Wilderness emergencies seldom follow political boundaries. Olympic Peninsula trails cross county, state and federal lands. Search and rescue missions in Jefferson County are directed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, utilizing Jefferson Search and Rescue (JSAR) and other groups as resources. JSAR members also routinely assist search and rescue teams in neighboring counties as well as forest rangers on missions and cooperative training exercises.
JSAR was founded in 1976. During searches – or in the event of a disaster – members contribute their specialized skills in search management, communications, emergency medical care and technical rope rescue. Any day or night, every day of the year, in any weather.
JSAR’s volunteer cadre generally hovers around thirty personnel. Of those, around twenty people are fairly active in the organization at any time, and around ten are licensed EMTs. Prospective volunteers vary throughout the year, but generally we have one to five people working toward full qualification as SAR workers.
Like any volunteer organization, the number of personnel available to respond to calls varies in response to other personal responsibilities. We are generally able to field 10-12 qualified rescuers in the first hours of a mission within eastern Jefferson County — less during the work day or further away, more on weekends or for calls with above-average duration or severity.
JSAR meets at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month and typically has field training on the Saturday following the meeting. Anyone interested in membership, including students 14 years old or older with a parent or guardian, is encouraged to attend a meeting to learn more about our fun and professional group.
Meetings are held at our headquarters hosted by Discovery Bay Volunteer Fire and Rescue adjacent to their station 5-1 at 12 Bentley Place in Discovery Bay. Please see Membership for more information.