What Rocky Mountain Rescue Group does

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Inc. (RMRG) is an all-volunteer, IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit mountain search and rescue organization founded in 1947 in Boulder, Colorado. It is contracted by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office as the county's primary mountain rescue agency and responds to approximately 200 emergency calls per year across Boulder County's 200 miles of foothills trails, 110,000 acres of open space, and 160,000 acres of Roosevelt National Forest and Indian Peaks Wilderness. Services are provided free of charge to the public and include technical rope rescue, high-angle cliff evacuation, avalanche response, missing person searches, and disaster response, supplemented by roughly 20-30 annual outdoor safety education presentations.

RMRG's technical platform is built around specialized rescue equipment and a long-running internal R&D program. The organization maintains a 35-foot test tower equipped with high-speed data acquisition and load cell strain gauges for static and dynamic testing with drop masses up to 1,000 lbs. Notable in-service systems include a proprietary Brake Plate litter belay device for single- or double-rope lowering, a Downed Aircraft Locator Antenna, and Traverse Rescue Spartan litters with titanium tubing frames, replacing custom stainless-steel Super litters that served for 32 years (1988-2020) and evacuated over 1,000 patients. The organization holds a registered U.S. trademark on its name and logo and is fully accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association, exceeding FEMA/NIMS Type I Mountain SAR and Wilderness SAR standards as well as NFPA 1670, 1006, and ASTM F2209.

RMRG's business model is donation- and contract-funded. Roughly nine paid staff are supported by a large volunteer base. Revenue streams include individual donations (via Colorado Gives and check), a Boulder County Sheriff contract, an RMRG Endowment managed by The Community Foundation, CORSAR card proceeds (which fund SAR equipment statewide), vehicle donations through America's Best Local Charities (70% of net proceeds to RMRG), planned giving and estate gifts, and payroll-deduction workplace giving through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC Code: 57934) and Colorado Combined Campaign (#3429). The organization maintains ~9 paid staff, an Executive Board of twelve, and leadership including President Dave Christenson, Group Leader Chris Wentz, Assistant Group Leader Dale Wang, and Medical Director Dr. Alison Sheets. Strategic partners include the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, MRA, Colorado Search and Rescue Board, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Avalanche Information Center, The Community Foundation, Boulder County Emergency Squad, and Front Range Rescue Dogs.

Name

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group

Legal name

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Inc.

Website

https://rockymountainrescue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RMRG is an all-volunteer, IRS 501(c)(3) mountain search and rescue organization founded in 1947 and contracted by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office as the county's primary mountain rescue agency, providing free emergency rescue and outdoor safety education to Boulder County recreationists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mountain Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

akta.pro primary industry

Mountain Safety & Patrol Services (Avalanche Training, Rescue, Medical) (THAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Mountain search rescue
• Wilderness emergency response
• Volunteer rescue services
• Outdoor safety education
• Disaster response services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: RMRG depends on donations to provide a significant portion of its budget. Donations are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization accepts online donations through Colorado Gives and by check. They also maintain an RMRG Endowment managed by The Community Foundation for long-term financial viability.
2. CORSAR Card Proceeds: Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) cards fund a statewide fund that supports search and rescue operations. While primarily benefiting Sheriff's Offices for major costs like helicopter operations, RMRG obtains substantial equipment from CORSAR card funds annually.
3. Boulder County Sheriff Contract: RMRG is contracted by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office as the county's primary mountain rescue agency, providing operational funding for core rescue services.
4. Vehicle Donation Program: Vehicle donations go through America's Best Local Charities, with 70% of net proceeds going to RMRG.
5. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Accepts planned gifts including wills/trusts, life insurance policies, retirement plans, appreciated securities, IRAs, and real estate donations.
6. Workplace Giving Campaigns: Participates in Combined Federal Campaign (CFC Code: 57934) and Colorado Combined Campaign (#3429) for payroll deductions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group is an all-volunteer non-profit (IRS 501(c)(3)) organization that provides free technical mountain search and rescue services, outdoor safety education, and disaster response. Founded in 1947, it serves as Boulder County's contracted primary mountain rescue agency and assists neighboring counties on request, responding to roughly 200 emergency calls per year across the Flatirons, Eldorado Canyon, Roosevelt National Forest, and Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Product overview

