About Us

Established in 1965 as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, SMRU is 100 percent volunteer and consist of mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts, many of which have professional backgrounds in search and rescue disciplines, emergency response, and emergency medicine.

 

SMRU is one of 10 teams in the state certified by the Mountain Rescue Association, a national organization of over 90 government authorized units dedicated to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education by improving the quality, availability, and safety of mountain search and rescue.   

SMRU responds to missions within Skagit County, such as the Puget Sound shoreline cliffs, Mt. Erie, the southern Chuckanuts, the Skagit Valley’s forested slopes and drainages, Sauk Mountain, the Illabot Peaks Region, and portions of the glaciated North Cascades. Occasionally, SMRU will also assist with search and rescue elsewhere in the state.