Teton County Search & Rescue is pleased to announce the release of its 2024 Midseason Review and Rescue Report. Published in July, the 28-page report details the six-month rescue period between December 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. It includes incident summaries throughout those six months, graphs and charts that pinpoint certain trends for backcountry emergencies, lessons learned for backcountry safety, and highlights the dedication of TCSAR’s 39 volunteers.
TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours back to the community in the first half of 2024. Photo: Anthony Pecci
During those six months, TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours to SAR-related activities, including trainings, community events, and saving lives on rescues.
“TCSAR embraces problem solving,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart writes in the opening letter to the Rescue Report. “Every time someone calls 911 and our team is called out, we have a defined problem—someone is hurt, lost, or both. But the problems never end there… As hurdles stack up, our volunteers thrive on systematically developing solutions. The volunteers take this approach to everything we do, and we try our hardest to do our job regardless of the challenges.”
The Rescue Report shows that the volunteers responded to 46 calls for service, about average for those six months. However, April saw a higher-than-average seven call-outs, including three that were high-stakes medical responses, and three that were out-of-county interagency operations.
During the first half of 2024, TCSAR performed 14 outside agency assists, coordinating with state and federal partners to respond to backcountry emergencies across the region.
Much of that is due to the game-changing arrival of TCSAR’s new rescue helicopter in October 2023. This Rescue Report is TCSAR’s first opportunity to reflect on how the ship has aided in the team’s mission, and the hard work that has gone into building up a new aviation program.
According to the report, TCSAR’s new helicopter flew 27 missions between its arrival on October 14, 2023, and June 1, 2024.
““This achievement would not have happened without the community’s generous support and the team’s commitment to solve problems.””
The Rescue Report also highlights TCSAR Foundation’s preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero, which seeks to provide education and outreach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in the backcountry. As seen in the report, hundreds of people attended hands-on workshops through Backcountry Zero, and thousands tuned in to Season 8 of The Fine Line podcast, which explores personal stories of adventure, risk and rescue.
Rescue Reports are free and can be found in multiple businesses around Jackson Hole. Digital versions are available to download at TetonCountySAR.org. If you would like to be included in our mailing list, please send your mailing address to info@tetoncountysar.org.
TCSAR invites the public to read through the Rescue Report, reflect on the volunteers’ commitment to community service, and see how you can be involved with the team’s Preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero.