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Sheriff's office: search-and-rescue incidents increasing; hoist rescues and lost-hiker highlight operations
Summary
The Sheriff's Office reported 13 SAR calls from Sept. 16–Oct. 20, 2025 (259.5 man-hours in the period, 112 incidents year-to-date), including hoist-assisted evacuations and a lost hiker with an injured dog; STAR 9/Life Flight participates at no direct patient charge.
Sergeant Jake Paul presented the Search and Rescue report to the commissioners, summarizing monthly activity and recent highlights.
"The SAR report for September 16 through October 20... we had 13 calls during that time," Paul said, adding the volunteer effort totaled 259.5 man-hours for the reporting period and 112 incidents in 2025 to date. He reviewed three highlighted rescues: an October 12 mountain-biking hip injury on Gooseberry Mesa requiring a hoist and Life Flight transport; an October 4 severe ankle injury on a trail named "Suicidal Tendencies" requiring hoist assistance; and an Oct. 18 lost hiker with an injured dog who was carried out by SAR members.
Commissioners and staff discussed Star 9's role and billing; Paul said the service does not bill patients directly and is funded by taxpayer dollars. The board thanked the SAR volunteers for their work.
The report noted SAR call volume is picking up seasonally and that the county remains on pace with or slightly above last year's incident count.
