Team History
On January 1st, 2001, the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) team was formed by the merger of the Los Padres Search and Rescue Team (serving the south county) with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team (serving the north county). This merger provides a single resource for all residents and visitors throughout Santa Barbara County.
Los Padres Search and Rescue Team
Serving the southern portion of Santa Barbara County, the LPSAR team was formed in 1962. It's focus on wilderness search and rescue led the team to apply and qualify as a Mountain Rescue Association team in the late 1970's. For many years, LPSAR was one of only a dozen California teams that met the high technical rock, snow & ice and search standards of the MRA. Based out of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's main headquarters in Santa Barbara, LPSAR averaged about 50 calls per year split evenly between searches and rescues in the Santa Barbara area as well as MRA mutual aid calls throughout California and the western United States.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team
Serving the northern portion of Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team was created in 1994 by combining the Lompoc and Santa Maria SAR teams. These teams were founded in their respective cities in 1962, and operated independently with separate areas of responsibility. In 1997, a third component was created and based in Solvang to cover the Santa Ynez Valley. The team averaged 30 callouts per year, with about 60% of the callouts as searches and the remaining portion split between rescues and support for the Sheriff and Fire Departments. In 1996, the team received the Higgins-Langley Swiftwater Rescue Award for the rescue of a man from a vehicle in a flood, moments before the vehicle was lifted and destroyed by the water.
