ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As a team, we have over 70 dedicated members who generously donate their time, energy, and passion to help us search for the lost, rescue the injured, and save lives. However, our team is much more than just these individuals; it includes all the agencies, groups, and organizations that support us. Whether through additional responders in the field, planning and operational assistance, or enabling our existence as a search and rescue organization, their contributions are vital. Teamwork truly does make the dream work and makes our mission possible.

Over the past year, we were honored to be named the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer Team of the Year, with our members contributing more than 15,000 hours to missions, training, and other duties in 2023. Operating under the authority of the Sheriff’s Office, we would not be able to provide our services without their support. We are grateful to EPSO for this honor and for their incredible assistance over the last half-century. We look forward to many more years of collaboration.

Additionally, we were recognized as the Partner of the Year by Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery. When we receive calls for stranded motorists, we often partner with the remarkable volunteer members of Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery, who offer their time and skilled equipment to help individuals recover their vehicles or brave adverse conditions to retrieve vehicles left behind after a rescue. We are thankful for their expertise and support, and we greatly appreciate this teamwork.

In 2024, our members volunteered over 21,000 hours of their personal time for incident response, training, and other duties. Of the 272 rescue or search calls received, we responded to 163 incidents, accounting for more than 6,500 of those total hours. Many of these calls are successful thanks to the teamwork and cooperation of other agencies, including the Colorado Springs Fire Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Manitou Springs Fire Department, American Medical Response, Barr Camp, Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Colorado Springs Police Department, Flight for Life Colorado, Green Mountain Falls/Chipeta Park and Cascade Fire Departments, Monument Fire District, Palmer Lake Fire Department, UC Health LifeLine, Ute Pass Regional Ambulance District, and others.

As we have done for the past 54 years, our team remains ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, to bring individuals home to their loved ones, family, and friends. We are immensely grateful for the support and assistance of our partner agencies, as well as the residents, businesses, and visitors to our beautiful region. We eagerly anticipate the service we will provide in 2025.

Jay Christianson
President
El Paso County Search and Rescue

2024 RESCUE REVIEW

Calls Received

Missions

Total Mission Hours

Volunteer Hours

Average Mission Time:
3 hours 18 minutes

Busiest Day of the Week:
Sunday

Busiest Time of Day:
2:00 pm

We trust each of our 200-foot-long ropes to hold 750 pounds.

Each year, our members climb enough feet during missions to reach the summit of Everest multiple times.

An average of 140 carabiners are in the field during a single mission.

Our Candidate Member Class includes 104 hours of instruction.

Each member carries an average of 4,000 calories in their pack during every mission.

2024 TOP MISSIONS

MANITOU INCLINE SNOWY RESCUE

On March 15 at 0910 a page was received for an exhausted hiker near the top of the Manitou Incline. Initial information from the reporting party stated that the hiked had fainted but was uninjured and they were hopeful that they could help the hiker down; however, they were unsure how long they could help and requested assistance. At 0951 the team was paged for a rescue mission.

Unlike the numerous other Lower Barr Trail/Incline missions that the team fields throughout the year, this one posed some challenges not typically encountered. In the previous two days, nearly four feet of snow has fallen in the area. Based on the volume of snow, 19 members split into two teams, one deployed via the old Barr Trail trailhead, including two members on skis, and another hiking up the Incline. Due to the immense amount of snow and downed trees that had to be cut for members to continue hiking, the team on Barr Trail took nearly two hours to reach the subject, while the Incline team reached the subject in a shorter amount of time.

Once on site and assessing the conditions, it was determined that the usual route down Barr Trail, which is typically faster and less technical than going down the Incline, was not an option due to the snow depth and trees blocking the trail. The hiker was then packaged in a SKED and extracted via the Incline using a cycle of 4-5 lowering systems. At approximately 1540 the hiker was safely delivered to an ambulance and transported to the hospital for additional care.

