We Remember – Oso Strong! On March 22, 2014 we were called out on a mission like no other, before or since. On that day, a wall of mud came tumbling down in what was soon to be known as the Oso Landslide. When the page came out, our search and rescue teams mobilized, not knowing that we would be searching for weeks. Our Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team was early on the scene and was vital to rescuing some of the survivors. For more than 30 long days, we searched until every last victim was found and laid to rest. And then, we grieved with our community for what had been lost. So today, we remember those that were lost that terrible day, and we celebrate a community that is vital and strong and resilient. We will never forget. #Oso #OsoStrong #SCVSAR #SearchAndRescue

For 50 years, they have answered when called and gone out on missions supported by volunteers with thousands of hours of training and specialties. The operations come at a price, though, and the nonprofit Snohomish County Volunteer Search And Rescue (SCVSAR) is looking to keep the outfit going through soliciting donations, grants and time. This is where the SCVSAR food truck comes in, although the 31-year-old GMC Value Van, which is a former SWAT vehicle, is on its last days of missions. “We are currently faced with — ‘how are going to replace this food truck?’ It’s still running, but it’s failing and it is a critical part of our missions because it helps sustain our volunteers,” said Bill Buck, board vice-president and volunteer. The food truck goes out on nearly every mission. It was a vital part of the Oso Mudslide response because it spent nearly 30 days out with the volunteers. To learn more about what we do and how you can help, visit the full Snohomish County Tribune article HERE or, visit our donation page HERE to lend your support now!  

  Whether you consider yourself a hard-core outdoor enthusiast or just an occasional backcountry explorer, learn more about when you should call Search and Rescue, what information you should provide, how long a typical response takes, and more.   QUESTION: How do I call Search and Rescue? ANSWER: The only way to get in touch with Search and Rescue in Snohomish County is to call 911. The initial call may be handled by King County, Washington State Patrol or other dispatch agencies depending on where you are. Explain the nature of your emergency and, if you are in the backcountry, where you are and the trailhead you accessed. 911 will need this information in case you need to get transferred to SNOPAC for the Snohomish County Sheriff. They will have someone from Search and Rescue call you. QUESTION: What if I don’t have cell service? ANSWER: You can try texting 911 regardless of if you have cellular phone services available at your location. You may be instructed to turn off the phone to conserve battery life, and turn it on at scheduled intervals to text 911 and update them on the patient’s status. (Click here for more information about Text […]

“Three Teens Trapped on Three Fingers Mountain” the news read back on Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening, August 26-27, 2008. Those were the “best-worst days” of our lives, since one of those teens was ours (and another we had custody for). My wife, Heidi, mother-in-law, Cheri, and I first discovered that the boys’ overnight adventure had turned terribly bad when we heard the report on the late night TV news. Assuming it was our boys who were trapped, we drove to the Green Mountain Forest Service Road (RD 41) off the Mountain Loop Highway, where the Sheriff’s Deputy confirmed our worst fears and allowed us access up the road all the way to the trailhead (today that road is blocked miles from the trailhead). The weather had changed significantly, and the boys were trapped in a storm at the 6,300 foot level not far from the 6,854 ft. summit… read more in the latest copy of The Rescue – Fall 2016!

Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer organization with over 300 volunteers on-call 24 hours a day to assist with emergencies and disasters, including locating missing children, saving injured hikers, and performing rescues during storms and other natural disasters like the Oso mudslide. We need to raise $120,000 to replace our 20-year-old food truck and we need your help to do it! If you’re a ground searcher about to head out with a team on a mission, it’s very encouraging to have a hot meal before you leave, and know that there’s a hot meal, and a smile, waiting for you when you return. If you’re a family member or a friend desperately waiting for word for your loved one, a hot meal, served with love, makes a big difference.   If you’re an out-of-county SAR volunteer helping us with one of our missions, a hot meal is one way we’re able to say “thank you for your support”. Our food truck has also fed and supported multiple other agencies, as it did following the Oso landslide, where it operated nearly every day for more than 30 days. Your donation will help us replace this vital piece of equipment […]

The SCVSAR Mountain Bike Team gives Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue the ability to quickly cover ground where other mechanized vehicles may not be able to go. In searches where a subject is located on or near a trail that can be navigated by bike, we can often locate a missing person faster than a standard ground team. The Mountain Bike Team can also repeatedly cover a trail faster than a team on foot. This is useful for containment purposes, and for subjects who may be wandering within the search area. We can also be used to resupply other ground teams on extended searches, to transport information for verification and we can expedite the response of advanced medical personnel should a subject be located and need medical care. An e-Mountain Bike equipped team enhances these benefits not only by a reduction in time to reach the subject but more substantially by allowing the responder to conserve energy for off-bike SAR duties, should they also become required for the mission.

The Snohomish County Tracker Team is composed of volunteers and law enforcement personnel who are dedicated and highly trained to perform urban and wilderness search and rescue operations and assist with crime scene investigations in Snohomish County, Washington. In partnership with other elements of Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue, the Tracker Team is on call 24/7 to assist the community under the authority of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Living beings moving through an environment leave evidence of their passage, known to trackers as Sign. Tracking is the art and science of identifying and interpreting sign.   Identifying: Trackers find evidence of the subject’s passage through terrain first by finding the sign, then by determining whether the sign was made by the subject, another human, or by natural causes such as animals or weather. This skill only comes about through extensive training and experience.   Interpreting: Once the subject’s sign is identified, additional value is gained by determining where the subject was going, what the subject was doing, and how long ago the sign was made.