These volunteers drop everything to respond to help people in their time of need. They handle both searches and rescues in the county. Some calls are for missing or overdue hunters, fisherman, hikers, mountain climbers, bikers, airplanes, snowmachines and just about any other type of incident that is in the great outdoors. Sometimes it is just a call for manpower to assist an ambulance crew carry and load a fallen hiker or a call out for a missing child in town. One thing is for sure, these folks give it their all. If it is a high angle rescue at high altitude, we are fortunate to have NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in Lander. These are the best of the best in mountain climbing, caving and survival. They also assist in rough and calm water searches and any other searches that come along. We are also fortunate to have WMI (Wilderness Medicine Institute) in Lander. These folks have scrambled 15 miles into the high country in total darkness to treat people with severe medical problems and stabilize people until they can be brought out to a hospital.

If you are going to get lost in the wilderness, the Dubois is a good area to do so. The Dubois Search and Rescue team knows the area as well as anyone and they tend to have a very fast search and rescue response and locate time. The Dubois Team can handle a lost hunter or snow-machiner in short order and as good if not better than the rest.

If it is a water search or rescue or a desert search, The Riverton Team has the most divers and experience. Un fortunately, they also handle the most drowning cases.

If it is bad weather and you are in the South Pass area and get into trouble. You will get to meet Red Fyler and his family. Rain, sleet, snow, fog and anything else that Mother Nature can dish out won’t stop Red from finding you and getting you to a safe place. Red and his family know the South Pass area so well that if your lost or stuck, they will find you, regardless of the weather or time of day.

Wind River Canyon search.

If it is any type of major search or rescue, we take the expertise and manpower and put them together on a mission. By utilizing the three major groups in the three major area’s of the county, we can respond in short order from those towns and then call in the manpower needs as necessary.

If you have any areas of expertise and want to be part of Search and Rescue in your area, please contact the Sheriff’s Office. Any experience is utilized from walkers, hikers, spotters, people with horses, boats or snow machines, People with people skills to manage searches in the Emergency Operations Centers or Command Post or any other skills that would be useful in these missions. Sometimes it is just a matter of old fashioned manpower needs that do the best job.