ABOUT
EL PASO COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE IS A NON-PROFIT VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SAVING LIVES THROUGH SEARCH, RESCUE, AND EDUCATION.
EPCSAR provides search and rescue services primarily in El Paso County, Colorado, under the authority of the El Paso County Sheriff. However, the team also responds to requests for assistance from other counties through a cooperative arrangement with the Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR).
El Paso County Search and Rescue maintains certification through the international Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). Our team, ranging from 50 to 80 members, serve in various roles while working towards a single goal: saving lives.
MISSION
El Paso County Search and Rescue is a mountain search and rescue unit dedicated to saving lives through search, rescue, and mountain safety education.
We are non-paid professionals. There is never a charge for us to find or rescue people in need.
What We Do
The team is composed entirely of volunteers and is available upon request to help mountain search and rescue problems anywhere in Colorado under the authority of the local county sheriff or in other states and countries under local authority.
The team is also available to provide information and lectures on mountain safety to interested individuals and groups. Our team prides itself on its many years of humanitarian service and reputation for capability and safety.
In addition to training extensively in mountaineering skills and search and rescue techniques, members work diligently to improve their emergency medical capability. Most members are certified as Emergency Medical Responders, many are Emergency Medical Technicians, and a few are working paramedics or physicians.
EPCSAR specializes in search and rescue operations involving:
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Rescue or medical assistance
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Search for missing, lost, or overdue
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Missing aircraft, balloon, or glider
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Activated emergency locator transmitters (ELT)
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Activated personal locator beacons (PLB)
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Disaster operations (flood, blizzard/snowstorm, major fire, earthquake, tornado, etc.)
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Technical rescue/recovery, such as high angle, ice rescue, confined space, avalanche
![IMG_9923 people working in the snow](https://epcsar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_9923-scaled.jpeg)
![IMG_3121 IMG_3121](https://epcsar.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IMG_3121-1536x1152.jpeg)