On The Trail With The El Dorado County Search & Rescue Team

If you want to find a group of four-wheel-drive enthusiasts who have found a way to have fun wheeling while helping out their community, then this is the group for you. The El Dorado Search and Rescue OHV Team is part of the volunteer arm of the El Dorado County Sheriff unit and is the largest OHV Search and Rescue group in the state of California. The number of actual searches, rescues, and square miles of area covered make it quite possibly the most active SAR group in the state. The main El Dorado County Search and Rescue group is the second-largest in the state of California.

This Search and Rescue group covers the whole county of El Dorado, including the entire El Dorado National Forest, south Lake Tahoe, and the mighty Rubicon Trail, just to name a few. This territory is mainly a playground for the residents of California and surrounding states. During the summer, this area is the premier destination for hiking, fishing, rockclimbing, camping and four-wheeling. In the fall months, the area is inundated with hunters looking for allusive deer, while the ski slopes are packed during the winter. Snowmobiling is also very popular, and the mountains see some four-wheel-vehicle traffic. Because of these year-round activities, the El Dorado Search and Rescue Team stays active and on alert.

Being fully qualified for this OHV team requires more than just having a four-wheel-drive vehicle. It also requires knowledge of search management, man-tracking skills, helicopter safety and operation, current first-aid and CPR cards, basic radio-operation skills, and map and compass skills. Classes in each of these areas must be completed for potential members of the SAR team to qualify for the position.

Each month, one day or weekend is set aside for OHV training that usually involves a group trail run on trails such as the well-known Rubicon or lesser-known Strawberry and Dear Valley Trails. Each trail has rocks and technical driving obstacles that must be completed successfully. These training runs allow the team to build four-wheeling skills and teamwork. They also give team members the chance to learn about the area and terrain before actually having to respond to a SAR mission. Most OHV team rigs have Warn winches, lockers, and lifts. The winches have been used on several of the trainings and actual SAR missions for added safety, or to get through the snow-covered trails. For safety, the El Dorado Search and Rescue OHV team requires the use of synthetic winch rope. Without a failure yet, the ropes have held up well and withstood the extremes of the seasons.