ABOUT SALT LAKE COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE
Meet the people, training, and mission behind Salt Lake County Search and Rescue.
VOLUNTEERS. NEIGHBORS. RESCUERS.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization serving the people who live, work, and explore in Salt Lake County.
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization · EIN: 87-0473072
Our volunteers are ready to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They step away from work, family, and personal time to help when a call comes in.
During busy summer periods, the team may respond to as many as three rescues in a day. Some missions continue through the night and into the next day.
THE COMMITMENT IN NUMBERS
37
Volunteer team members
~75
Incidents each year
~10,000
Hours of rescue and training each year
Accreditation & shared expertise
Mountain Rescue Association
accredited team
Salt Lake County Search and Rescue is an accredited member of the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA), listed as a Regular member in its Inter Mountain Region.
This team-level credential reflects demonstrated capabilities in three core disciplines:
- Technical rock rescue
- Snow & ice rescue
- Wilderness search
Accreditation involves field evaluations by fellow MRA teams. Accredited teams retest every five years to maintain their standing. Through the MRA, our volunteers also share rescue techniques, equipment knowledge, and safety practices with the wider mountain rescue community.
Our local search and rescue operations remain under the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. MRA supports the team through accreditation, education, and collaboration.
TRAINED FOR THE TERRAIN
Our volunteers spend hundreds of hours developing the skills needed for search, rescue, and patient care in challenging environments.
Mountain rescue
High-angle rescue
Swift-water rescue
Backcountry snow & avalanche rescue
Cave rescue
Navigation
Lost-person search
Helicopter operations
Open-water & dive rescue
Wilderness emergency medicine & patient evacuation
READINESS THROUGH TRAINING
Members maintain required certifications and train with other rescue agencies. Each spring, the team hosts and teaches a basic Rock Rescue class for search and rescue agencies across Utah.
Members also travel outside the state to teach, train, and earn certifications that support safe rescue and recovery work here at home.
SERVICE BEYOND THE CALL
Volunteers receive no monetary compensation for their expertise, equipment, or travel. Their service saves Salt Lake County residents hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, while public safety education helps people prepare for the outdoors.
The team’s work has been featured by local news outlets, and one rescue appeared in a Super Bowl LII commercial.
Help support the volunteers behind every response.