San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer organization in
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo.
Junípero Serra founded the Mission ...
within the county's Sheriff's office. With approximately fifty active members year round, San Luis Obispo County's Search and Rescue (SLOSAR) responds to searches for missing people, evidence and other search requests in the county and on mutual aid calls anywhere in the state of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. SLOSAR is a National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) Type II certified team able to handle the urban and wilderness searches below 7,000 feet in elevation.
Teams
SLOSAR fields eight specialized teams that train monthly:
Ground Team
The Ground Team provides the manpower for the sheriff to search for missing persons in the unincorporated areas of
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo.
Junípero Serra founded the Mission ...
. When called in as mutual aid locally, the unit provides service to the cities in San Luis Obispo County. The unit also get called by the state to provide mutual aid to other counties in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. All Search and Rescue members are trained in ground search. Specialized search skills include land navigation,
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
, map and compass, man tracking, and
survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
training. Training includes practice searches, overnight campouts, classroom training and out of county training with other countries and State and Federal agencies.
K9 Team
The mission of the SLOSAR K9 Team is to "provide fully trained and qualified California state certified handlers and canines to local, state and national agencies for the purpose of searching for and locating lost people." This team works as part of the whole SLOSAR unit and trains weekly to maintain a high level of excellence and professionalism. Team certifications include Area search, Trailing, Cadaver/Human Remains Detection and Desert.
Quad Team
The Quad Team consists of
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
members who have attended the required
ATV training and ride ATVs to assist in searches in rural, wilderness and beach areas.
Medical Team
The Medical Team consists of Search and Rescue members who hold a minimum certification of
Emergency Medical Technician
An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...
(EMT). Many of the team members work in the medical community and contribute skills and expertise from their backgrounds and experience in emergency response. SLOSAR’s Continuing Education Program allows these members to maintain their certification through ongoing training which provides continuing education credit for EMTs, Paramedics, and RNs. The team’s primary responsibility is providing medical care for Search and Rescue members and for the citizens of San Luis Obispo County who are in need.
Mountain Bike Team
The
Mountain Bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
(MTB) Team gives the San Luis Obispo Search and Rescue (SLOSAR) unit the ability to quickly cover ground where other resources may not be as efficient or effective, both in wilderness and urban environments. In addition to the many applications of mountain bikes in Search and Rescue, the MTB Team performs hasty and route/area searches, supports ground teams with reconnaissance, patrol/containment of roads and trails, delivery of supplies, and expedites the response of emergency medical support. The MTB Team is trained and equipped to operate during day and nighttime hours.
Technical Rescue Team
The
Technical Rescue
Technical rescue is the use of specialised tools and skills for rescue, including vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, water rescue, and wilderness search and rescue. These often requi ...
Team provides services for SLOSAR that require the technical expertise in controlled horizontal and vertical access and egress, including victim
evacuation. The team training strives to provide a knowledge base for which each team member can draw upon and evaluate a situation and apply the ropework and rigging skills required to create a safe, effective, and efficient rescue system.
Team members knowledge and skills include safety procedures, equipment capabilities, knots,
rappelling
Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...
,
belaying
Belaying is a variety of techniques climbers use to create friction within a climbing system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies tension at the other end of th ...
, ascending, anchors and
anchor systems
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...
, rigging for raising and lowering systems, litter handling, patient packaging, single victim rescue, self-rescue, and problem solving. The environments that the team can find itself include vertical, high angle, and low angle cliff-side rope rescue,
swiftwater and flood rescue, and urban heavy rescue.
4WD Team
Members of Search and Rescue with 4x4 vehicles form the 4WD Team. They provide transportation and support to the remote areas of the county and assist medical teams on the
Pismo State Dunes Pismo may refer to:
* The town of Pismo Beach, California
** The Pismo State Beach near Pismo Beach
** Rancho Pismo
* The Pismo clam
''Tivela stultorum'', also known as the Pismo clam, is a species of large, edible, saltwater clam, a marine (ocea ...
. Vehicle teams are used for “hasty” searches of trails, streets, roads and as attraction devices to bring missing people to the searchers. Most areas of the county are a short distance from some form of road or trail and the vehicle team transports the search teams to their assignments. Training includes practice in rock crawling, mud and water driving and driving in the sand dunes.
Communications Team
The Communications Team provides the equipment and skills to assist the Search and Rescue team with their duties while in the field. The team mans the
communications
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
vehicle and assists the command team in deploying resources to the search area. The dispatcher monitors radio traffic and makes contact with the teams in the field. The team is responsible for keeping an inventory of all department-owned communications equipment in addition to training
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
team members in the proper use of the equipment.
See also
*
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
*
Wilderness First Aid
A wilderness medical emergency is a medical emergency that takes place in a wilderness or remote setting affinitive care (hospital, clinic, etc.). Such an emergency can require specialized skills, treatment techniques, and knowledge in order to m ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team
Rescue agencies
Volunteer search and rescue organizations