Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue recaps a busy summer of missions, many to help injured, lost hikers

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Last Sunday, Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue teams were dispatched to three missions. That brings the number of operations this summer to 40 in total, with one big weekend to go.

Summer and winter are typically SAR's busy seasons, but June through August sees a higher number of dispatches. The department says a constant trend is that they conduct far more rescues than searches.

"Injured hikers has been by far the most common incident for this year, followed up by lost hikers," Deputy Shane Zook, assistant SAR coordinator, said Thursday.

"We've actually had more lost hikers than normal this year. And because they're lost doesn't necessarily mean that it's a search," Zook said. "A lot of times they're lost. But when they call, we know right where they're at. We just have to go get them and escort them out."

In 2023, DCSO Search and Rescue was dispatched to 111 operations. So far this year, the department is already ahead of 2023 trends and expects to surpass last year's numbers.

SAR has 130 volunteers assisting with these rescue missions. To avoid needing a rescue, the department highly recommends to recreate in pairs or groups, and look to their website for safe practices when enjoying Central Oregon.