Welcome to Our Website!

 Who We Are:

KCSAR is a volunteer group of trained individuals that are dedicated to the search, rescue and recovery of lost or missing persons.  Our members, numbering over 40 strong, serve in a variety of roles, while working toward a single goal - saving lives.
  
Where We Operate:

KCSAR provides search and rescue services mainly in the mountainous areas of Kootenai County; a total area of 1,316 square miles with over 135,000 in population.  Additionally, our services are available to and occasionally leveraged by surrounding counties.

Coordination and Mobilization:

Our SAR missions are coordinated through the Sheriff's office in the county where the operation is taking place.  Generally, the Kootenai County Sheriff receives a 911 dispatch, evaluates the situation and, if necessary, mobilizes KCSAR.
 
Funding:

KCSAR is a non-profit, volunteer organization.  Team members do not receive compensation for their work and are not reimbursed for their expenses.  Our members spend countless hours of their free time - and occasionally their work time - training and learning so that they will be ready to respond to a search and rescue operation on a moment's notice.
 
KCSAR maintains several ATVs and snowmobiles and a command post so they may provide valuable community services free-of-charge.  All members provide their own equipment. The SAR unit and/or the individual members absorb the cost of any necessary training or certifications. 

Why We Exist:

Our existence is a direct response to the thousands of people living in the Idaho Panhandle who cherish their right to actively experience the freedom of the outdoors.  The Coeur d’ Alene mountains and much of the surrounding region can be an inviting, but dangerous, topography.  Unfamiliar terrain and unpredictable conditions can quickly overwhelm the unprepared or inexperienced outdoorsman.  When accidents occur or someone goes missing, KCSAR is asked to help carry out search and rescue operations.    
 
Without volunteer SAR teams, the cost of an average rescue in manpower, equipment, helicopters, etc., would be totally prohibitive.  By providing a volunteer group of trained searchers, KCSAR helps to keep our mountains open for all to enjoy.

For more information, please visit either the Join the Team section or the Donations section.