Linn County Search and Rescue

You may have seen us over the Memorial Day weekend out at several high traffic locations in the Willamete National Forest, passing out information and patrolling the trails nearby. Alongside the Linn County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Linn SAR staged out at Clear Lake Resort, Sahalie Falls, and Tamolitch Falls (better known as Blue Pool) to conduct a PSAR and wildfire prevention operation

Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) was first coined at the Grand Canyon in 1997 with the goal of reducing the number of accidents and SAR missions to take resources off of responders who were struggling to keep up with the volume of calls for assistance. Specialized teams and education programs worked to reduce the workload and have been met with massive success to this day.

We're not as busy at the Grand Canyon, but we did get to see over 700 visitors in a day at just one of the sites we staked out! Our team was able to pass out information on wildfires and the local area, treat some minor first aid, and patrolled the trails in case any help was needed. Fortunately, we didn’t have any major incidents all weekend long.

With warm weather predicted for the next few weeks and more trails opening up, we expect a lot more people outdoors and a busy season. If there's one thing you'll take away from this post, please let it be that a little prevention is always better than trying to solve a problem later.

Have a plan, have fun, and be safe!

Rescue Assist On Highway 20 (Milepost 50) - 05/21/2023

On Sunday, May 21st at approximately 6:30PM, Linn County Search and Rescue was contacted to assist Sweet Home Fire District with an individual that had fallen down a steep embankment off of Highway 20, near milepost 50. The subject had fallen approximately 200 feet and sustained injuries that prevented them from self-extricating.

Alongside Lane County SAR and Sweet Home Fire, and with traffic assistance from the Oregon State Police, teams worked together to safely descend the embankment and perform a technical rope rescue of the patient. Upon successful extraction, the subject was evaluated by medics.

We would like to thank everyone that was involved in this rescue, we’re proud to serve the community alongside such great partners and fellow agencies.

We stand with our fellow first responders throughout Oregon as we send our condolences to family, friends, and colleagues of Nyssa PD Reserve Officer Joseph Johnson.

Officer Johnson, 43, was a member of the Oregon Department of Corrections and volunteered his time serving the community of Nyssa. Officer Johnson gave his life on April 15th after responding to a disturbance and pursuing a violent individual.

Rest in Peace, Officer Johnson. You will not be forgotten.