The Utah County Sheriff volunteer Search and Rescue team ranks among the busiest in the world, with 80 to 100 calls in a typical year. 2008 was no exception with 98 total calls.

Utah County offers a wide variety of terrain and activities, and the types of rescue missions reflects this. Missions included vehicle, horse, kite surfing, sailing, rafting and motorboating accidents; stranded, lost and injured climbers, hikers, hunters, skiers, snowmobilers, boaters and bikers; weather-related emergencies; vehicles stuck in snowbanks, rivers, and over steep embankments; plane crashes, and more.

This number includes several calls which were canceled before many SAR members arrived on scene and were needed, but omits other involvement such as over 90 trainings by the team as a whole, new member trainings, and special teams who operate their own trainings to keep their skills sharp and ready.

Utah County Sheriff SAR is recognized throughout the intermountain rescue community as a highly-skilled and dedicated team.

If you would like to apply to become a member of our team, donate to support our efforts (your donations are tax deductible and they save lives!), or otherwise contribute, please use the Join, Donate or Contact links at the top right of this website. Thank you for your support!

The official web page of the Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteer team is being redesigned to better accomplish our goals to:

• provide outdoor safety information
• inform the community of SAR activities
• attract qualified members to join our team
• encourage donations to support our rescue efforts

Visit often as we add information and rescue reports. Let us know how else we can better serve our community!

Here are the photos that appear in the top right corner of the page with a few notes about each one:

Team members carry an injured hiker down Timpanogos’ Primrose Cirque in our wheeled stretcher.

A Singletrack Special Team member transports an automated electronic defibrilator (AED) to a hiker complaining of chest pain several miles up the trail.

A team member puts on his crampons during a prolonged search for an avalanche victim on Timpanogos.

Two stranded climbers are rescued in Provo Canyon.

Team members approach the summit ridge of Mount Nebo to assist an injured hiker.

A team member rappels during a training exercise.

Responding to a report of a car rollover atop West Mountain.

Squeezing through the “birth canal” in Nutty Putty Cave.

Ice climbing Provo Canyon’s “Stairway to Heaven” during a training exercise.

Life Flight prepares to land in the Lone Peak Cirque to evacuate an injured climber.

UCSSAR team members assist Summit County rescue teams in a search following a massive backcountry avalanche near The Canyons resort.

Team members leave Nutty Putty after successfully helping a stuck caver.

A team member is lowered during a recertification exercise for the Mountain Rescue Association.

Life Flight helicopters assist a multiple-victim accident in the backcountry.

A team member skis backcountry powder during a training exercise.

A team member rappels with his dog during a training exercise in Battle Creek Canyon.