The Carbon County Sheriff Search and Rescue team consist of many dedicated citizens within the Carbon County area who search for and assist aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood took some time during his weekly update to speak about the team’s services.

“We get calls occasionally from people wanting Search and Rescue to come to get them when they are not…simply stuck, and they’re not wanting us to come rescue the people, they are wanting us to pull out the cars and we don’t do that,” said Sheriff Wood. The organization is not properly insured to offer such a service, plus they don’t want to damage their equipment nor that of the other person.

“If they’re lost, if they’re hurt, if they’re in harms way, if you’re on the wrong side of a raging river and you need to be rescued or if you’re stuck in the snow and you’re not going to make it to safety, then yes, by all means call us, we will come and get you,” stated Sheriff Wood. The Search and Rescue group is a strictly volunteer basis so members put a lot of personal time into learning and training in order to provide the services they do for our community.

Funding for the team is strictly done through donations and grants, such as the annual Demolition Derby held in August. “So, I’d like to remind everybody that taxpayers do not pay for Search and Rescue. That’s a county budget and it reflects as a county budget but that money is all generated through the fundraisers that Search and Rescue does throughout the year. No tax dollars go into that budget and so I wanted to make that clear,” explained Sheriff Wood. There are several businesses like ConocoPhillips that financially assist with the team’s efforts each year. It’s no doubt that our Search and Rescue team is an important aspect of the community.

To learn more about the Carbon County Sheriff Search and Rescue team visit their Facebook page.