Franklin Search & Rescue

04/22/2026

Thank you to the Maine National Guard for helping on the Bigelows.

Staff Sgt. Alex Black, a crew chief and hoist operator from G Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, conducts hoist operations from a UH-60 Black Hawk during a real-world rescue mission on Bigelow Mountain April 21.

After receiving an early morning request for assistance from the Maine Warden Service, the aircrew launched from Bangor and executed a mountain hoist extraction, successfully transporting two stranded hikers to Sugarloaf Regional Airport where they were subsequently transferred for medical care.

“It’s such a great feeling being able to take people from one of the worst situations of their lives… and get them to safety and the care that they need,” said Maj. Lena Witham, medical officer for the mission.

Maine National Guard Soldiers belong to something bigger and are to serve their friends and neighbors throughout the state of Maine, and beyond.

(U.S. Army Photo by Maj. Lena Witham)

The National Guard Director of the Army National Guard U.S. Army Chief of the National Guard Bureau U.S. Department of War

07/02/2025

Members of Franklin Search and Rescue hit the Appalachian Trail near East Madrid Monday evening to assist Wardens from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and firefighters from Phillips, Kingfield and Rangeley with the evacuation of a hiker with a leg injury.

Because of rapidly approaching darkness and difficulty of the terrain, Wardens called Maine Forest Rangers for a shorthaul of the injured hiker. FSAR and Wardens set about clearing a space for Rangers’ helicopter crew to get the hiker. The Forest Ranger helicopter team was able to safely airlift the hiker to an awaiting ambulance crew for transport to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. The remaining rescuers then hiked out and got back to the trailhead right before dark.

Backcountry emergencies in Maine take a well-trained team of first responders.

FSAR is one of 14 all-volunteer wilderness SAR teams in Maine. If you’re interested in seeing if you’d be a fit for our team, consider attending one of our regular training meetings. Our next session is at Kingfieldeld Fire Department Wednesday, August 13th at 6:30pm. If we’re not close to you, consider checking out Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR) to find a team closer to you.

06/13/2025

Franklin Search and Rescue’s June training session kicked off this week with a technical ropes team training on lightweight alpine rescue systems for high angle rescue.

Following that, the entire team took training on Caltopo, a backcountry mapping and emergency planning application that will be used throughout Maine by the Wardens to manage backcountry rescues.

06/04/2025

OPEN CHALLENGE:

Amidst the sadness this week at the tragic loss of two hikers in Baxter State Park, it has been encouraging to see so many of you expressing wishes to help in times of need such as this.

Consider this an open challenge or a call to action so-to-speak because this is exactly how you can go about doing just such a thing in the future.

Visit Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR)’s website to learn more about becoming a certified search team member with one of Maine’s 14 backcountry SAR teams.

Maine’s all-volunteer search and rescue teams work for the Wardens of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife under standards and certifications set forth by the Dept. and the Maine Association for Search and Rescue. Our volunteers undergo countless hours of testing, training and certification to perform wilderness SAR missions in Maine.

Help us help others and turn your passions into action. We rely on dedicated folks such as yourselves to maintain a robust pool of first responders for backcountry emergencies.

Whether you have SAR experience or not, members of Maine’s teams will be happy to teach you the skills necessary to perform these complex wilderness missions. There are volunteer opportunities for folks of all backgrounds and skills.

If you are near Franklin County, consider coming to a Franklin County Search and Rescue monthly meeting to see if we’d be good match for furthering your interests. We meet the second Wednesday of each month at Kingfield Fire Department at 18 Commercial Road in Kingfield. Our next meeting is June 11th at 6:30 pm.

05/20/2025

Whew, what a weekend at the 2025 Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR) Conference. After months of planning, Franklin Search and Rescue hosted members from many of Maine’s 14 volunteer backcountry SAR teams at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro.

Participants got an opportunity to learn about SAR mission planning from Wardens with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Other classes and training included: basic and advanced K9 first aid; treating trauma in SAR; creating partnerships with Maine county Emergency Management Agencies; low angle technical rope rescue; SAR in Baxter State Park; health and wellness in SAR; primitive outdoor survival skills; human tracking skills; working with flight crews from LifeFlight of Maine and Maine Forest Rangers; using GPS in SAR; history of Maine SAR; dog team search demonstrations with MESARD (Maine Search And Rescue Dogs); ethics in wilderness SAR from guest speakers Paul and Evie Marcolini; drone capability demonstrations from Androscoggin County Emergency Management Agency’s new drone team.

These conferences are a great opportunity for Maine’s backcountry SAR teams to train together and learn from other agencies throughout the state how to better serve the public as they enjoy all Maine has to offer.

If you enjoy the outdoorsors and want to give back to your community, visit MASAR’s website and consider joining a wilderness rescue team near you.

05/17/2025

We wrapped the first day of the 2025Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR) conference testing some of Maine’s newest search and rescue volunteers on their night map and compass navigation skills. Following dinner, attendees got a chance to listen to stories from Bob Baribeau, a member of Mahoosuc Mountain Search and Rescue Team and veteran of more than 300 wilderness SAR missions. Saturday will be a full slate of training and presentations for participants.

05/16/2025

After completing their written tests, prospective new search team members demonstrate their outdoor skills in grid searching, navigation and patient transport during the 2025 Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR) conference.

05/16/2025

Kicking off the 2025 Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR) conference at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine this weekend. Starting off with a written qualification test and outdoor field skills test for prospective new members from some of Maine’s 14 volunteer search and rescue teams.

04/20/2025

Wouldn’t blame you if you thought Franklin Search and Rescue was just a backcountry rescue team. Actually, we’re that and more. We also volunteer in the community, putting our skills to use providing safety at community events like the Smalls to the Wall Kayak race held each year in April at Smalls Falls.

Members of FSAR’s technical rope rescue team were on hand at yesterday’s race, providing SAR standby as well as lower and lifting capability for putting swift water rescuers down into the inaccessible pools at the base of each of the falls to help protect racers during the event.

If helping out your community interests you, consider coming out to one of FSAR’s regular training sessions, the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm at the Kingfield Fire Department. We meet at 18 Commercial Street in Kingfield at the fire department there.

03/21/2025

Wow, can’t believe it’s been five years since FSAR helped Wardens with this rescue on Tumbledown. We’re still ready to respond at a moment’s notice to help those in need.

In fact, our technical ropes team is heading out this weekend to do some rope rescue training in the field to hone the skills we used in this rescue from years ago.

TOWNSHIP (WGME) -- A 30-year-old New Sharon woman with a broken ankle was rescued from Tumbledown Mountain on Saturday, said the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Maine Game Wardens and several other departments and agencies, rescued Amelia Hutchinson, 30 of New Sharon when she was hi...