By Gail A. Tierney
Public Information Officer

You’ve seen them on TV and in action movies.

Men and women clad in black, their faces covered, semi-automatic weapons at the ready.

They rappel out of helicopters, breach entryways and take control of volatile, potentially dangerous situations.

Citrus County’s Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, or SERT, is the equivalent of elite SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams we’ve all read about or witnessed.

SERT members rely on their skills; training; physical and mental acuity; specialized weapons, vehicles and equipment; plus an elevated level of teamwork to safely defuse such instances as rescuing hostages, subduing barricaded subjects, executing high-risk arrest or search warrants and apprehending heavily-armed criminals.

Early in December, eight competing SERT members from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office took part in their first-ever SWAT Round-up International competition.

Staged at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office range in Orlando, this 27th annual world-class event not only showcased special operations teams from Germany, Sweden, Canada, Dubai and Hungary, but also competitors from agencies around Florida and across the United States. In all, 52 teams competed in five grueling events, and the final standings were all but remarkable.

The first event focused on hostage rescue where a five-member team, consisting of one sniper and four entry-team members, successfully recovers someone held against his will. CCSO’s SERT placed 18th in this event.

The Pritcher scramble was next, requiring each team to work together to traverse various obstacles and arrive at shooting positions. Each team member then engages a moving target. The CCSO SERT members placed 35th in this event out of 52 competing teams.

Next up was the officer rescue, which requires each team to negotiate a canal filled with water, engage multiple targets with multiple weapons, and rescue a downed officer, all within a simulated chemical environment. Impressively, the CCSO team took 3rd place in this challenge, leaving 49 other competing teams behind.

Event No.4 is called the tower scramble. In this event, a five-member team, made up of two snipers and 3 handgun shooters, must climb the tower and rappel down the designated side. Wearing eye and ear protection, plus full body armor, team members fire rounds at given locations. CCSO’s SERT members placed 25th in this event, beating out nearly half of the competing teams in contention.

In the final event – the obstacle course – team members are required to overcome 16 physically-challenging obstacles by using a combination of teamwork and fortitude. Members of Citrus County’s special operations team took a noteworthy 10th place in this punishing event.

When the five events were over, the final standings placed the Citrus County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team at 14th among the 52 teams competing in the 2009 SWAT Round-up International. A winning combination of proficiency, speed and teamwork served all eight SERT members solidly in the team’s competitive debut.

Citizens should feel safe, confident and proud (as this entire agency does) knowing that their special operations team has consistently demonstrated the training, skills and mindset needed to get the job done.

Gail Tierney is public information officer for the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. She has been with the agency for 20 years. Comments or suggestions may be directed to Gail at 352-341-7460 or gtierney@sheriffcitrus.org.