Kent Search And Rescue

What Kent Search And Rescue does

Kent Search and Rescue is a registered UK charity (No. 1091181) founded in 1999 and headquartered in Aylesford, Kent, co-located within Kent Police Tactical Operations. The organization provides free, 24/7/365 volunteer search and rescue services to assist Kent Police and other emergency services in locating high-risk vulnerable missing persons across Kent and the South East of England. Approximately 90 active volunteers — none of whom are paid or reimbursed for expenses — contributed 26,000 hours in 2024 and conducted 61 search deployments that year, bringing cumulative searches to 1,357. Operationally, KSAR runs foot, dog, drone (DJI Matrice 300), boat/canoe/kayak, sonar, mountain bike, bank, and DEFRA-qualified flood responder teams, coordinated through Sarsys search management software and two mobile command vehicles.

The organization's revenue model is wholly donation-based and non-commercial. All emergency-services deliverables are provided at no charge; the organization states annual operating costs of approximately £30,000 and broader running costs up to £90,000. Funding sources include individual donations via JustGiving, corporate sponsorships (e.g., Persimmon Homes, local Kent businesses), Charity-of-the-Year partnerships, annual fundraising events (Kent Charity Trek 25km/50km trek, Pie Face Challenge), online shopping referral programs (easyfundraising, Amazon Smile), and episodic grants (Hollick Family Foundation £10,000 in 2023; Persimmon Homes £5,000 in 2023; Kent Police £10,000 in 2020). Auxiliary programs — Safe and Found Online (a digital Herbert Protocol platform co-built with multiple police forces), Safe and Sound (community safety campaign with Kent Fire & Rescue), and the KSAR Challenge Award for Scouts and Guides — extend reach while generating negligible direct revenue beyond nominal £1.50 badge fees.

Kent Search and Rescue operates within a clearly defined regional boundary, supported by statutory and volunteer partners including Kent Police (its primary operational customer), Kent Fire & Rescue, HM Coastguard, SECAmb, Lowland Rescue (national body), and KVSEG. The organization has received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal. Its competitive position rests on certified volunteer talent, regulatory standing, and co-location with Kent Police, while its forward direction centers on equipment renewal (e.g., 2023 Incident Support Vehicle replacement), maintenance of volunteer capacity, and modest geographic reach via the Safe and Found Online platform.

Name

Kent Search And Rescue

Legal name

Kent Search And Rescue (Lowland)

Website

https://ksar.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kent Search and Rescue is a registered UK charity that provides free, 24/7 volunteer search and rescue services to assist Kent Police and other emergency services in locating high-risk vulnerable missing persons across Kent and the South East of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Emergency Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ), Search & Rescue (SAR) K9 Services (BPAKAKAH), Search & Rescue (SAR) & Technical Rescue Training (EDAOAMAI)

Keywords

• Volunteer search rescue
• Missing persons search
• Lowland rescue services
• Emergency response charity
• Underwater sonar search

Headquarters

HQ city

Aylesford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: The organization is entirely funded by public donations. No services are charged to the emergency services or beneficiaries. donations are collected via JustGiving platform, direct giving, and various fundraising activities.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Local Kent businesses and corporations sponsor the charity, providing financial support in exchange for association with the life-saving mission.
3. Event Fundraising: Organized fundraising events including the annual Kent Charity Trek (25km or 50km walks), Pie Face Challenge, and community event marshalling.
4. Charity of the Year Partnerships: Corporate entities select KSAR as their Charity of the Year, providing sustained funding and engagement throughout the partnership period.
5. EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile: Online shopping referral programs where percentage of purchases are donated to the charity.
6. Membership Fees: The KSAR Challenge Award for Scouts and Guides costs £1.50 per person for badge and certificate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kent Search And Rescue is a 100% volunteer charitable organization (Registered Charity No. 1091181) that provides 24/7, 365-day search and rescue services for high-risk vulnerable missing persons in Kent and surrounding areas, free of charge to Kent Police and other emergency services. The organization deploys multiple specialist teams — foot search, search dogs, drones (DJI M300), boats/canoes/kayaks, sonar, mountain bikes, bank search, and flood first responders — coordinated via Sarsys search management software. It also runs community prevention and education programs including the Safe and Sound campaign, Safe and Found Online platform, and the KSAR Challenge Award for Scouts and Guides.

