Preparedness in Action: Lessons from Search & Rescue

Earlier this month, Direct Relief's COO, Craig Redmond, and I had the opportunity to spend time with the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team as part of a "Search and Rescue for a Day" experience.

The day took us high into the mountains above Santa Barbara and offered a firsthand look at the remarkable work these teams do to keep people safe in some of the most challenging environments.

Search and Rescue, or SAR, teams are called upon to help others in often life-threatening situations. In Santa Barbara County, where Direct Relief is based, the SAR team responds to everything from rescuing a lost hiker in rugged terrain to supporting evacuation efforts during major wildfires or other emergencies. Remarkably, these Search and Rescue team members are volunteers, deploying at all hours of the day or night, often purchasing their own rescue gear.

Many of them also manage day jobs and full lives. During our afternoon getting to know the Santa Barbara County team, we met an ICU nurse, an accountant, a mobile notary, and another who was retired from a career in finance, all part of this impressive cadre. Direct Relief's own Staci Richard manages the organization's U.S. emergency response efforts and is also a Santa Barbara County SAR member. Direct Relief recently hosted Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe, who is a member of Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, a SAR team that was active during last year's wildfires.

These individuals all sacrifice their time and resources to make sure people are safe. This truly heroic work demands not only technical skill but also patience, teamwork, and a deep commitment to serving their communities.

During my afternoon with SAR team members, we saw this commitment firsthand. There was some mildly scary rappelling down a rocky slope, a demonstration of their drone operations, a fascinating overview of the program's history, and even the chance to see a helicopter involved in a training scenario. What stood out most, though, was the level of coordination, expertise, and commitment required for every mission-especially knowing that these are unpaid roles, taken on by people who choose to dedicate their time, energy, and resources to being ready when others need help.

Investing in Local Response

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team members are part of the roughly 7,500 certified Search and Rescue volunteer personnel active across California. Because these teams often cover the cost of their own training and equipment while responding to emergencies, supporting their work strengthens their critical disaster response function.

In 2023, after a series of devastating winter storms brought widespread flooding, landslides, and evacuations across California, Direct Relief established a dedicated Search and Rescue Fund to bolster the ability of volunteer rescue teams in the state to respond when disasters strike.

The fund was created to mobilize private resources to help equip these teams with the gear and vehicles they need to operate safely and effectively in increasingly challenging conditions. Since its launch, the initiative has provided more than $1.1 million in support to volunteer SAR teams across California, helping strengthen the state's emergency response capacity.

The fund represents a natural extension of Direct Relief's disaster response work, supporting first responders and local rescue teams with critical equipment, specialized vehicles, and other resources that allow them to reach people in difficult terrain and dangerous conditions.

At Direct Relief, we've had the privilege of supporting these teams, locally and around the world, as they carry out this critical work. Here in Santa Barbara County, that includes providing equipment such as ATVs, specialized off-road vehicles, and other gear that helps teams reach people quickly in remote areas.

During the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County, SAR teams were essential in helping locate and evacuate residents in dangerous conditions. In immediate response to the fires, Direct Relief supported multiple teams across the region, enabling them to pre-stage critical equipment, deploy rescue units faster, and reach at-risk residents if conditions worsen.

More broadly, Search and Rescue teams often play a critical role in disaster response globally. Direct Relief's support for Search and Rescue teams extends well beyond California, reaching partners responding to emergencies in places such as Turkey, Syria, and more.

In Mexico, Direct Relief has supported response efforts following major flooding events, helping equip teams working in devastated communities.

In Spain, Direct Relief works with United Firefighters Without Borders, or BUSF, a Spanish search and rescue group that has responded to extreme flooding in the Valencia area. The partnership enables swift, coordinated action during future emergencies.

In Ukraine, Direct Relief supports urban Search and Rescue teams with critical equipment and funding. The organization granted $50,000 to Project Joint Guardian, and international nonprofit that transported firefighters and first responders to assist in Ukraine.

Across these efforts, the goal is the same: helping equip the people who arrive first in the most difficult circumstances, enabling them to operate safely and reach those who need help most.

Shared Principles of Service

While spending time with SAR members in California, what struck me most during the day wasn't just the equipment or the technical skill involved. It was the mindset. Search and Rescue teams operate with a constant awareness that emergencies are unpredictable - and that preparedness is what makes the difference between chaos and an effective response.

That lesson resonates deeply with our work at Direct Relief. In humanitarian response, the most effective action often depends on the preparation that happens long before a crisis makes headlines: building relationships with partners, pre-positioning supplies, investing in logistics systems, and supporting the people who will be first to respond.

Search and Rescue teams embody that principle. They train relentlessly for situations they hope never occur, often on their own time and at their own expense. They build trust within their teams and communities. And when the moment comes, they are ready to act.

For those of us working in humanitarian leadership, it's a reminder that resilience isn't built during a disaster. It's built in the months and years beforehand through preparation, partnership, and investment in people.

Spending a day alongside Santa Barbara's Search and Rescue volunteers was a powerful reminder that preparedness is one of the most important forms of service we can provide -and that the people who choose to do this work, quietly and without compensation, are nothing short of extraordinary.

To the volunteers who welcomed us into their training day - and to search and rescue teams everywhere - thank you for the work you do to keep communities safe.

- Amy

Subscribe on LinkedIn