Team members during winter rescue training.
Who We Are
BUSAR Foundation is non-profit 501(c)(3) organization comprised of members with extensive backcountry and outdoor experience, as well as specialized professional expertise from the NPS, Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. Members also have experience in aviation, tracking, survival, firefighting, law enforcement, and medical professions.
Since its inception BUSAR has been driven to be a world class all hazards search and rescue team supporting and assisting with NPS SAR operations. That vision serves as the driving force behind our high fitness standards, recruitment standards and core values:
BUILD THE TEAM
DO THE WORK
BE THE SUPERHERO
This is core to who we are. Members participate in regular internal team exercises and cross-training with outside agencies, adding advanced proficiencies and certifications.
Over the years BUSAR has participated in numerous missions both big and small. On average, the team contributes over 4,000 hours each year to NPS SAR operations which includes over 1,200 hours in missions and 3,000 hours in training. Some of the more notable incidents in which BUSAR has contributed include the crash of N1839X and the Bohanan, Clements, Hill and Lynch SARs.
As an extension of its mission, Team BUSAR offers Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) to the community through education campaigns within the park, seminars through REI and other local venues.
“BUSAR is a vital asset to the search and rescue operations of Great Smoky Mountain National Park”
Mission briefing.
“As a parent, I could not have spent another night with my son in the woods and was so thankful these men were willing to help him and his friend make it home safely. As a mother, their service was priceless”