Southern Arizona Rescue Association

06/16/2026

We have several members currently attending the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) conference in Juneau, Alaska. Last night, we recognized one of our members at the national level.

Sean has been an active rescuer in SARA for over 20 years. He has served 10 years on our Board of Directors, with 3 years as Vice President and 3 years as President. Sean has over 1000 missions and 2500 field hours! As of February he has been on over 1140 missions. Sean is also the developer of the response application ERM which started out for our team, but as its use and versatility grew, has now become the standard app for mission response, tracking, and member management for several teams within the MRA. We greatly appreciate his ongoing contribution and are excited to have him continue with our team for many years to come.

Thank you, Sean, for all of your contributions to search and rescue!

06/04/2026

Interested in joining SARA or wanting to learn more? Now is the perfect time to learn about volunteering with search and rescue!

In order to apply, potential new members MUST attend an orientation. The two options are June 16 and July 23, both at 7 PM at the SARA house. The SARA house is located in the overflow lot of Sabino Canyon.

Once you attend an orientation, you will be given a link to our written application. Those will be reviewed and the top applicants will be invited to our applicant hike on August 15. From there, we will select the members of our new class!

Recruitment information is available on our social media, but we heavily encourage you to join the mailing list on our website. We also encourage potential members to attend our monthly meetings located the first Friday of every month at 7:30 PM at the SARA House.

06/01/2026

We’d like to take a moment to recognize and share the contributions of one of our team members, Alex!

Alex has joined us for over 50 missions, treated over 70 patients, and has spent over 600 hours training and teaching. Few people bring together such deep medical expertise, trail knowledge, and genuine kindness. Anyone who has been in the field with Alex knows that he’s an invaluable team member and mentor.

Alex is moving to New York to begin his next chapter as an EM resident, and while we’re sad to see him leave, we’re excited to see him thrive in residency. Thank you, Alex, for your extensive contributions to search and rescue and we hope to have you back in the future!

05/29/2026

Do you have a passion for the outdoors? Have you ever considered joining a volunteer search and rescue team? We’re recruiting for our 2026 candidate class!

To learn more about volunteering with SARA and to apply, you must come to one of our new member orientations. The two options are June 16th and July 23rd, both at 7PM at the SARA house.

Until then, join us for our monthly meetings and stay connected by following us on social media and signing up for our recruitment mailing list on our website. Feel free to comment or DM us with questions!

05/23/2026

5/21/26: Southern Arizona Rescue Association Drones and support teams were requested for a search of lost hiker, Kevin Rudh, reported missing, last seen on 5/20 and thought to be hiking in the Marshall Gulch area.

5/22/26: Pima County Sheriff's Departmentdeputies and Pinal County Sheriff's Office helicopter along with SARA drones, dogs, and foot teams returned to the area at 0600 to continue the search. Mr. Rudh was found deceased later that day. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Kevin Rudh during this very difficult time.

49-year-old missing hiker Kevin Rudh has been found dead, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told KGUN 9.

05/18/2026

Our team consists of Candidate Rescuers and Rescuers who are, at minimum, WFAs (wilderness first aid) and WEMRs (wilderness emergency medical responders). Rescuers are trained through SARA to meet these qualifications.

05/17/2026

Last night, members of the Southern Arizona Rescue Association assisted UA EMS as medical support during Commencement. SARA members attended a training with UA EMS prior to Commencement for hands on training and to teach students how to use the stokes litter. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the university and assisting with future events!

05/09/2026

This morning members of Southern Arizona Rescue Association participated in a helicopter ingress/egress training. Rescuers refreshed their skills on how to safely enter and exit a helicopter in different situations they may encounter in the field. Thank you for putting on another great training.

05/04/2026

He may not do it but search and rescue will.