Sheridan Area Search and Rescue Prepares for Growth

By Brenna Mack

When someone is lost, injured or stranded in the Bighorn Mountains, Sheridan Area Search and Rescue is often called upon to help bring them home. But before that call ever comes, the volunteer team has to make sure its people, equipment and training are ready. That takes money.

Sheridan Area Search and Rescue will hold its annual Pint Night fundraiser Sept. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Black Tooth Brewing. The event is the team’s only fundraiser of the year and will give community members an opportunity to meet the volunteers, learn more about the organization and help support its operations.

Black Tooth will have music from Black Tooth Knuckles, while the team will sell raffle tickets for rifles, coolers and other outdoor prizes. The raffle drawing will take place around 6:30 p.m.

Andy Earp is a board member, team member and training officer with Sheridan Area Search and Rescue.

Sheridan Area Search and Rescue operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on fundraising to help cover the costs associated with keeping its team ready to respond. Those costs include everything from snowmobiles, UTVs and trucks to ropes, climbing equipment, medical supplies, uniforms, helmets and other gear.  Fuel has also become one of the team’s largest expenses.

The organization currently has 23 active members and is looking to add between 10 and 12 people, with a goal of maintaining a team of roughly 34 to 35 members. The recruitment is open to anyone who is at least 21 years old and can pass a background check through the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office.  And applicants do not need to arrive with wilderness rescue experience.

Earp said “We’re looking for everybody. Everybody in this community has a place that we can utilize them on the team.”  

Medical professionals are particularly valuable because of the medical nature of many calls, but the team also needs people with skills ranging from driving and welding to working with equipment and trailers. Members receive training and are not expected to know how to perform every aspect of search and rescue when they join.

The commitment, however, is significant. Search and rescue members are volunteers who may be called upon at any hour and in conditions ranging from extreme cold to extreme heat. Most team members also have regular jobs and other responsibilities. The recruitment process begins with an application, followed by fingerprinting, a background check and an interview. New members then begin preparing for a 440-hour orientation in January. The team also requires members to complete training such as CPR and AED certification, FEMA Incident Command System courses and an annual physical pack test before they can be deployed in the field. For the men who volunteer their time, the commitment comes down to more than training, equipment or answering calls in the middle of the night.

For Heath Steel, it is personal. “I was a member of a family who had to recover a family member,” Steel said. “I lost a sibling that went through a seven-day search to recover him.” That experience shaped his decision to become involved in search

and rescue. He said “I know what it’s like when nobody shows up. For me it’s very deep personal calling to make sure somebody does show up when these kinds of emergencies happen.”

Earp said his motivation comes from a desire to serve the community that welcomed him and from his previous military experience. “It’s just helping my community where I can,” he said. The team also emphasizes prevention and preparedness. Its members provide community education about wilderness safety and encourage people to plan ahead before heading into the mountains.

That includes telling someone where you are going, carrying reliable communication equipment, bringing backup power and wearing bright clothing when recreating in the wilderness. The team also encourages people not to wait to call for help. Search and rescue must be authorized and dispatched through the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office, so anyone who believes they may be lost or in trouble should call 911 or use an available emergency communication device as soon as possible.

“Don’t hesitate to call,” Steel said. “It’s not an ego. It’s not about embarrassment.

Community members can learn more about Sheridan Area Search and Rescue, ask questions about recruitment and pick up an application at Pint Night Sept. 3. Team members also regularly attend Third Thursday events in Sheridan and are available to answer questions about joining the team.