Sarah Whaley
Sarah got her start in the field of public safety in 2007 working as an EMT and Field Training Officer, where she spent over 10 years working. She detoured from the field, working for the City of Flint in Community and Economic Development for 7 years, but felt pulled back to the public safety industry. A chance encounter with a colleague led her to apply to FEMA for a Michigan based position, working as a FIT Team Member in Hazard Mitigation, a position which she filled for a year. She then transitioned to the Michigan State Police for a short period, at which time she was offered her current role with Lapeer County.
She is also heavily involved in Search and Rescue (SAR) in 2018, where she is currently the Director of the Lapeer County SAR Team. Her SAR credentials include: NASAR SARTECH I/Crew leader, Wilderness EMT, and Mounted SARTECH III. She is also a NASAR FUNSAR, ADSAR, and Wilderness Emergency Care Instructor, as well as NASAR SAR Tech II, SARTECH I, and Mounted SARTECH III Lead Evaluator.
Additional qualifications that she currently holds, or has held, include Professional Emergency Manager (PEM), Reserve Sheriff Deputy (Sergeant), HAZ MAT Awareness, Rescue and Extrication, Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), CPR for the Healthcare Provider, Basic Dispatch Academy, Emergency Medical Dispatch, Basic Inland SAR School, Managing the Lost Person Incident (MLPI), numerous ICS courses, and position task books as a Liaison Officer, Logistics Specialist, Grants Management Specialist, and All-Hazards Incident Commander. Educationally, Sarah holds both an Associate’s in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor’s in Public Administration. Sarah also serves on the state All-Hazards IMT Advisory Board and the FEMA Region V Regional Advisory Council.
Sarah is married to Jerry, who shares her passion for SAR and anything out of doors, but especially trail running and mountain biking.