Specialty Teams

Overview of DCSSAR
Available Search and Rescue Teams
Additional Information on DCSSAR

Overview

Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue is a SAR organization with about 80 members, all Oregon State Certified, and a variety of capabilities.  We are a ‘one stop shopping’ type of organization for SAR activities in our environment.

Available Search and Rescue Teams

Our Organization can utilize the following teams in a search and rescue mission:

  • Search Management:
  • Incident Command
  • Search Planning
  • Operations
  • Logistics
  • Communications Team
Our communications team has two Incident Command trailers plus a ACU-1000 (highly sophisticated radio switchbox). This gives us the capability to interlink numerous radio channels for advanced communications across teams in the field. In addition, a few of our communications team members are also members of the State Fire Marshall’s Overhead Team and respond to declared major incidents in the Northwest, including Hazmat, Urban SAR, any natural disaster and major wild land fires.
  • Winter Team
  • Alpine and Backcountry Skiers
  • Snowmobilers—have 10 machines and advanced riders
  • Tracked ATV—highly capable machines for deep snow conditions
  • Snowshoers—many advanced for searches in more difficult terrain
  • Mountain Rescue Unit
  • Tracking Team
  • Advanced Trackers
    • Three Sign Cutters (highest level available—only a handful in US)
    • Two Tracker II’s
    • One Track Aware
  • Evidence and Crime Scene Search
  • K9
  • One certified Cadaver and Air Scent dog with handler
  • Dive Team
    • Includes 9 divers; 7 are advanced public safety divers
  • Swift Water Team
    • Includes 15 members for water rescues, river searches and working in conjunction with other agencies
  • Horse Team
  • 11 well trained members with horses and most with extra horse
  • 4 members with packing equipment, experience in recovery operations
  • Medical Team
  • All SAR members have minimum certification of Wilderness First Aid(WFA), many with First Responder certification
  • 2 doctors and 14 EMT’s consisting of 3 Paramedics, 5 Intermediates, and 6 Basics.
  • General Search Team
  • All SAR members are ‘clue aware’ and trained in ground search techniques
  • Mapping and Team Tracking capabilities
  • ATV’s
  • Mountain Bike
  • Road Search with 4WDs
  • Fire Evacuation
  • Evacuation Planning
  • Evacuation Operations
  • Air Operations Team
  • Provide advice on proper air assets to be used, appropriate search areas and patterns, ordering of assets and coordination to all air resources on a mission. Works closely with Air Life, Civil Air Patrol, Oregon State Police Aircraft, Army Guard, and Oregon Emergency Management.
  • Member positions include Spotters (trained observers, Nav/Coms (manage communications and navigation for aircraft during searches) and Air Boss (works for Operations Chief and coordinates all aspects of Air Search.

Additional Information

Mutual Aid

  • Our team stands ready to assist other counties when requested.
  • We do request early call out—please contact us any time of day or night.
  • Our team is mission ready, physically qualified and any team members we would bring are trained in back country search and rescue, survival, navigation, all-weather, etc.
  • Normally for ground search we can field at least 30 members.
  • Each year we are one of the busiest SAR units in the State of Oregon.

Avalanche Expertise

  • 2 DCSSAR members are certified National Ski Patrol Avalanche Instructors
  • 5 members certified at Avalanche II level
  • additional members certified at Avalanche Level I