In the United States, mountain rescue is handled by professional teams within some national parks and by volunteer teams elsewhere. Volunteer teams are often members of the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). Under the

National Incident Management System The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The program was established in March 2004, in response to Homeland Security Presidentia ...

, mountain rescue unit qualifications are standardized. Occasionally there are editorials or legislative bills suggesting that climbers should be charged for rescues, particularly after a sensational high-profile rescue. The

American Alpine Club The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 24,000 members. Its vision is to create "a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes." The Club is housed in the American Mountaineerin ...

has released a report explaining the costs of a rescue and the potential problems resulting from charging for rescues. The MRA has issued a similar defence of climbers interests.

Mountain rescue in the National Parks

Parks with professional teams include

Denali National Park Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is an American national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve ...

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...

, and

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

. National parks often call for the help of volunteer teams in their region, using a statewide Mutual Aid system, when they are not able to provide enough resources to search and or rescue effectively.

Mountain Rescue Association

MEMBERS OF THE CRAG RATS CLIMBING CLUB MAKE WINTER SNOW SURVEYS FOR THE U

The Mountain Rescue Association (also called the MRA) is an organization of teams dedicated to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education. The Mountain Rescue Association is split up into eight different regions throughout the United States and each region is run by a separate group of elected volunteers. These include the Alaska Region, the Appalachian Region, the California Region, the Desert Mountain Region, the Inter Mountain Region, the Oregon Region, the Rocky Mountain Region, and the Washington Region. The Mountain Rescue Association is mostly made up of unpaid professional volunteers who have been accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association in Mountain Search and Rescue operations. The remainder of MRA teams are “Ex-officio” units, which are paid professionals in governmental service, and “Associate” units which are other mountain SAR related teams or groups. The Mountain Rescue Association aims to improving the quality, availability, and safety of mountain search and rescue through; *Creating a framework for and accrediting member teams *Promoting mountain safety education *Providing a forum for development and exchange of information on mountain search and rescue techniques, equipment, and safety *Representing member teams providing mountain search and rescue services to requesting governmental agencies The Mountain Rescue Association was established in 1959 at Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, Oregon making it the oldest Search and Rescue association in the United States. MRA founding members: The AFRCC (then known as the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center); The U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division; The National Park Service; The National Ski Patrol; The American Alpine Club; The Mountaineers; The Hood River Crag Rats, Oregon; The Portland Mountain Rescue Unit, Oregon; The Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit, Oregon; The Seattle Mountain Rescue Council, Washington; The Everett Mountain Rescue Unit, Washington; The Olympic Mountain Rescue, Washington; The Tacoma Mountain Rescue Unit, Washington; The Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit, Idaho; The Altadena Mountain Rescue Unit, California.

References

External links

* *
Mountain Rescue Association Oral History Project
– University of Washington Digital Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain Rescue In The United States Mountain rescue

Mountain rescue in the National Parks

Mountain Rescue Association

See also

References

Further reading

External links