Bay Area SAR Teams

Alameda County
The Alameda County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit is a volunteer organization that serves the citizens of Alameda County and the State of California. The unit has a long standing reputation as a leader in the field of Search and Rescue, assisting with the aftermath of both the Loma Prieta earthquake and Oakland Hills firestorm. Always on-call, the unit responds to a wide range of emergencies, from searching for the lost hiker in the wilderness, or a missing child in an urban area, to aiding investigators at a crime scene.

Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit
The Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU) is a team that specializes in search and rescue in difficult terrain, poor weather conditions and at high altitudes. We are an all-volunteer group that responds all over Northern California. BAMRU is always looking for new members with very strong wilderness skills. We meet on the 3rd Monday of the month alternating between Redwood City and Castro Valley.

California Explorer Search and Rescue
California Explorer Search and Rescue (Cal-ESAR) is an active volunteer search and rescue team based in the San Francisco Bay Area that responds to searches and other emergencies throughout the State of California. We operate as a non-profit, youth organization open to young motivated people ages 15 and up (14 and in High School) and adults. Cal-ESAR is a resource of the California State Office of Emergency Services.

California Rescue Dog Association
The California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) is a statewide, volunteer Search & Rescue dog unit, on call 24 hours a day to assist law enforcement, emergency response and other official agencies. In addition to training their own dogs, handlers study CPR, Advanced First Aid, Map & Compass, Survival Skill and Search & Rescue theories. Teams train in several search disciplines including wilderness, urban, water, disaster, avalanche and cadaver. Training groups meet throughout the Bay Area

Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team is an all volunteer group attached to the reserve unit of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. The team is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond anywhere in the county from the Delta to Mt. Diablo and to outside mutual aid calls throughout California. Each member is trained in Basic and Advanced Search & Rescue skills as well as Advanced First Aid/1st Responder. Specialized resources used by some team members include: bloodhounds, air scent dogs, four wheel drive vehicles, equestrian, technical rope rescue, and search management

Los Gatos DART
The Disaster Aid Response Team (DART) is an organizaton of citizen volunteers trained to assist the Los Gatos Police Department in its emergency and service functions. Founded in 1982, DART proudly serves Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and the surrounding communities. DART has members trained in technical rescue, medical intervention, rescue dog searches, swift water rescue, scuba diving, emergency radio communication, traffic control, and a variety of other skills necessary for effective search/rescue and disaster assistance.

San Jose Search and Rescue/Emergency Response Team
The San Jose Search & Rescue/Emergency Response Team is made up of trained, unpaid professionals who provide wilderness search and rescue, cliff rescue, urban heavy rescue, Hug-A-Tree programs for children, First Aid and support for special events.

Santa Clara County
The Santa Clara County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team is comprised entirely of unpaid volunteers. The teams mission includes urban, rural and wilderness SAR; Evidence search and public education.

Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue is a volunteer team lead by a Sheriff's Sergeant. The team is part of the Emergency Medical Services as the main SAR group for Santa Cruz County and is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The team actively recruits adult members who are interested and capable of developing skills needed to become an asset to the team.

San Mateo County
The San Mateo Sheriff's Reserve has land, marine, dive, cliff rescue and communications teams. The teams actively recruit both adult and youth members willing to learn the skills required to assist others in times of need.

Marin County
The Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Unit provides a ground search team for missing persons in Marin County. Training for the all volunteer 60 member unit includes orienteering, man-tracking, urban and wilderness search tactics, helicopter operations, a First Responder course and low angle rescue. Each member attends an average of 200 hours of training/searches a year. There is a specialized Search Management team which works to foster cooperation with the many park and law enforcement agencies within Marin county.

Napa County
The Napa County Search and Rescue Team is made up of Sheriff's Deputies who oversee the team along with volunteers who have a strong sense of helping people in distress. The team provides Napa County with the capability to Locate, Access, Stabilize and Transport a subject in distress in a wilderness or an urban SAR event. Law enforcement evidence searches round out our search capabilities. Training is in all phases of Search and Rescue - everything from wilderness survival to Advanced First Aid/1st Responder and tracking. The team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and ready to mobilize at a moments notice.

Solano County
The Emergency Services Response Team (ESRT) provides Search & Rescue, Law Enforcement Support, and Disaster/Emergency Services at the discretion of the Sheriff's Office and Office of Emergency Services (OES). These services are provided at no cost to Solano County and neighboring agencies on a mutual aid request. ESRT is comprised of five different groups into one response unit, The Search & Rescue Association, The Sheriff's Posse Association, The Air Squadron Association, Search & Rescue-450, and RACES/ACS. ESRT provides a manpower pool in excess of 100 personnel, all providing different expertise. We currently have Pilots, Man Trackers, Radio Operators, Mounted, Off Road Vehicles, K9 Handlers, Search Managers, Reserve Deputies, and of course Ground Searchers.

Sonoma County
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team is largely composed of volunteers. The SAR team is one of the oldest in Northern California, founded in 1958, and emphasizes the development of professional search and rescue skills. The team averages 20 operations per year, and has been involved in many large scale searches. The team actively recruits both adult and youth members who are interested and capable of developing the skills needed to become an asset to the team and the citizens of Sonoma County.

Wilderness Finders
Wilderness Finders, Inc. (WOOF), started in 1975, is a non-profit volunteer service unit whose primary objective is using trained dog teams to find people in trouble and give medical aid to save their lives. WOOF teams are trained, tested and certifified yearly in different disciplines of SAR dog work, including area, avalanche, disaster, water, and evidence search, tracking/trailing and obedience. WOOF handlers are qualified in Advanced First Aid and CPR or higher medical training, canine field care, SAR procedures, year-round wilderness survival training, skiing and climbing. All unit members are experts with map an compass. WOOF service is a serious, sizable committment of time and effort. Our handlers feel this is the hardest job they have ever loved to do.