Product overview

Kent Search And Rescue operates as a single integrated service focused on finding and rescuing high-risk vulnerable missing persons in Kent. The organization combines core search and rescue operations with community engagement programs and specialist teams. Core services include 24/7 emergency response using foot search teams as the backbone, supplemented by specialist capabilities including air scent dog teams, drone teams (DJI M300), boat and water teams, sonar underwater search, mountain bike teams, and flood first responder teams. Community programs include the Safe and Sound Campaign, Safe and Found Online digital platform, KSAR Challenge Award for youth education, and Life History Questionnaires. The organization also runs fundraising events including the annual Kent Charity Trek. Equipment assets include Incident Support Vehicles and Control Vehicles serving as mobile command hubs. The service is free to the community and operates in partnership with Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service, HM Coastguard, and SECAmb.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Safe and Sound: Community initiative designed to help carers develop solutions to prevent vulnerable persons from going missing and get them home quickly if they do.
• Safe and Found Online
• KSAR Challenge Award
• Kent Charity Trek

Products and services

• Search and Rescue Operations Core 24/7, 365-day search and rescue service delivered entirely free of charge to Kent Police and other UK emergency services, focused on locating high-risk vulnerable missing persons (including those with dementia, mental health conditions, children, and the elderly). Operations are coordinated via Sarsys search management software and deploy multiple specialist teams across land, water, air, and underwater environments.
• Safe and Found Online Platform Digital Herbert Protocol platform created in collaboration with several English police forces, enabling carers to record and store vital information about vulnerable persons at risk of going missing for rapid retrieval during incidents by police and search teams.
• Safe and Sound Campaign Community awareness initiative developed in partnership with Kent Fire and Rescue Service that reminds carers to check smoke alarms and take photographs of loved ones during clock changes, designed to prevent vulnerable persons from going missing and get them home quickly if they do.
• KSAR Challenge Award Educational badge program for Scouts and Guides covering search and rescue skills including radios, first aid, map reading, navigation, evidence handling, and search techniques, priced at £1.50 per person for badge and certificate. Maximum 100 scouts/guides per single event day.
• Kent Charity Trek Annual fundraising trek event offering 25km or 50km routes through Kent countryside, starting from Chatham Dockyard, with proceeds supporting KSAR and partner charities. Includes corporate sponsorship packages.
• KSAR Pie Face Challenge Viral fundraising challenge where participants take a cream pie to the face and nominate friends, raising money through Virgin MoneyGiving in support of KSAR.
• Specialist Search Teams (Foot, Dog, Drone, Boat, Sonar, Mountain Bike, Bank, Flood) Eight specialist operational teams forming the operational backbone of KSAR search deployments: foot teams (Lowland Rescue qualified), search dog teams (NSARDA Lowland Search Dog Standard), drone team (DJI M300, CAA-qualified pilots), boat teams (canoes, kayaks, inflatables, rigid power boats with RYA/BCU-qualified handlers), sonar team (fixed sidescan, towed sidescan, Blueview sonar), mountain bike teams, bank search teams, and DEFRA-standard flood first responders. Delivered as part of the integrated search and rescue operations service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61 searches conducted in current year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, minor and core.

