Welcome to the Los Alamos Search and Rescue page. LASAR is a non-profit organization that supports SAR efforts in the state of NM. LASAR is not a field team; there are numerous local Los Alamos field teams if that’s your interest. Rather, we are focused on the management and leadership side of SAR, including training and support for the volunteers that participate on the incident management teams. We are particularly committed to providing the equipment and resources required to make the missions in northern New Mexico successful.
On this webpage you’ll find educational resources, reference materials, and stories regarding the incident management side of SAR. Some of the links below have been written, others are placeholders for future material. If one of these topics is of particular interest to you, leave us a comment and we’ll raise it to the top of the to-do queue.
Simply curious about SAR? Some local resources and basic stories:
- Local SAR Teams
- Letters from the Rescued; testimonials from people found, aided, rescued, saved
- How We Do It: SAR in New Mexico
- What happens when you call 911?
- How the state is divided up: New Mexico State Police Districts
- Elementary advice on how NOT to get lost (how to avoid becoming the subject of a search)
- Maps page (annotated). Includes…
Feeling generous? We could certainly use your donation:
- Donation page
- We are all volunteers. The only funding we receive for equipment and supplies is provided by generous individuals… maybe individuals like you?
Interested in joining SAR? Resources and training:
- How to participate (brief philosophical foray)
- Essential Skills of the SAR Responder
- Using drones for SAR
- NM State field certification test
- Gear List for the Field Responder
- Education: modern navigation
- Education: radio skills
- Education: traditional compass usage
- Acronyms defined
Already doing SAR? Specialized topics.
- Collection of Official Documents
- Starlink at Incident Base: basic system recommendations and usage
- ADS-B aircraft tracking with SARtopo and a custom mobile ADS-B receiver setup
- Portable radio repeater system
- Telescoping radio mast systems for rapid deployment at IB
- Live team tracking using Garmin inReach devices on professional plan
- “Help us help you;” using SMS locator links to get subject’s position
- Investigate, Investigate, Investigate. The importance of investigation for the Incident Commander
- Proper methods for sound sweeping: make the most of a hasty search
- Training for Incident Base Roles (the Incident Management Team)
- Incident Commander
- OPS – Operations Section Chief
- PLANS – Planning Section Chief