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The Volunteers: “So that Others May Live”
Photo courtesy of
Santa Fe Search and Rescue
Volunteer NMSAR teams make a valuable — often critical — contribution to New Mexico’s citizens. Our state has a SAR mission every 54 hours! More than 40 volunteer NMSARC teams participate in 160 missions every year under the leadership of 42 trained Incident Commanders.
Even so, the volunteers who conduct the bulk of a search and rescue are self-supporting. Most pay for their equipment and training out of their own pockets. Others are able to help meet some of their team’s financial needs by appealing to their communities for donations.
Many volunteers have acquired specialized skills, such as emergency medical training, high-angle rescue, cave rescue, water recovery, K9 and horse search, and ATV/4WD capabilities.
Volunteer teams can be activated in their local areas or can be asked to travel state-wide. Transportation (fuel and oil) costs are repaid by the state if requested, and the state provides specific accident and liability coverage for volunteers who are officially participating in a mission. Food, lodging, personal equipment, and other costs are paid by the volunteers themselves.
Donations
You can download a pdf of our donation brochure here.
IN NEW MEXICO, THERE IS NO CHARGE TO THE PUBLIC FOR ANY SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT BY STATE OR VOLUNTEER RESOURCES. (Does not apply to commercial air or ground ambulance transportation). Anyone donating money, equipment, or services to volunteers who participate on a search and rescue mission should mail the donation or notification to the New Mexico Search and Rescue Council (NMSARC), PO Box 3396, Albuquerque, NM 87190.
Photo courtesy of Atalaya Search and Rescue
Please make any checks payable to NMSARC, and include the name of the subject, date and location of the search and rescue incident. Donations do not have to originate with a specific incident. They may be directed to the NMSARC and/or its volunteer member teams. Donors may specify specific team(s) as recipients.
Made up entirely of volunteers, the NMSARC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Unless otherwise directed by a donor, NMSARC equitably divides all donations with the volunteer teams who participated in a specified incident. If no incident is specified, donations will be used for the general benefit of our teams. Donations may also be made to a particular volunteer team, or to the NMSARC.
Remember, you have no obligation to donate or pay for any search and rescue incident in New Mexico. The Department of Public Safety, New Mexico State Police, or any of their employees will not receive any part of any donation given in relation to a search and rescue incident.
For more information, contact the New Mexico State Search and Rescue Office, located in the New Mexico Department of Public Safety complex in Santa Fe, (505) 827-9228.
THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION BY THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, OR ITS AGENTS, FOR HELPING TO SEARCH FOR, OR RESCUE, PERSONS LOST OR ENTRAPPED IN NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS AREAS.
If you feel in any way, that any New Mexico Department of Public Safety personnel or its agents (volunteers) have requested or suggested that you donate any money equipment or services because of a search and rescue incident, PLEASE contact the New Mexico State Search and Rescue Officer in Santa Fe immediately (505) 827-9228.
