When individuals need assistance in the backcountry — whether they get lost hiking or injured in an accident — volunteers from Grand County Search and Rescue arrive to help. The area’s primary search and rescue asset since 1985 has made many professional strides over its nearly 40 years of operation. The team works under the sheriff’s office as a Mountain Rescue Association-certified team.

On Feb. 20, members of the search and rescue team gave a presentation during the Grand County commissioners meeting. Members updated the commissioners about their current team, new tools, methods, training equipment, challenges, long-term goals and more.

Mike Blevins, former president of Grand County Search and Rescue, began the meeting by introducing the members who presented — president Mike DonMoyer, field director Greg Foley and board member Shaun Mullahey.

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Search and rescue grows over the years  

DonMoyer described a little history of organization. In the late 1970s, search and rescue was made of a small group of volunteers — its first rescue vehicle was an old animal control truck. In 1985, the organization advanced to become members of the Colorado Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue Association. In 1995, it officially became a fully accredited team.

In 2022, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit conducted 67 missions, a 12% increase from 2021. In 2023, they conducted 76 missions.

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“With the county getting busier with outdoor recreation and more people moving into the county, we’re seeing quite a few more people out there trying things,” DonMoyer said. “Maybe they’ve never done them before and they need a little assistance now and then, so we make that available to them.”

The organization has evolved with a lot of new equipment over the decades. It now has three rescue trucks, a new command vehicle and two drones — plus multiple snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, trailers and other rescue equipment. It operates out of three main bases: the Kremmling EMS station, Fraser Road and Bridge facility, and the new Bud Wilson Fire Station near Lake Granby. It also has a snowmobile and Orion ambulance sled prepositioned at On the Trail Snowmobile Rentals in Grand Lake.

The team has grown to include 50 operational members — its longest-tenured member has served for 40 years. Each member has a unique role in the organization, from those who enter the field to save lives, to historians who record missions for posterity, to grant writers who facilitate funding. Many operational members have medical certifications.

“Our medical capabilities have increased significantly in the last three years,” DonMoyer said.

He added that search and rescue recently started an academy to bring on 10 new members for 2024.

Team statistics

Field Director Foley then spoke about how much search and rescue members have worked in 2023. Members completed a total of 11,023 volunteer hours, although this number could be higher. In the field, members saved seven lives and recovered five bodies.

“We’ve had double digit increases in our mission load over the last couple of years, which is typical statewide,” he said. “Search and rescue missions have been going up since COVID.”

Foley said that search and rescue missions are slightly higher on the east end of the county, where Berthoud Pass and many snowmobiling trails are located. Team members respond to snowmobile accidents in Grand Lake and hunting incidents in Kremmling, as well as many other missions, such as finding persons who may have committed suicide.

For those who require medical aid, Dr. John Nichols is on hand. He has served with the organization for over 20 years and still responds on missions. He holds the organization’s highest rank of rescue and provides members with medical training.

Foley discussed the organization’s accreditation with Mountain Rescue Association. There are about 60 fully accredited teams in the U.S. Two Grand County members are also part of the Mountain Rescue Association National Guard.

“We’re very proud of our membership; it allows us to collaborate with other teams,” Foley said. “We attend national meetings and conferences for training. The MRA is our advocate on the national level for search and rescue.”

Search and rescue will renew its accreditation in 2026. During this process, local volunteers will be tested by their peers in different field evaluations — backcountry search, high angle technical rescue, low angle rescue, winter rescue and avalanche operations.

Lastly, Foley discussed how missions play out for the all-volunteer team. First, they must be activated by the sheriff’s department before they enter the field.

“We don’t have volunteers sitting next to the truck, ready to go,” Foley said. “Our people have to leave work, leave their families, get in their car or truck and drive to the incident site.”

Once they arrive, the sheriff turns over incident command to search and rescue. In most counties, the sheriff normally keeps command.

Medical care and transport

Mullahey spoke about the organization’s main mission and the differences between Grand County EMS and search and rescue.

He explained that search and rescue works closely with medics of EMS, who will arrive with an ambulance, provide definitive medical care, then transport the patients to the hospital.

“In the backcountry, the name of our game is essentially stabilization,” Mullahey said. “There’s not a lot of interventions we can do miles back or on trail systems. We have to get them stabile and get them moving.”

He added that the local EMS Mountain Medical Response team is often in the backcountry alongside search and rescue. The paramedics are on this team are able to provide medication as search and rescue works on the technical side of getting the patient ready for transport.

“I’m happy that this relationship that has been growing stronger and improving year after year, merging our operations together to get this job done,” Mullahey said.

Equipment

First responders assist patients with broken limbs, dislocations, head injuries, cardiac events, hypothermia and any other medical emergency. If the emergency is significant, search and rescue can utilize a helicopter, through Medevac or Flight For Life. Even military helicopters can respond to search and rescue missions.

Nine search and rescue members train with Flight For Life every six weeks for rapid insertion into the backcountry. Flight For Life can transport members quickly into the backcountry and drop them off — members must make their own way out of the wilderness, sometimes spending the night.

On the ground, search and rescue transports patients through a variety of means, including an Orion ambulance, toboggan — or even by horseback.

DonMoyer added that drones are useful tool with lots of capabilities, such as floodlights and infrared technology. The organization can also utilize cell phone forensics with the authority of the sheriff to pinpoint where a lost person may have last used their cell phone.

Search dogs also play an important part in missions, especially in finding individuals who are lost or buried in avalanches. The organization partners with Winter Park Resort, Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, and Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado to utilize four-legged team members.  

Funding and future challenges

DonMoyer stated that its members invest a lot of time in training, community engagement and outreach. This helps community members learn about its critical mission of helping those injured in the backcountry.

As a nonprofit, it relies on funding from the community. The organization receives donations, grants and fundraising revenues. Winter Park Resort is one of its largest donors.

Funding is always a balancing act to ensure Grand County Search and Rescue remains viable, especially since the county is such a vast area that calls people to recreate in mountains, rivers and in the natural elements.

DonMoyer expressed that the organization is also facing future challenges, such as outgrowing its current three bases as Grand County’s population increases.

After the members’ presentation, the commissioners expressed their thanks for search and rescue and asked how community members can get involved. Mullahey responded that people are welcome to apply for non-operational positions, such as grant writing, at any time.

Those interested in becoming field members can also contact the organization to apply — during onboarding periods. Whether volunteers are chosen to work behind the scenes or out in the backcountry, they are helping keep the community safe.

To learn more about Grand County Search and Rescue and find out ways you can help to support the ongoing efforts of providing emergency backcountry care, please visit GrandCountySAR.com.