Larimer County Search and Rescue
A Look at The Volunteers Who are There When Needed
Search and rescue teams across Colorado have seen an increase in the number of calls in recent years with Larimer County Search and Rescue being no exception. In 2020 the team responded to 67 missions and 73 in 2021. This year, 26 new trainees have begun the 11-week Basic Search and Rescue Training, or BASART, working to be part of the LCSAR team. Eight weeks into training the BASARTs have learned essential knots, CPR, basic medical, geography, tracking, navigating, working around canines, and completed a mock search. By the end of BASART, they will have learned anchors, rappelling, ascending, rescue systems, moving across scree and will have taken a final that, if passed, will make them fully active LCSAR team members.
The team has operated under the Sheriff's Office with a memorandum of understanding since 1979, covering 2,640 square miles of land as a non-profit, volunteer-staffed with graduates of the BASART program, a charitable organization. As a charitable organization, LCSAR does not charge the subject of a search or the Sheriff's Office for their services, covering their $70,000 operating costs through fundraising events, grants, and donations.
Consisting of 85 members, LCSAR responds to a number of missions primarily searching for missing outdoor recreationists, escorts back to the trailhead, and evidence searches. According to the mission statement on their website, in any search, the LCSAR’s objective is, “…to find the lost, rescue the stranded and injured, recover the deceased, and educate the public on wilderness and mountain safety.” To fulfill their missions, LCSAR utilizes a customized Dodge truck for hauling gear and reaching more difficult areas, a converted pop-up camper from 2008 donated by a past member that acts as a command center, and the members’ personal vehicles to get to staging areas. Recently the team has applied for a $170,000 grant to purchase a four-wheel-drive van to act as a more suitable command center with $58,000 granted and hopes to have it completed by 2023. As summer recreationists return to Larimer County, LCSAR prepares for more searches in popular areas like Grey Rock, Horsetooth Mountain, and Rocky Mountain National Park. With only 24% cell coverage, even in popular areas, adventurers should remember that things can go wrong, and cell phones are not always reliable. Form the Preventative Search and Rescue program, always hike with the 10 essentials: Water, food, headlamp, navigation, first aid, shelter even just a bivy or tarp, fire, knife, extra clothes, and sun protection.
To Learn More About LCSAR, donate, or join the team Click Here.
