TCSAR's 2024 Midseason Rescue Report Is Now Available

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.””

— Cody Lockhart, TCSAR Chief Advisor

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.

TCSAR's End-of-Year Report Highlights Extraordinary Year for Local Rescue Team

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue’s 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report, released this week, shows that this past year was one of the most eventful and extraordinary in the organization's 30-year history.

Not only did TCSAR have the third-highest rescue call volume on its books, it also landed its very own full-time rescue helicopter, stood up an aviation program, released its first new logo in 30 years, celebrated its 30-year anniversary, and hired a new Executive Director to lead the TCSAR Foundation.

The report, which is published twice a year by TCSAR Foundation, shows that the 39 volunteers at TCSAR donated 11,589 hours back to the community on SAR-related activities. This includes 5,307 hours on rescues, 5,779 hours on training, and 503 hours on community events and backcountry safety education.

“Our core function is to provide Search & Rescue services to those in need in the Jackson Hole backcountry,” writes TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart in the report’s intro. “We accomplish this by working as a Team. This is a job we all take seriously and are proud to do. A lot has changed in a generation, but the core values set by our founders remain the same: service to the community, commitment to Team, and the tireless pursuit to be Rescue Ready.”

Along with incident summaries for every rescue call between June 1-November 30, 2023, key findings from the 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report include:

• From December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, TCSAR received 112 calls for service. This is below the records set in 2022 and 2021, which saw 136 calls and 126, respectively.

• From June 1-November 30, the most rescue calls came from hikers (17) and mountain bikers (8). There were no backcountry fatalities in TCSAR’s service area in that six-month period.

• Men continue to outpace women as rescue patients, with males accounting for 64 percent of rescuees for the last six months.

• 27 percent of rescues were for those between the ages of 16-30, the highest percentage by age group.

• The most common areas for rescue calls during 2023 were from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, Togwotee Pass, Teton Pass, and on the west side of the Tetons in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Rescue Reports are intended to provide lessons learned, raise backcountry safety awareness, and highlight the essential service provided by TCSAR volunteers and their partners. The reports are free and can be picked up at a number of businesses throughout Teton County, or viewed online at TetonCountySAR.org. If you’d like a print copy for your business or home, please send a request to info@tetoncountysar.org.

The 2021 Midseason Rescue Report: Letter from TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart

The past six months have been big ones for TCSAR on several fronts. At a basic level, TCSAR is a team of volunteers that signed up to serve the community. However, the intensity of the 2020-2021 winter demonstrated the extent to which our team is supported by that same community we serve.

On the first day of 2021, we did two significant rescues, which set the pace for what turned out to be the busiest rescue cycle in TCSAR history. We had 42 rescues in the first two months of the year. So far in 2021, we have had 13 short-haul rescues, more than double the number we have done in previous years.

The pace and seriousness of these rescues pushed the team, and we decided it was time to add some new blood to the organization. We just finished the process of selecting and inviting a new class of volunteers—the first time in six years from our last crop of new recruits. We had overwhelming interest, and were inspired by how many community members are willing to serve. It was a daunting task to whittle down to the best 10 folks to add to the team. We are excited about the energy and excitement this new group of men and women bring to our existing team of volunteers.

We are also proud to have Mike Estes, a 28-year volunteer with the team, step into the SAR Coordinator role. The position, through the Sheriff’s Office, is the sole paid employee in the organization, and we are extremely fortunate that Mike jumped to the opportunity to continue to serve the team and our community. 

With all that has been going in the world of Teton County Search and Rescue, I am proud to say the team pulled it all off without missing a beat. I could not be prouder of our team. It is rewarding to work alongside passionate and dedicated individuals that continue to build a culture of service, teamwork, compassion, hard work, and resiliency.

The members of TCSAR feel the love from our community. We appreciate all the support we receive from all parts of the community, whether it is through the financial contributions we receive, or the simple thank you we get at the post office. We are motivated to continue to do our part to serve those who need help in the Jackson Hole backcountry. There is nothing more fulfilling to the members of our team than making someone’s worst day a little bit better. 

Cody Lockhart
TCSAR Chief Advisor
Volunteer #84