King County Search and Rescue

10/12/2026

Something special is coming to your calendar—and we need our dedicated community to join us.

Save the date for Tuesday, November 10th!

King County Search and Rescue invites you to the Mercer Island Beach Club for Sip to Safety, an impact-focused evening.

As a dedicated gathering for supporters and partners, this reception brings together active volunteer rescuers and neighbors committed to keeping our region safe.

What to Expect:
• Real survival stories shared directly by SAR subjects.
• Hosted reception with local w**e, craft b**r, and heavy appetizers.
• A direct giving appeal to help us power our $50,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge.

Venue capacity at the Beach Club is limited, so we encourage early RSVPs from guests ready to invest in our sustained operational readiness goal.

🎟️ Reserve your seat by Nov 6th: https://kingcountysar.networkforgood.com/events/105869-sip-to-safety



📸 Natalie Joffe Patterson

King County 4x4 Search and Rescue
King County Explorer Search and Rescue
King County Incident Support Team
King County Search Dogs
SPART
Regional Special Vehicles Unit - RSVU.org
Seattle Mountain Rescue

10/12/2026

Something special is coming to your calendar—and we need our dedicated community to join us.

Save the date for Tuesday, November 10th!

King County Search and Rescue invites you to the Mercer Island Beach Club for Sip to Safety, an impact-focused evening.

As a dedicated gathering for supporters and partners, this reception brings together active volunteer rescuers and neighbors committed to keeping our region safe.

What to Expect:
• Real survival stories shared directly by SAR subjects.
• Hosted reception with local w**e, craft b**r, and heavy appetizers.
• A direct giving appeal to help us power our $50,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge.

Venue capacity at the Beach Club is limited, so we encourage early RSVPs from guests ready to invest in our sustained operational readiness goal.

🎟️ Reserve your seat by Nov 6th: https://kingcountysar.networkforgood.com/events/105869-sip-to-safety



📸 Natalie Joffe Patterson

King County Explorer Search and Rescue
SPART
King County Search Dogs
Regional Special Vehicles Unit - RSVU.org
Seattle Mountain Rescue
King County Incident Support Team
King County 4x4 Search and Rescue

10/10/2026

Thank you to KING 5 for highlighting this accomplishment and the support of such incredible donors.

We are so proud of the relentless dedication across our member units—including Seattle Mountain Rescue's recent addition of their new rescue vehicle! 🚒

While celebrating wins like new tools for individual teams, keeping our entire region safe requires something deeper: sustained operational funding across all seven specialized units.

When someone is lost, injured, or in danger, King County Search and Rescue volunteers answer the call—24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Seven Specialized Units.
One Shared Mission.
"Bringing Loved Ones Home."

Join us at KingCountySAR.org |

New command vehicle allows Seattle Mountain Rescue to communicate with partner agencies, review maps, search areas and support drone operations from the field.

10/03/2026

Kudos to SPART for developing the Winter Response Team (WRT) approach and sharing it with others in the SAR community.
The WRT develops current, location-specific information vital to assessing risks and SAR mission planning, getting it to the incident command before responders deploy in the field.

Here's a link with tips on winter travel, recreation, and safety including the "Are You Beeping" beacon check program.
https://kingcountysar.org/winter-safety/

Erik Olson, SPART Field Member and Former President presented the King County Winter Response Team model, SPART’s process for giving incident command a GO, DELAY, or NO-GO recommendation within 30 minutes, before rescuers deploy into avalanche terrain. The full toolkit is free for any unit to adopt at kcspart.org/wrt. Find Erik at the Are You Beeping booth, continuing a SPART program first presented at ISSW in 2012 that checks backcountry travelers’ transceivers right at the trailhead.

10/03/2026

What a perfect day to celebrate at Salmon Days with City of Issaquah - Government ☀️

We are so excited to be participating in the parade today! Keep an eye out for Erie with the King County Search Dogs as we make our way down the route.

And yes—before anyone asks—our token "salmon" for the day might technically be a Mahi Mahi 😏. But it’s the parade spirit that counts!

See you out there, Issaquah!

09/13/2026

Incredible article about the volunteers.
Well worth the read.

Grateful for our partnership with King County Sheriff's Office

King County Explorer Search and Rescue
SPART
Regional Special Vehicles Unit - RSVU.org
King County 4x4 Search and Rescue
King County Incident Support Team
Seattle Mountain Rescue
King County Search Dogs

If you want to learn more about the work we are doing together, the units, or how to support, link in comments below! 👇

09/11/2026

Great time in Fall City with Perpetual Motion Northwest

Thank you for supporting the units of King County Search and Rescue.

Scored some awesome gear for good causes. 🎒🥾

Always great w**e when you’re with crunchy red fruit

09/10/2026

Incredible dedication of SPART and other teams across the regional mutual aid network.

King County Explorer Search and Rescue and Seattle Mountain Rescue were also out late last week in support of this effort.

09/09/2026

Consider registering to help maintain the trails!

See you at the Cheers for Volunteers afterwards.

Special shout out to Volition Brewing - awesome friends of SAR 🎉

09/04/2026

This article by Backpacker Magazine shines a spotlight on the intense demands facing search and rescue teams across the country. While the workload and calls for help continue to grow, the core motivation behind what the volunteers do comes back to a single, powerful truth shared in the article’s final quote:

“Search and rescue gave me a sense of community and a group that I feel I belong to... It’s not a hobby, it’s a job you’re passionate about that you don’t get paid for. But you’re still getting up at 2 in the morning to go help someone when it’s raining out.” — Mitchell, MRA Rocky Mountain Region Chair

This sentiment captures the “why” behind every volunteer responder at King County Search and Rescue and across our state. They do it out of passion, purpose, and a deep commitment to neighbors and the outdoor community.

As outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest continues to explode, there is a stakeholder group of SAR volunteers (including us) and local SAR Coordinators within county sheriff’s offices across Washington who are actively working toward a solution for sustainable SAR funding. The goal is to establish reliable support while keeping the relationship an opt-in, volunteer-driven effort for our local communities. This ensures all teams have the critical resources and training needed so that anyone exploring Washington's wilderness always has a world-class safety net if the unexpected happens.

Stay safe out on the trails this long weekend! 🏔️

With thousands of new hikers, climbers, and bikers heading into the wilderness, the people who rescue them are hitting a breaking point. The best way you can help? Sign up.