Oregon Volunteers Train 24/7 to Save Lives in the Wild

When someone goes missing in the Oregon wilderness, a team of 130 volunteers stands ready to drop everything and search through the night until that person comes home.

The Benton County Search and Rescue Academy just completed its latest round of training, preparing a new group of community volunteers to join this lifesaving mission. During a recent exercise in Corvallis, Oregon National Guard aircrews brought an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter to show volunteers exactly how aircraft support real rescue operations.

The nine-week program runs every spring, training participants in navigation, shelter building, search techniques and aircraft coordination. Students attend classes on Thursday evenings and Saturdays, learning skills they'll use when emergencies strike in the backcountdoors.

Kevin Higgins has been coordinating these rescues for over three decades, starting as a volunteer himself in 1989. "The desire to help people has always been the motivation," said Higgins, now Special Services Manager for the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

The county maintains six specialized search and rescue teams, including mountain rescue units, K-9 teams and mounted posse groups. These volunteers work under a powerful motto borrowed from military rescue crews: "So others may live."

During the aviation training, Captain Matthew Sherburn explained how his crew can winch injured hikers from remote locations and evacuate them to safety. "If someone is having the worst day of their life out there, we can respond and help get them out of a tough situation," Sherburn said.

Why This Inspires

Aaron Pyles, a volunteer who also serves in the Oregon Air National Guard, captures what drives these community heroes. "It's easy to get wrapped up in work and everyday life," Pyles said. "This is a chance to do something bigger than yourself and help other people."

Many volunteers remain on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to leave dinner tables and warm beds when the call comes. JonnaVe Stokes, who helps coordinate the academy, emphasizes the stakes: "Training is critical because emergencies involve lives on the line."

The program combines classroom learning with hands-on field exercises designed to meet state certification standards. Graduates join a network of trained responders who know that their next mission could mean bringing someone's loved one home safely.

In a world where headlines often focus on division, 130 neighbors in one Oregon county are proving that community still means showing up for strangers in their darkest hours.