SNOHOMISH COUNTY VOLUNTEER SEARCH & RESCUE UNIT INC

What SNOHOMISH COUNTY VOLUNTEER SEARCH & RESCUE UNIT INC does

SNOHOMISH COUNTY VOLUNTEER SEARCH & RESCUE UNIT INC (SCVSAR) is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1958 and incorporated in Washington State on August 22, 1967. The organization delivers emergency search and rescue services across Snohomish County's urban and wilderness areas, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in coordination with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) and Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management. SCVSAR maintains mutual aid agreements with surrounding counties and responds to incidents via 911 dispatch.

The organization fields over 300-400 active volunteers organized into seven geographic units (Alderwood, Everett Mountain Rescue, Explorer, Marysville, Operations Support, SCSO, and Snohomish) and seven specialized teams covering K-9 search, helicopter rescue, swift-water rescue, technical mountain rescue, 4x4 off-road rescue, drone/UAS reconnaissance, and tracking. It performs more than 120 life-saving missions annually and logs over 9,000-9,500 volunteer hours per year. Operational coordination is supported by SharePoint and D4H team management systems. Complementary products include community safety education (Trip Plan templates, Ten Essentials, Outdoor Ethics, Stress First Aid), youth Explorer programming (ages 14-18), and outreach presentations to schools and outdoor groups.

SCVSAR is funded entirely by donations through its website (GivingFuel platform) and mail, with no fees charged for services and 501(c)(3) tax-deductible contribution status. The organization is governed by a board of directors with current officers Nikki Lembke (President), Mackenszie Broshnahan (Vice President), Chad Root (Treasurer), and Michael Read (Secretary). It does not sell commercial products, holds no patents, has made no acquisitions, and operates exclusively within Snohomish County and Washington State.

Name

SNOHOMISH COUNTY VOLUNTEER SEARCH & RESCUE UNIT INC

Legal name

Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue Unit Inc

Website

https://scvsar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCVSAR is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit delivering 24/7 search and rescue services across Snohomish County, Washington, via 7 geographic units and 7 specialized teams (K-9, helicopter, swiftwater, mountain, 4x4, UAS, tracking). It performs 120+ missions annually, funded entirely by tax-deductible donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ), Mountain Safety & Patrol Services (Avalanche Training, Rescue, Medical) (THAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Volunteer search rescue
• Emergency response services
• Wilderness search operations
• Mountain rescue services
• Nonprofit rescue organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Snohomish

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 100% volunteer organization and 501(c)(3) non-profit, SCVSAR relies entirely on donations from the public. Every dollar donated goes toward purchasing life-saving equipment, funding training programs, and maintaining operational readiness. They accept online donations through GivingFuel platform and mail-in checks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SCVSAR provides 24/7/365 volunteer emergency search and rescue services across Snohomish County's urban and wilderness areas, covering wilderness and urban search, K-9 search, helicopter rescue, tracking, 4x4 rescue, swiftwater rescue, technical mountain rescue, and emergency first aid. The organization supplements these services with free community safety education, outdoor trip planning resources, Ten Essentials guidance, and Stress First Aid support, and relies entirely on charitable donations to fund equipment, training, and operational readiness.

Product overview

SCVSAR is a volunteer-run non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering emergency search and rescue services as its core product, supported by community education programs and specialized operational teams. The organization operates seven geographic units (Alderwood, Everett Mountain Rescue, Explorer, Marysville, Operations Support, SCSO, and Snohomish) and seven special operations groups (4x4, K9, Swiftwater, Helicopter, Family Support, Tracking, and UAS teams). Additional offerings include community safety education, Stress First Aid resources, trip planning tools, and Ten Essentials guidance. The organization does not operate a traditional SaaS or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Search and Rescue Operations
• Community Safety Education and Outreach
• Explorer Search and Rescue (ESAR)
• Charitable Donation Processing

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (SCSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVSAR operates in formal coordination with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, serving as the primary volunteer search and rescue unit for the county. This is the organization's primary operational partnership.
• Snohomish County Department of Emergency ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVSAR operates in coordination with the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management as part of the county's emergency response infrastructure.
• Surrounding Counties (Mutual Aid Partners)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVSAR partners with surrounding counties in supporting each other through mutual aid, providing additional resources for larger operations or cross-jurisdictional emergencies.
• The MountaineerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVSAR references The Mountaineers organization for training classes and outdoor education, recommending their programs for members seeking to improve hiking, climbing, backpacking, and first aid skills.
• National Forests and Parks AgenciessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVSAR maintains resource links to various national forests and parks (Gifford Pinchot, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, North Cascades, Okanogan-Wenatchee, Olympic) for trail conditions and recreation information that supports their rescue operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mountain Rescue Association: National volunteer alpine search and rescue organization. Comparable in mission and volunteer-staffing philosophy but operates as an industry-level umbrella rather than a county field unit, making it broader than SCVSAR.
• Civil Air Patrol: U.S. Air Force auxiliary volunteer organization with a dedicated SAR mission including aerial search and emergency services. Comparable volunteer-staffing model and aerial/ground SAR capabilities, but operates at national scope with federal affiliation.
• American Red Cross: Large humanitarian non-profit providing disaster response and emergency relief nationally. Comparable as a volunteer-staffed 501(c)(3) emergency response organization but much broader in mission (sheltering, blood, international aid) than SCVSAR's focused SAR scope.
• National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR): National membership organization for SAR professionals and volunteers, providing training standards and certification. Comparable in SAR focus but functions as a standards/coordination body rather than a field response unit.
• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: Volunteer civilian arm of the Coast Force providing boating safety and SAR support, including water rescue. Comparable volunteer model and partial overlap with SCVSAR's swiftwater/water rescue capabilities, but federally affiliated and nationally scoped.

Direct peers

• King County Explorer Search and Rescue: Volunteer SAR organization in King County, Washington. Directly comparable as a 501(c)(3) volunteer SAR unit serving a neighboring county with similar urban-wilderness terrain and mutual aid overlap with SCVSAR.
• Washington Mountain Rescue Association: Statewide umbrella of volunteer mountain rescue units in Washington, of which SCVSAR's Everett Mountain Rescue unit is a member. Comparable technical mountain and high-angle rescue mission and volunteer-staffing model.
• Pierce County Search and Rescue: Volunteer SAR unit covering Pierce County, Washington, including Mount Rainier. Comparable in mission scope, volunteer-led model, K-9 and mountain rescue capabilities, and shared mutual aid relationships in Washington State.
• Skagit County Search and Rescue: Volunteer SAR organization serving Skagit County, Washington. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) volunteer unit with similar terrain (Cascade wilderness), mutual aid integration, and multi-specialty rescue teams.
• Whatcom County Search and Rescue: Volunteer SAR unit serving Whatcom County, Washington, including North Cascades terrain. Comparable volunteer non-profit SAR model with similar specialty teams (K-9, tracking, mountain rescue) and county-level law enforcement integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SCVSAR
• Instagraminstagram.com/snohomish_county_sar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snohomish-county-volunteer-search-&-rescue-unit-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 SNOHOMISH COUNTY VOLUNTEER SEARCH & RESCUE UNIT INC