We are a group of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in any type of weather. We are sent out on rescues for injured or ill recreationalists. We are also called on searches for people who are completely lost, or for those who have become disoriented and just need some help and directions to get back to their car. The average mission takes 5 to 8 hours from start to finish. We conduct between 50 and 60 missions each year.

All Routt County Search and Rescue (RCSAR) services are provided FREE of charge. The only charges that may be incurred by an individual would be for transportation of injured or ill parties via aircraft or ground ambulance, which are services provided by separate organizations. The majority of our funding comes from donations. You can help by clicking the Donate button on the top right. We also get partial funding from the purchases of hunting/fishing licenses, snowmobile/ATV/boat registrations, and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card. Click here to purchase a CORSAR card.

RCSAR started in 1968 with a small group of local men who would be called by their friends to come and help them get unstuck in the backcountry when they were snowmobiling. After several years of this, they decided to become an official group of volunteers, who would meet and train in other aspects of backcountry rescue, helping not only their friends but others who might need their assistance. The concept of helping strangers as though they were friends is the same concept that drives today’s official RCSAR team.

We are equipped with a fleet of 8 ATVs, 8 snowmobiles, 1 tracked SSV, 2 rescue trucks, 1 staff SUV, and 1 mobile communications center. We can also use a wheeled litter to carry injured or ill recreationalists out should we be called to an area that we can’t access with machines due to the terrain, or areas where motorized vehicles are not allowed, such as wilderness areas.

Special skills are not required to become a member of the RCSAR team. Members meet and train several times a month. The only requirement is the time commitment and enjoyment of backcountry activities like hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, ATVing, and snowmobiling.