Meet the Team

Have you ever wondered who responds when “911” is called and Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (BCSAR) is dispatched? Many people who need our services often meet us on a truly bad day in their lives. A family member is reported missing, a vehicle with occupants has gone over the edge, or a hiker is injured in a remote area. Perhaps an unmanned boat is found adrift, or that fun trip to the snow has turned into disaster.

BCSAR is an all-volunteer team comprised of ordinary citizens of this county, many with full-time jobs. We serve at the discretion and direction of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. When a “911” call is received requesting our services, pagers throughout the county are triggered and team members leave what they are doing on a moment’s notice to respond to the call. Many times, this summons occurs in the middle of the night. Family is left behind and there is no way of knowing how long we will be gone.

Who We Are
Our team members are an eclectic group from a variety of backgrounds and professions. There is no particular individual that is drawn to search and rescue work. About 30% of our members come from the health professions, construction industry and fire services. Another 25% represent administrative positions, engineering, education and sales. The remaining members come from accounting, information technology, real estate, safety, military, design or writing backgrounds. Our team is fortunate that many employers understand the service we provide to the community and often accommodate our need to respond during working hours. We are an amazing cross section of society . . . only 20% of our team is currently retired with 10% joining BCSAR after retirement. The other 80% juggle the demands of work, family and search & rescue. We all feel a sincere desire to serve our community with 37% of our team native to Butte County.
 
In terms of demographics, our “average” search and rescue member is 50 years old; the youngest member is 26, the most “seasoned” is 71. Odds are you will meet a male, but 29% of our team is female. If you’re looking for experience, our team currently has over 300 years total with 15 team members having more than 10 years as active members. Fourteen members of our team often respond as couples.

If all of us were to respond to a call you would see over 50 search and rescue volunteers. In addition to leaving our home and family members, 59 pets would also be left waiting for their beloved owner's return. But not all “pets” are left behind. Currently, we have seven mission ready K9s, who respond on searches with their handlers. These dogs exist in a state primed for search and rescue work and live for the sound of the pager tone or the sight of their handler donning a BCSAR uniform. _