Rescue Truck Replacement

King County Explorer Search & Rescue (KCESAR) is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization that provides critical, life-saving emergency services for people in distress in wilderness and urban settings in King County, Washington.  In cooperation with the King County Sheriff’s Office, we are first responders to 911 calls and provide tremendous value for public safety and recreation.

KCESAR was founded in 1954 and is proud to be one of the first organized search and rescue teams in the country, and the first to accept youth members.  Adult and youth leadership, training, and development continue to be important principles for us.

Today, KCESAR responds to over 100 missions per year, and it is not uncommon, particularly in the peak season (late spring and summer), for the unit to respond to three or more calls in a single day.  In 2023, KCESAR’s volunteers committed over 17,228 person-hours to missions and invested over 24,469 hours in training.

King County ESAR has initiated a capital campaign to raise $150,000 for the replacement of our aging Rescue Truck.  As first responders, our Rescue Truck is pivotal to our success.  It serves as a mobile command center, transporting life-saving rescue equipment to situations where every second is crucial.  It is a dedicated vehicle that transports team members to the scene and acts as the mobile base for our Rapid Alpine Deployment (RAD) teams that patrol popular trails during the busy summer weekends.  Having RAD volunteers near crowded trails ensures proactive assistance to those in need.

Our current Rescue Truck has been a dependable workhorse for 16 years, logging over 83,000 hard miles and contributing to more than 2,000 missions.  A new Rescue Truck will enhance our mobility, bolster communication support, and enable us to use the latest technology in our responses.