The Search and Rescue (SAR) component of the Botetourt County Special Operations Team is responsible for locating, accessing, stabilizing, and evacuating individuals who are lost, injured, or otherwise in distress in wilderness, remote, or otherwise challenging environments. This includes wooded areas, mountainous terrain, parks, and rural zones throughout the county and surrounding regions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting ground searches for missing persons using established search tactics, including hasty teams, grid searches, and tracking techniques.

• Coordinating with K9 units, unmanned aerial systems (drones), and mounted or technical teams as needed.

• Providing basic medical care and patient packaging in the field for individuals who are injured or unable to self-evacuate.

• Assisting in complex extrications from difficult terrain, such as ravines, cliffs, or remote backcountry locations.

• Supporting mutual aid missions and regional deployments for wilderness or urban search and rescue operations.

Team members are trained in land navigation, search theory, patient care, survival skills, and low-angle technical rescue. The SAR team operates under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and collaborates closely with emergency management, law enforcement, and other SAR assets in Virginia to provide an organized and effective response.