Washington County's search and rescue team reported more incidents and a significant increase in people rescued during 2025, according to a report published October 17. While state records indicate a reimbursement formula is under review and new grants are available for rural counties, there is currently no statewide measure to determine if rescue teams are meeting demand.
According to Washington County's year-end report, attached to the minutes of the Jan. 6, 2026, county commission meeting, the team handled 128 incidents in 2025, up from 117 in 2024. The number of people rescued rose from 148 to 208, representing an increase of approximately 40%. The report noted that 68 rescued individuals were from Washington County, 55 were from elsewhere in Utah, 82 were from outside Utah, and three were from other countries.
The team logged 7,113.5 person-hours in 2025, an increase from 6,343.5 hours in 2024. Incident hours totaled 3,429.5, comprising 2,968.5 volunteer hours and 461 certified staff hours. Training accounted for 3,684 of those hours.
The state's Search and Rescue Financial Assistance Program reimburses sheriffs' teams for operations, training, and equipment. This funding comes from several sources, including 50-cent surcharges on recreational vehicle permits, 25-cent surcharges on hunting and fishing licenses, card sales, and legislative appropriations.
In December 2025, the advisory board discussed changing the year-end distribution rule, specifically exploring a cap for high-ticket equipment items. In March 2026, staff discussed how late applications might reduce a county's score. While a spreadsheet tool was presented in June to evaluate if the formula disadvantages rural counties, no record reviewed shows a formula change has been adopted.
Different counties employ different compensation models. Grand County pays members an hourly rate for missions and training, while Wasatch County provides a monthly stipend of $300 to $600, according to the Mountain Rescue Association in April 2026. Summit County has been working on a tiered system expected to pay approximately $25 an hour following a new statewide tax for emergency services.
Efforts to improve data collection are ongoing. In March, an emergency management staff member stated they were working with the Division of Outdoor Recreation on search and rescue statistics. However, a sheriff on the board noted in December that a statistical tracking system was still being organized, with funding not expected until 2027.
An Oct. 8, 2026, special meeting was called to review an Iron County reimbursement request for an activity that occurred on May 24, 2026.
