Rocky Mountain Conservancy Asks Community to Help Fund New Search and Rescue Vehicle for Rocky

Replacement SAR vehicle concept. Meeting RMC goal of raising $75,000 will help fund this critical life-saving project.

RMNP UPDATE - August 24, 2021

New tactical vehicle to replace aging SAR response vehicle

The Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC) is seeking support to fund a new Search and Rescue (SAR) vehicle for the Rocky Mountain National Park SAR Team. The team currently uses an aging ambulance as its primary vehicle. Built in 1993, the former ambulance has more than 120K miles on it and has become less reliable over its lifespan. This vehicle is        also not fuel efficient, nor does it utilize modern technology. With the high number of SAR incidents   at Rocky, this vehicle is no longer able to reliably respond.


On average, Rocky’s Search and Rescue Team responds to 160-175 incidents each year – the third highest compared to other national parks. These incidents include a full range of rescues, from broken ankles and heat exhaustion to technical rope rescues and swift-water recoveries, and even large-scale multi-day searches. Some rescues also involve helicopter extractions that require a reliable support vehicle to make the rescue possible. 
 
Since RMNP has one of the largest highest SAR incident rates in the national park system, the SAR vehicle has become one of the most critical pieces of SAR equipment. It is a mobile platform that is outfitted with all equipment necessary for various rescues. Today, the Conservancy is seeking support to provide the SAR Team with a new 4x4 ‘mobile command vehicle for critical life-saving emergencies, and for managing complex rescue operations within the park. The Conservancy’s fundraising goal for the project is $75,000 which would cover the cost of the base vehicle, conversion build, outfitting and markings. 
 
Anyone who would like more information on the project is asked to contact the Conservancy’s Philanthropy Director, Michael Allen, at (720) 845-5690. The Conservancy has set up a secure fundraising webpage for this project at:  www.RMConservancy.org. It also recently published a guest article by SAR recipient and now volunteer, Bob Jamieson, at https://rmconservancy.org/a- search-and-rescue-success-story/ to give more context to the need for this support.