To the Editor:

My name is Jeffrey Pratt and I’m the sheriff in Monona County, Iowa. In early December, we had a member of our community go missing and we believed he may have fallen into an area recreational pond. I put out a call for assistance looking for some help in water recovery and the need for divers. I immediately received a call from the Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department dive team offering their services and services of a fellow team, the South Central Minnesota divers of Trimont.

Members from those teams came to our county in December and assisted for two days in a search of the pond and the area around the pond. It was decided that we would continue the search once the ice became strong enough to hold searchers and the equipment. Over the weekend of Jan. 11-12, members of both dive teams assembled in below zero temperatures and began a search of the pond using sonar equipment and underwater camera gear. Members worked 10- to 12-hour days in the cold, only asking for a warm place to take breaks. Even with all their efforts, our community member is still missing. The outcome isn’t what we wanted, but your volunteers went above and beyond in their efforts.

If those men who came to assist us are a cross-section of the volunteers you have on your fire department and area dive team, then the citizens in those respective areas should be very proud. I hope you know how valuable a resource you have in your community, and when you see those members, please thank them for their service.

The citizens of Monona County are so thankful to the Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department and South Central dive team for their efforts.

We would also like to thank the citizens of the Iowa Great Lakes for providing these departments with the equipment and resources that were used to assist us.

Jeffrey R. Pratt

Monona County Sheriff

Onawa, Iowa