Tahoe Volunteer Rescuers Train Year-Round to Save Lives

When an avalanche buries a skier in California's backcountry, the people who come running are volunteers who've been watching the snowpack for months.

Jamie Lefkowitz leads the technical rescue teams for El Dorado County Search and Rescue, an all-volunteer nonprofit working alongside the county sheriff's office. For five years, she's coordinated rope rescues on rock cliffs and winter missions in avalanche terrain around Lake Tahoe.

Her team doesn't wait for emergencies to check conditions. They monitor avalanche forecasts from the Sierra Avalanche Center every single day, whether the phone rings or not.

When a 911 call does come in, EDSAR springs into action with a clear priority: rescuer safety first. The team gathers information about how many people need help, then assesses whether conditions allow a safe response based on current avalanche risk, weather, and terrain.

Lefkowitz wants people to understand something important. Her team doesn't take reckless chances when they head into the backcountry to help someone in trouble.

"We are extremely knowledgeable, and we manage risk in very specific ways," she explains. "The most important person is the rescuer."

The volunteers carry specialized gear most recreationalists never see. Backcountry rescue toboggans disassemble so rescuers can hike them into remote terrain on their backs, then reassemble them to transport injured people out.

They deploy avalanche transceivers that detect signals from beacons buried under snow, and RECCO detectors that can find reflectors sewn into winter clothing from 600 feet away. When someone's lost in avalanche debris without a beacon, professional search dogs join the mission.

If ground conditions are too dangerous, EDSAR calls in helicopters and drones, but only when weather permits safe flight. Storms that trigger avalanches often ground aircraft, so the team trains to respond on foot in challenging conditions.

Warming kits help prevent hypothermia in rescued victims. But Lefkowitz says their number one piece of equipment is something you can't pack: training.

The team practices companion rescue multiple times each season, running drills until finding and digging out someone buried in an avalanche becomes second nature.

Why This Inspires

These volunteers give their time and expertise without expecting a paycheck because they genuinely love helping people come home safely. Across California's Tahoe Basin, search and rescue operators share this same passion for service.

Lefkowitz speaks for them all when she encourages anyone in danger to call 911 immediately, whether they're caught in an avalanche, injured, or simply lost. The sooner someone calls, the sooner volunteers can mobilize their training, equipment, and heart to bring them to safety.

Their message is clear: help is always ready, and the people coming to find you have been preparing for this moment all year long.