The Fresno County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Mountaineering Team was
formed as an auxiliary unit of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office in
1982. We are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization of diversified
volunteers, formed to augment the Fresno County Sheriff's Office during
search and rescue operations in Fresno County and throughout the state
of California.
Our team members are trained in various search and rescue
disciplines including: orienteering, tracking, wilderness / winter
survival, first aid / CPR, swift water, high/low angle rescue, helicopter
safety, search techniques and search management. These skills
facilitate our ability to respond to a variety of urban and wilderness
emergencies. We train constantly, as these skills perish with time. We earn nothing, expect nothing, and are grateful for searches that end well, although we know that that does not always happen.
Each team member is responsible for providing all of their personal equipment to be mission-ready. The cost of hiking apparel, boots, backpacks, sleeping systems, food, etc., is all donated by each member, typically costing $2,500 each. The SAR team members donate thousands of service hours
participating in Search and Rescue Operations in Fresno, Madera, Tulare
and San Luis Obispo Counties, as well as Yosemite, Kings Canyon and
Sequoia National Parks. In addition to SAR missions and monthly
training, members also donate hundreds of service hours to other
non-profit organizations in our area and sponsor events to promote
safety in the outdoors. We stand ready, 24x7x365 for the next call. |