]

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References
  1. "Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR)" (PDF). U.S. Customs and Border Protection. May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-26.
  2. Devantier, Alecia T. (2006). Extraordinary Jobs in Government. Ferguson.
  3. Bonner, Robert C. (Sep 1, 2005). "Commissioner's Message on Hurricane Recovery". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013.
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