Robert Ward
Rob joined the Louisiana Search and Rescue K9 Team (LaSAR) in September of 2013. He trained under the watchful eye of the team trainer, and co-founder, Lisa Higgins. He and his K9 partner, Niko, certified in land-based human remains detection within 14 months of joining LaSAR and water-based human remains detection shortly after. Rob and Niko now serve as a senior HRD team for LaSAR and also maintain a “standby/ready” status to assist KlaasKids based in Pensacola, Florida. He and Niko regularly train with the Louisiana State Task Forces (TF1, TF2, TF3) and respond to call outs from federal and state agencies.
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Rob came to NNCDS in 2014 as a participant and peaked some interest with his approach to K9 training. For the next 3 years, he served as secretary/webmaster for NNCDS and served as an assistant instructor at the annual seminars. He currently serves NNCDS as an instructor and member of their advisory board.
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Most recently, Rob began working closely with the local Louisiana Boy Scout camps and developed a classroom/field curiculum to assist the scouts in obtaining their SAR merit badge.
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Rob is a technician class HAM radio operator. He has completed First Aid/CPR/AED training, Bloodborne Pathogens training and Hazardous Materials Awareness Responder Level training. He is also the webmaster for LaSAR.