Providing ground search and rescue for the Shenandoah Valley, Commonwealth of Virginia, and surronding states since 1984, this is RASAR.


Our members hail from many occupations, and a spectrum of ages. We operate in the field, and in the incident command post.


We focus on above ground search and below ground rescue (Although we have done the rarer above ground rescue and below ground search.)

A Brief History:

   In the early 1980's a need was seen for a team to meet special emergency situations. A person lost in the woods, an aircraft accident in the mountains, a lost or injured caver, or a water related emergency. These situations usually go beyond the daily scope of fire and rescue squad calls. A few people from different agencies, and from the general public formed a group within the Bridgewater Volunteer Rescue Squad that be came known as the Bridgewater Tactical Rescue Team. In the early years the team covered broad spectrum of specialized rescues. These included drownings, farm accidents, the 1985 flood, the Henson Airlines accident, cave rescues, and missing person searches in the National Forest, and National Park areas. Through the years we have operated in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and North Carolina as a SAR Resource of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. In 1994, the team became an independent organization. We are now Rockingham Augusta Search & Rescue or "RASAR". We are dispatched by the Harrisonburg Rockingham Emergency Operations Center as Rescue 22..



Today:

   We continue to train, and respond to search for missing persons, downed aircraft, and cave rescues. We also assist other agencies as needed. Our members have taken courses from the Department of Emergency Management in the field operations as well as the management of searches. We have several members who are on the staff of the Eastern Region of the National Cave Rescue Commission. We also have some of members pursuing the nearly-lost art of man tracking. They constantly practice and train, using this skill as a valuable tool in locating missing persons.


Public Education:

   One very important goal of RASAR is to help educate the public with various available programs. These include "Hug-A-Tree", and "Lost!... but Found, Safe and Sound". These programs help teach children as well as adults what to do if they get lost in the woods.


Why organize?

   Will preparation make any real difference? In 1925 a man died an agonizing death in a Kentucky cave, many volunteers and professionals tried their best to rescue him. Unfortunately it was not successful. By planning and preparing, maybe no one else will suffer like Floyd did.

Membership Application
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