DCSAR was formed in September of 1998 and had its first meeting in October of that year. El Paso County Search and Rescue, south of Douglas County, loaned the team equipment, provided instruction, and allowed the team to use its facility for training.
Members went through intensive training and that fall the team was declared operational in December. The team’s first mission, for two missing dirt bike riders on Rampart Range, was on February 10, 1999. The missing bikers were located cold, but alive, in near blizzard conditions by team members.
Since then, DCSAR has become certified as a Mountain Rescue Association team, serving Douglas County, Greater Denver, and Colorado with distinction, averaging over 130 missions per year. Our team is able to operate in-county or anywhere in the State of Colorado at the highest altitudes for extended periods without resupply.
DCSAR operates under the authority of the Douglas County Sheriff. Calls range from searches for missing persons in residential areas to rescues of those injured in the wilderness. DCSAR and the Douglas County Sheriff do not charge for search and rescue services. Read more on this issue from the Colorado Search and Rescue Board.
We are proud members and are affiliated with the following organizations:
Rocky Mountain Region of MRA
DCSAR has been accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association since 2005 and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Mountain Rescue Association. Teams in the Rocky Mountain Region are among the most skilled SAR teams in the nation, as they must test and be evaluated by their peer teams every five years in the following five disciplines:
- Search
- High Angle Technical Rescue
- Scree Field Evacuation
- Winter Rescue
- Avalanche Operations
These membership requirements are the most demanding of all MRA regions. Learn more about the Mountain Rescue Association, or the Rocky Mountain Region
Colorado Search and Rescue Association
DCSAR is very active in Colorado state-wide SAR activities. Some of our senior members serve as state coordinators and have helped shape search and rescue related legislation and policies. The Colorado Search and Rescue Association is a Colorado not-for-profit corporation that provides a point of contact for search and rescue matters on a state level.