Melissa was just sitting down to dinner with her husband and two children when she heard the text message come in. She swore under her breath, knowing what it probably was. It was Sunday night, typically the busiest night for search and rescue incidents in her county, and she’d been waiting for a page for the last few hours. She had hoped it wouldn’t come, however. Between her busy job for a telecommunications company and her volunteer rescue responsibilities, she’d had little time for her family lately. Her husband had cooked a special dinner that night, telling her he hoped she would be able to stay home and enjoy it. Her husband was so supportive of her busy schedule that she felt guilty all the time. She snuck a peek at her phone under the table.

“All available search and rescue members, please report to the Wheeler Creek trailhead for the search for a 9-year-old male separated from his family during a hike.” She sighed. She didn’t have to go, of course; all search and rescue members are volunteers who respond when they can. But, her team was small, and lately, they had been stretched thin by high call volume during the busy summer rescue season when many members were on vacation. And, it was a child! Nine-years-old was just one year younger than her own oldest child.

It was 7:30 p.m., it would be dark in another hour, and the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms by 9 p.m. She looked up at her husband, mentally forming the words of apology, and she saw in his eyes that he already knew. He was disappointed but understanding as usual. “It’s okay,” he said before she could speak. “You do what you need to do, and we’ll put a plate in the fridge for you.”

Many Colorado residents, even those who recreate frequently in the backcountry, know little about how backcountry search and rescue (BSAR) works in the state. Colorado statute mandates that county sheriffs are responsible for search and rescue, but most don’t have the trained staff it takes to handle this function. Very few sheriff’s offices have small paid teams of law enforcement officers who juggle BSAR duties with their law enforcement responsibilities, but most sheriffs rely on non-profit teams composed of trained volunteer rescuers. Many sheriffs say they don’t know what they would do without these dedicated volunteers.

Colorado BSAR teams have many specialties, and those specialties are highly dependent on the type of terrain they service. A team on the Western Slope might specialize in canyon rescue, while teams in areas with a lot of climbing terrain specialize in high angle rescue, and some of the high alpine teams specialize in avalanche rescue. Some teams train for proficiency in swift water rescue, dive rescue, downed aircraft recovery, cave rescue and other highly specialized rescue situations. All teams train for proficiency in searches and medical evacuations. BSAR incidents often happen at night and in all manner of bad weather.

What makes a person volunteer to be cold, wet and tired outdoors in the middle of the night? The reasons are as varied as the backgrounds of our volunteers, but some of the most common heard are the desire to give back to the community, a love of the outdoors, the rewards of teamwork and camaraderie, and the occasional excitement of working with helicopters, rescue dogs, technical rope systems, etc.

As Colorado sees higher and higher visitation numbers, the number of incidents teams respond to has steadily risen over the past couple decades. The BSAR community is the safety net for Colorado’s multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy, an economy that continues to grow.

Wondering how you can support that safety net? Donate to your local team or consider becoming a volunteer. You can find contacts for your local team here: coloradosar.org/sar-county-map/.

Editor’s Note: Melissa is not a real Colorado BSAR volunteer, but the experience depicted in the article reflects an accurate account of working with BSAR.

Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Backcountry Search + Rescue In Colorado: How Does It Work?