Washoe County occupies approximately 6608 square miles in the northwest corner of Nevada, stretching from just north of Carson City all the way north to the Oregon border. The southwestern part of the county encompasses a portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe. The northern half of the county is the western edge of the Black Rock desert. The Truckee River cuts through the southern portion of the county from west to east, turning north at Wadsworth, and terminating at Pyramid Lake.

Responsibility for search and rescue operations in the State of Nevada is the duty of the Sheriff of the county of jurisdiction. Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam utilizes teams of citizen volunteers, as auxiliary deputies, to conduct SAR missions. By using SAR volunteers, Sheriff Balaam saves the taxpayers of Washoe County in excess of $993,000 dollars annually.

Our SAR volunteer team program has been nationally recognized for our volunteers’ efforts, training and organization. In Washoe County, visitors and residents alike benefit from the emergency search and rescue services, for which there are no fees, due to the dedication and commitment of the hundreds of search and rescue volunteers who comprise the 4 specialized teams. Though they work side by side, these specialized teams each have very specific responsibilities during a search and rescue mission. Please take some time to visit our specialized teams’ homepages on the navigation bar to find out more about what they offer.