• Maidstone Borough CouncilsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021Local authority partner for Operation BARTON COVID-19 surge testing in ME15 Maidstone area.
• Kent County CouncilsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021County council partner for Operation BARTON COVID-19 surge testing coordination.
• South East 4x4 ResponsesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021Voluntary 4x4 vehicle response team for emergency logistics. Partnered during Operation BARTON for test kit distribution.
• Re:ActsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021Youth volunteer emergency response organization. Partnered during Operation BARTON for COVID-19 support.
• Public Health EnglandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021National public health agency that initiated Operation BARTON for South African COVID-19 variant surge testing.
• Rapid Relief Team UKminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2021Provided catering support to volunteers during Operation BARTON COVID-19 surge testing operations.
• Kent Resilience ForumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2021Multi-agency emergency planning and response coordination body. KSAR participated in Operation BARTON surge testing coordinated through this forum.
• Salvation ArmyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Provides catering support to keep the team fueled during extended search operations.
• Kent PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operational partner. KSAR responds to requests from Kent Police to search for high-risk vulnerable missing persons. Main customer and coordination point for all search operations. Approximately 400 high-risk cases per year.
• Kent Fire & Rescue ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint emergency response partner. Collaborated on Safe and Sound campaign and flood response operations. Shared resources during major incidents.
• HM CoastguardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime search and rescue coordination partner for coastal and water-based operations.
• SECAmb (South East Coast Ambulance Service)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbulance service partner for medical support during search operations and casualty care.
• Lowland RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational membership organization for lowland search and rescue teams. Provides standards, training frameworks, and coordination across member organizations.
• Kent Voluntary Sector Emergency Group (KVSEG)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination body for voluntary sector emergency responders in Kent. KSAR is a member providing search and rescue capabilities.
• Safe and Found OnlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationKSAR collaborated with several English police forces to create digital versions of the Herbert Protocol forms. This platform enables carers to register vulnerable person information for quick access during missing persons incidents.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue: Volunteer lowland SAR team covering Suffolk with similar police-callout model and vulnerable missing-person focus. Comparable in operational scope, training standards (NSARDA), and 24/7 volunteer response structure.
• Essex Search and Rescue: Volunteer Lowland Rescue team covering Essex, responding to police callouts for missing persons with similar specialist teams (dogs, drones, boats). Operates as a near-twin regional peer to KSAR with comparable funding model and beneficiary profile.
• Lincolnshire Search and Rescue: Volunteer-run Lowland Rescue team covering Lincolnshire with similar specialist capabilities (search dogs, drones, boats) responding to police callouts for high-risk missing persons. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and beneficiary profile.
• Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA): Volunteer-staffed lowland SAR organization covering the Severn Area, providing similar 24/7 search and rescue services for vulnerable missing persons to UK police forces. Closest operational and structural analog to KSAR outside of Kent.

Others

• National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA): UK-wide certification body for air-scent search dog teams used in SAR. KSAR's dog teams are NSARDA-certified. Comparable in that NSARDA-affiliated teams operate in adjacent regions and share training standards, but NSARDA itself is a standards body rather than an operational SAR provider.

Broad incumbents

• Lowland Rescue: National umbrella organization for lowland search and rescue volunteer teams across the UK, of which KSAR is a member. Comparable in volunteer-driven SAR mission and operational standards framework, but operates as a coordinating body rather than a regional team.
• RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution): UK volunteer-staffed maritime rescue organization. Comparable in 100% volunteer-driven SAR model, donor-funded structure, and equipment-intensive operations, but specializes in coastal lifeboat rescue rather than inland vulnerable missing persons.
• Mountain Rescue England and Wales: National volunteer mountain rescue organization covering upland and remote terrain SAR. Comparable in volunteer-driven model and emergency services partnership, but specializes in upland/wilderness rescue rather than KSAR's lowland/vulnerable-person focus.

Regional players

• British Cave Rescue Council: National coordinating body for volunteer cave rescue teams in the UK. Comparable in volunteer-driven SAR mission and emergency services partnership, but specializes in underground/caving rescue environments rather than surface vulnerable-person search.
• HM Coastguard: UK government agency coordinating maritime search and rescue, with which KSAR partners on coastal/water operations. Comparable in SAR mission but operates as a government-funded statutory body rather than a volunteer charity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KentSearchandRescue
• Instagraminstagram.com/kentcharitytrek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kent-search-and-rescue

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kent Search And Rescue