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 19 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 hiker had fainted but was uninjured. The reporting party was hopeful they could help the hiker down, but requested assistance due to conditions and time constraints. 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 unique challenges. 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 hiked 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 after assessing 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 fivelowering systems. At approximately 1540 the hiker was safely delivered to an ambulance and transported to the hospital for additional care.

The mission was terminated at 1637, and lasted seven 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

On July 27 at 1353, a page was received for a hiker experiencing a seizure approximately two miles from the summit of Pikes Peak. The team was quickly dispatched to the summit of Pikes Peak and, over two hours later, made patient contact. Upon initial assessment, the patient was in severe medical distress, requiring immediate evacuation from the mountain.

Our team carried the patient down Barr Trail to a designated landing zone where a helicopter could perform the extraction. During the trail carry, rain began to fall and the temperature dropped significantly. The team contacted Canon City Helitack—a state firefighting aircraft—for assistance. Fortunately, they were able to respond and transported the patient to a waiting ambulance.

Shortly after the patient was loaded into the helicopter, hail began to fall. The team decided to continue descending Barr Trail to move below treeline and reach a safer environment. After a short break to gaze at a beautiful rainbow, the team proceeded to Barr Camp, where they collected the patient’s camping gear left behind from the previous night.

During the descent from Barr Camp, the team encountered a lost hiker on Barr Trail, whom they successfully escorted to waiting vehicles and out of the field.

After over nine hours, including more than eight miles of hiking, the team completed the mission—saving a life and assisting a lost hiker. A total of 29 rescuers, two ambulances, four state wildland firefighters, and one helicopter were required to complete this operation.

OLD STAGE ROAD INJURED CLIMBER

At 1402 on September 6, 2024, the team was paged for a climber who had fallen on Mount Vigil. Initial reports indicated the climber may have fallen 50–60 feet and had been unconscious for approximately 10 minutes.

Mount Vigil is a peak off of Old Stage Road that most of our members were unfamiliar with, and has no defined trails. Accessing the scene required three teams to attempt different bushwhacking routes over very steep, rugged terrain and countless large boulders. It took the first team nearly two hours of scrambling to reach the subject. Upon assessment, it was determined that the subject required immediate medical evacuation and that attempting a ground evacuation would be very lengthy, technically complex, and potentially unsafe for rescuers. As a result, the team requested a hoist evacuation from the Colorado Hoist Rescue Team and the Colorado Air National Guard.

The hoist rescue involved a short, very exposed technical evacuation to a ridgetop location suitable for hoisting. The helicopter then lowered two technicians from CHRT with a hoist-specific litter. The patient was repackaged and hoisted into a UH-60 helicopter, later arriving at a nearby hospital. The team then proceeded to scramble down the mountain for another two hours.

The mission concluded at 2150 with a total of 30 team members and personnel from Colorado Air National Guard, the Colorado Hoist Rescue Team, and the Colorado Search & Rescue Association involved. This operation was especially notable as the only mission in recent years where a hoist evacuation was required.

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:
$89,364

Grants:
$78,006

Rescue Run:
$39,806

Other Events:
$39,698

2024 TOP STORIES

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

In 2024, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office honored our team as the 2023 Volunteer Team of the Year for our dedication and service throughout 2023. This recognition reflects the incredible commitment from the members who make up our team, who collectively logged over 15,000 hours responding to emergencies and training to remain at peak readiness.

Operating under the authority of the Sheriff's Office, we are deeply grateful for their ongoing support and partnership. This award is a testament to the unwavering dedication of every member of our team—volunteers who selflessly commit their time, skills, and energy to fulfill our mission of saving lives. Whether navigating treacherous backcountry terrain, responding to critical rescue operations, or educating our community on outdoor safety, our team remains steadfast in our commitment to serving El Paso County.

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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

Avalanche Beacons
Quantity: 34
Total Cost: $20,400.00

Avalanche Shovels
Quantity: 15
Total Cost: $1,350.00

Rescue Litter
Quantity: 1
Total Cost: $5,500.00

Static Ropes
Quantity: 5 x 200ft
Total Cost: $1,250

Carabiners
Quantity: 30
Total Cost: $450.00

Heat Blankets
Quantity: 4
Total Cost: $1,100.00

Heat Packs
Quantity: 4
Total Cost: $220.00

SAMS Splints
Quantity: 25
Total Cost: $375

Tourniquets
Quantity: 25
Total Cost: $1,075

MEDICAL TRAINING AIDS

Training Manikin
Quantity: 1
Total Cost: $1,500.00

IV Training Arm
Quantity: 2
Total Cost: $1,800

SEARCH GEAR

Binoculars
Quantity: 4
Total Cost: $1,400.00

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.