Search and rescue is changing. Satellite technology makes it easier to call for help, mapping software is available to facilitate route planning, and outdoor gear is lighter and better. But Instagram rewards stunts that put people at risk, or shows pretty picture spots that are out of the range of some hiker’s abilities, and some peaks require specialty gear that not everyone carries, which means people who go into the outdoors are still getting hurt, lost or not returning home. Some of the changes are positive – the technology means that teams can spend less time searching and go direct to rescue mode, or a drone can remove some of the risk and fly a cliffside to visualize a situation. Others are not so positive – the social media-driven novices who get themselves lost or into complicated terrain they are not prepared for.
MRA teams are facing these challenges and are seeing them play out differently. My team sees fewer searches in the backcountry, since people are able to call for help more readily, but an increase in lost elderly dementia patients. Other teams are seeing a very high tempo of rescue calls that can strain resources. Colorado is in the midst of a big change in its backcountry callout system, with the state moving the job of coordinators from the volunteer Colorado SAR organization into the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. One interesting development in New York state and in New Mexico seems to be an overall decline in calls for volunteer teams in those areas. The Adirondack Mountain News wrote in an article in May that the operational reality in New York State has resulted in volunteer teams not being called and the cascading effect that has had on teams’ abilities to keep volunteer members active and engaged. The full article can be found on Facebook. Similarly, a story in the Albuquerque Journal noted that New Mexico’s 40 SAR teams are seeing fewer callouts, even as the total number of incidents rises in the state.
Search and rescue seems to be an inflection point where some geographic regions are seeing more activity and others are working hard to maintain readiness and keep getting the calls. Mission readiness, training standards and good relationships with local agencies are all crucial to the success and utilization of SAR teams in their regions. The MRA provides a framework of accreditation, peer review, and education that teams can use to stay engaged and ready. Successful teams are working and training with local partners, meeting with command staff to explain what we do, attending public events, doing outreach to agencies in the response areas – parks, open spaces, water districts, etc. They are working with other SAR teams in their area to be ready to work together or gain familiarity in new terrain. Teams need to be ready for all different types of calls, expanding the mission flexibility to include suburban areas or urban/wildland interfaces where elderly or younger people wander off. Perhaps most importantly, teams need to have members that will respond when called. Even as SAR changes, agencies need to know that when they call us, we will come.
I hope you enjoy this edition of the Meridian – there is a recap of the 2026 Spring Conference in Juneau, Alaska, an article about how California teams are collaborating on drone usage and best practices, new protocols for tourniquets and briefs about things happening in the MRA and in SAR. As always, please reach out if you have a story idea or want to highlight something you or your team did!
Molly Williams