Terminated at 1637, this was one of our more technical missions lasting 7 hours and 27 minutes. In total, 25 members were directly involved with the successful rescue of the hiker, with the rest of the team on standby in town should other resources be needed.

PIKES PEAK SICK HIKER

Last year, we participated in the Land Rover Defender Service Awards Competition with the hope of winning a new Land Rover. Although we didn't come in first place, we were still recognized and awarded a generous donation as the runners-up. This fall, Land Rover generously offered us another chance to win a new Land Rover Defender 130 to help us in our mission to save lives.

In the Honorees Category, we faced tough competition from 19 other organizations that had previously been runners-up. We received incredible support from the local community and throughout Colorado as we tried to earn the most votes. After the votes were counted, we were selected as one of the final two teams and ultimately awarded second place, along with a generous $15,000 grant from Land Rover. We are extremely grateful for the support we received from Land Rover Colorado Springs and the continued generosity of Land Rover through their Defender Service Awards.

OLD STAGE ROAD INJURED CLIMBER

2024 MISSION HIGHLIGHTS

FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

FEB

Incident: Stranded Motorists- Near Mt Herman Road, Monument

Dates: February 4, 2024

Duration: 6 Hours, 23 Minutes

Response: 9 Members

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

FUNDRAISING REPORT

2024 FINANCIALS

Private Donations:
$108,087

Grants:
$75,170

Rescue Run:
$42,782

Other Events:
$27,229

2024 TOP STORIES

EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE VOLUNTEER TEAM OF THE YEAR

Our team was honored to be recognized as the Volunteer Unit of the Year by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office for 2023, having logged over 15,000 volunteer hours.

Operating under the authority of the Sheriff's Office, we are incredibly grateful for their support and proud to be acknowledged for our efforts in fulfilling our mission of saving lives.

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COLORADO 4X4 RESCUE & RECOVERY PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Throughout the year, we receive numerous calls from motorists who are stuck or stranded along the many backcountry roads in El Paso County. As part of our mission to save lives, we rescue individuals who are unable to free themselves; however, it is not our practice to recover vehicles. For these situations, we partner with Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery.

This all-volunteer, non-profit organization consists of dedicated individuals who provide vehicle recovery services on 4x4 trails across the state. They support many agencies across various types of missions, and we are grateful for their resources and the opportunity to work alongside them. This year, we are honored to have been recognized as Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery's Partner of the Year.

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

WISHLIST ITEMS

RESCUE GEAR

Rescue Litter
Quantity: 3
Total Cost: $5,100.00

Vacuum Mattress
Quantity: 1
Total Cost: $800.00

Avalanche Beacons
Quantity: 30
Total Cost: $11,700.00

Scarab Rescue Tool
Quantity: 12
Total Cost: $1,800.00

K9 GEAR

GPS w/ K9 Tracker
Quantity: 2
Total Cost: $2,200.00

Multifunction Weather Meter
Quantity: 2
Total Cost: $398.00

SEARCH GEAR

Binoculars
Quantity: 4
Total Cost: $1,400.00

UAV Batteries
Quantity: 6
Total Cost: $690.00

FLIR Drone
Quantity: 1
Total Cost: $18,800.00

K9 UPDATE

In 2024, our K9 team members and their handlers successfully completed 16 missions in El Paso County and as mutual aid to other counties across the state. These missions involved searches in challenging environments, including high alpine areas, across acres of dusty desert, through dense forests, and along busy urban streets. Regardless of the mission or the conditions, our four-legged teammates are always eager to lend a helping paw whenever and wherever needed.

While we celebrate the achievements of our K9 members, we also want to honor the amazing contributions of four K9s we sadly lost this year. It has been a difficult year for our K9s and their handlers as we bid farewell to these exceptional team members: Hunter, Halo, Tor, and Amelia. Together, they served our community with bravery and dignity for a combined 40+ years. Thank you all for your incredible service! Rest easy, good boys and girls.