Rallying for Rescuers

About 1,000 people chipped in money to rescue the rescuers.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue nonprofit organization raised close to $74,000 on GoFundMe to replace the lifesaving equipment that it lost to thieves Dec. 28.

“We exist to rescue people when they need us most, but in our time of need, the community really rescued us, and we’ll never forget that,” said Serge Newberry, the leader of Skamania search and rescue’s drone team.

The campaign raised $73,465 from almost 1,000 people, most making small donations.

Newberry said he was “blown away” by the response.

“It made my head spin,” he said. “The community didn’t just step up, but they rallied around us in a way that none of us expected.”

The funds enabled the organization to upgrade its aging gear and implement a series of security upgrades.

“Some of our equipment was old,” Newberry said. “It still worked really well, but it was just old. But now we have modern, brand-new equipment that makes it even easier and better for us to perform our operations going forward.”

On Dec. 28, a group of physically and mentally exhausted Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers returned to their rural Washougal facility to drop off their gear, eager to return to their families after being called on Christmas Day to recover the remains of two hikers who got lost in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest while looking for Sasquatch.

Several hours later, when most of the volunteers were at home enjoying a well-earned rest, thieves broke into the facility’s storage yard and took virtually all of the equipment.

“Our reaction was shock and despair,” Newberry said. “We were angry. We were disappointed. Mostly, we were frustrated. We were like, ‘What are we going to do for our next call-out?’ ”

The search and rescue team, which works alongside the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, consists of 40 volunteers split into specialty units, including ground search, technical ropes rescue, swift-water rescue, medical, drones and K-9s. Volunteers on Skamania’s E-Moto unit use electric trail bikes to perform rescue operations in 1,683 square miles of rugged mountainous terrain stretching from the Columbia River Gorge to areas north of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams.

“We’re a volunteer organization, and we don’t have an operating budget,” Newberry said. “Everything we have, everything we get, is from donations and volunteers. We have no paid staff. We don’t get funding from the state or the feds or the county. Everybody just volunteers.”

State Rep. David Stuebe, R-Washougal, has introduced a bill that would create a grant program to support backcountry search and rescue organizations and volunteers. The House Technology, Economic Development & Veterans Committee held a public hearing on Feb. 11 for House Bill 1625, Stuebe’s first bill as a Washington legislator.

“This bill makes sense for everyone involved,” Stuebe said. “If we can use this program to fund these emergencies, rescuers would have a better chance of saving people in need. This program would provide better training, better resources and better outcomes.”

The bill now awaits a vote by the committee.