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that provides search and rescue services, outdoor safety education programs, and disaster response services. The organization does not offer commercial products or technology platforms; rather, it delivers community services including mountain search and rescue operations, safety education presentations, equipment R&D, and training programs. The organization is structured around volunteer membership levels (Support, Rescue Support, and Qualified members) and provides its services free of charge to the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mountain Search and Rescue Services
• Outdoor Safety Education Programs
• Disaster Response Services
• Rescue Equipment Research and Development

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 200 emergency calls per year with field response
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Boulder County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947RMRG is contracted by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office as Boulder County's primary mountain rescue agency. The Sheriff's Office dispatches RMRG for all mountain rescue emergencies within the county.
• Mountain Rescue Association (MRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMRG is a fully accredited member of MRA, a U.S. organization of over 90 member teams. RMRG exceeds MRA requirements for FEMA/NIMS Type I Mountain SAR and Wilderness SAR resource types.
• Colorado Search and Rescue Board (CSRB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMRG is an active member of CSRB, which has public positions strongly opposed to charging for rescue services. CSRB coordinates statewide SAR efforts.
• University of Colorado at BouldermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMRG founders included CU faculty and students. RMRG has been a University of Colorado student organization for over 40 years. The organization has close ties with CU engineers who have become RMRG members, supporting their R&D program.
• Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAIC provides avalanche forecasts and safety information that RMRG uses for operations and shares on their outdoor safety education pages.
• Boulder County Emergency SquadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater rescue partner organization in Boulder County, listed on resource links page for emergency services coordination.
• Front Range Rescue DogsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSearch dog organization listed as emergency services partner for coordinated rescue operations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Douglas County Search and Rescue: Volunteer search and rescue team serving Douglas County, Colorado (south of Denver). Comparable in county-contracted volunteer SAR model, terrain challenge profile, and MRA accreditation.
• Vail Mountain Rescue Group: Volunteer mountain rescue team serving Eagle County and the Vail area, providing technical mountain rescue and backcountry evacuation. Comparable in volunteer model, equipment-intensive mountain rescue mission, and MRA-affiliated Colorado operations.
• Summit County Rescue Group: Volunteer rescue organization serving Summit County, Colorado, providing year-round mountain rescue and emergency response. Directly comparable in mission, scope, contractual relationship with local Sheriff's Office, and Mountain Rescue Association accreditation.
• Larimer County Search and Rescue: Volunteer search and rescue organization covering Larimer County, Colorado, including Rocky Mountain National Park frontage. Similar scale, county contracted model, and MRA accreditation profile.
• Alpine Rescue Team: Volunteer mountain rescue team based in Evergreen, Colorado, also an MRA-accredited team covering mountainous terrain. Highly comparable to RMRG in mission, Colorado geography, volunteer nonprofit structure, and MRA accreditation profile.
• El Paso County Search and Rescue: Volunteer search and rescue organization serving El Paso County / Pikes Peak region of Colorado. Comparable in contract-based county service delivery, technical mountain rescue, and MRA-affiliated volunteer operations.
• Crested Butte Search and Rescue: Volunteer mountain rescue team serving Gunnison County, Colorado, providing backcountry and technical rescue. Comparable in volunteer nonprofit structure, MRA affiliation, and Colorado mountain rescue mission.

Broad incumbents

• Mountain Rescue Association: National umbrella organization of 90+ volunteer search and rescue teams that accredits and coordinates mountain rescue across the U.S. Provides the regulatory accreditation framework (FEMA/NIMS Type I) that RMRG operates within.
• Colorado Search and Rescue Board: State-level coordinating body for SAR in Colorado, of which RMRG is an active member. Sets statewide policy (notably against charging for rescue) and coordinates CORSAR funding that supports RMRG's equipment purchases.

Emerging players

• Front Range Rescue Dogs: Volunteer search dog organization specializing in wilderness search and missing person response in Colorado. Listed by RMRG as a partner; overlaps in mission and is frequently deployed on RMRG-coordinated incidents.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rockymountainrescuegroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockymountainrescuegroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-rescue-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Rocky Mountain Rescue Group