The King County Search and Rescue Association, known as KCSARA, held its 60th anniversary celebration Feb. 13 at the South Fork Restaurant in North Bend. The event was attended by about 150 people who came to support this organization and celebrate its many accomplishments. The executive director of KCSARA, Carrie Lee Gagnon, led the program honoring the volunteers, many of the past presidents, all of which are volunteers, alongside search and rescue deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The more than 600 active members of search and rescue are Washington state registered emergency volunteers who serve under the direction of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). KCSO has 10 helicopter air support officers and six search and rescue deputies trained in rescues. These 16 officers work with the 600-plus volunteers to be sure that people needing help can be rescued.

During the celebration, they honored the sheriff’s deputies who work with the SAR teams and presented them with plaques. The deputies honored included Deputy Ed Christian, who is the coordinator and has been since 2012 (and has been in this unit since 1992); Kathy Decker, who is the prior SAR coordinator; Rich Barton, who is the sergeant and a wealth of information; Pete Linde, who is described as “the man who could find anything” and is called the modern-day MacGyver as he developed a hoist training station for the helicopter unit. Undersheriff Jesse Anderson and Special Operations Chief Jeffrey Flohr were also honored.

Many volunteers were honored too. One of the SAR volunteers, Bob Gordon, was recognized for 50 years of volunteering and he is still volunteering. Jon Izant of King County Search Dogs was there with his four-legged friend trainee K9, Puzzle. It is clear to see that the county and the volunteers work together so well, coordinate well, and respect each other’s talents and expertise.

At one point during the celebration, I saw a change in the atmosphere for a few minutes. I asked what was up, and they said they had just gotten a call about a woman and her dog in the river. So they were preparing until they got the call that she had self-rescued. It was amazing to see how fast word spread and to see the right people gathering quickly to mobilize.

The guest speaker, Pete Nelson, owner of Nelson Treehouse and Company, spoke about finding your passion and working to make it happen. Many in the crowd had found their passion in helping rescue people in danger.

KCSARA is a coalition of nine separate nonprofit search and rescue organizations focused on serving the public. These nine units provide a variety of specialized skills in addition to a shared foundation of search and rescue training. The units are prepared to respond to people in distress in wilderness areas, to search for vulnerable missing persons in town, or to aid neighbors in times of disaster.

The entertainment was music by Clinton “Dogger” Mullins who had traveled many miles to be part of this special event. After the awards, there was a SARS trivia game to remember the history and accomplishments of these 60 years.

Many testimonials of people who have been rescued are on their website at kingcountysar.org.

Deputy Ed Christian, who leads the coordination with KCSARA and has done so for over 30 years, with Carrie Lee Gagnon, executive director. Photo by Kathy Lambert