As detailed in the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation’s recently released 2019 End-of-Year Rescue Report, Teton County’s all-volunteer Search and Rescue team spent nearly 13,000 hours on SAR-related activities, added two months of helicopter service that helped save several people’s lives, and saw members of the public utilize the BackcountrySOS digital app to effectively reach emergency responders to prevent tragic consequences.
It all added up to 2019 being a very busy year for Teton County Search and Rescue.
“I cannot express how proud the team is when their involvement on a rescue results in saving someone's life and keeping a family together,” says TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart, who joined the team as a volunteer in 2010. “That is why we volunteer, and we could not do our job without the support of the community.”
A SAR team member dives into the Snake River during swiftwater training exercises. Photo: KC Bess
The Rescue Report is released by the nonprofit Foundation on a bi-annual basis. The year-end report includes data and stats on all the rescues performed in the past year in Teton County, and shows how busy the team has been with rescues, training, and community events. From responding to numerous incidents in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry last February, to repeated ATV accidents on the Gros Ventre Road in August, the team was called to action on a wide variety of scenarios requiring different skill sets.
The report includes briefs on all the rescues performed from June 1 to November 30, 2019 (those from December 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, are detailed in the Mid-Year Rescue Report released in June). It also highlights the effectiveness of the community’s Heli-Yes campaign, which expanded TCSAR’s helicopter service, and the BackcountrySOS digital app. Released by the Foundation in 2018, the app helped members of the public save lives in 2019 by directly reaching emergency dispatch when cellular service was lacking in the backcountry. The app can be downloaded for free at BackcountrySOS.
Print copies of the Rescue Reports are free and can be found at participating businesses all over Teton County, or downloaded by clicking this link at TetonCountySAR.org.