The Sheriff's Office is responsible for all search and rescue missions in the county. Trained Deputy Sheriffs act as incident commanders in support of highly skilled volunteer groups. The volunteers are organized into specialty groups including:
- Alpine Hasty Team
- Backcountry Hasty Team
- Big Sky Search and Rescue
- Civil Air Patrol
- Gallatin Ham Radio Club
- Gallatin Valley Snowmobile Association
- Salvation Army
- Sheriff’s Posse
- Tactical Divers
- West Yellowstone Search and Rescue
- Western Montana Search Dogs
Statistics
|
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
Searches (Looking for the lost) |
65 |
46 |
60 |
43 |
53 |
69 |
50 |
42 |
51 |
51 |
Rescues (Rescuring the injured) |
35 |
29 |
30 |
26 |
40 |
37 |
59 |
39 |
45 |
45 |
Totals |
100 |
75 |
90 |
69 |
93 |
106 |
109 |
81 |
96 |
96 |
Volunteers
Gallatin County Search and Rescue is made up of volunteers ranging from construction workers, doctors, retired persons, college students, and real estate brokers, just to name a few. We have recognized experts in the field of technical climbing, technical radio operations, avalanches, extreme snowmobile operation, and search operations. If you are considering a challenging and rewarding way to serve your community through Search & Rescue, please see below for contact information. There are a multitude of ways to serve, from actual search operations to support, administrative, and public outreach functions.
Below are links to two videos that showcase our volunteers. They may take several minutes to load.
If you know a Search and Rescue volunteer, be sure and thank them for the hundreds of hours they volunteer each year in support of their community.
Interested in Joining Gallatin County Search & Rescue?
Thank you for your interest in Gallatin County SAR. The way into SAR is through membership in one of its volunteer groups.
The groups are organized by geography:
-Valley -- See specialties below,
-West Yellowstone – Contact Doug Schmier at 640-1344 and
-Big Sky – Contact Tom Reeves at 581-2483
Or by specialty
-Alpine - technical climbing – Contact Chuck Swenson 581-6563
-Hasty - expert cross country skiers and avalanche – Contact Scott Gill 581-7991
-GVSA – snowmobile/ATV ownership and operation – Contact Rob Balke 580-7762
-Divers – underwater search and recovery – Contact Mike Gianfrancisco 58509248
-Hams – communications & computer technology - Contact Don Wilson 920-2395
-Dogs – search and rescue K-9 – Contact Ladean McKittrick 388-7070
-Posse – provides general training for Search and Rescue. The Posse also provides our watercraft and whitewater rescue services. Contact Dave Svare 580-2865
If you know what you might be interested in please contact that group’s representative directly at the number given above. If you are not sure where you might fit or have other questions, please contact Lt. Jason Jarrett at 406-582-2105 or email. Note that most people starting out in SAR go to the Posse. Membership in more than one group is allowed and encouraged.
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