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Explorer Search and Rescue
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<p>Explorer Search and Rescue (ESAR) are teams of <a href="/facts/Exploring_(Learning_for_Life)/GaUYTjY1">Explorers</a> in the <a href="/facts/Learning_for_Life/JWW6LT2D">Learning for Life</a> program of the <a href="/facts/Boy_Scouts_of_America/xGoQDGpQ">Boy Scouts of America</a> who are trained and deployed for <a href="/facts/Search_and_rescue/pdLTUPgl">search and rescue</a> missions. Well-developed ESAR programs emerged in the state of <a href="/facts/Washington_(U.S._state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a> in the mid-1950s (Beginning with King County in 1954) and were followed by others in <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a> and elsewhere. The rugged, mountainous terrain of these areas often require massive amounts of manpower for proper searches for missing people, not to mention their rescue and evacuation from remote areas. The ESAR mission has also expanded over the years to include <a href="/facts/Urban_search_and_rescue/GSH49uon">urban search and rescue</a> and other <a href="/facts/Disaster/t9DvTQHz">disaster</a>-related disciplines. Many ESAR groups also provide wilderness safety training to the public. </p><p>Hundreds of youths and adult advisors regularly participate as trained search specialists or provide other support services related to wilderness search and rescue. Some <a href="/facts/Law_Enforcement_Exploring/HaNYKA7t">Law Enforcement Exploring</a> groups also participate in ESAR training and missions. At times, qualified ESAR teams have also assisted in locating evidence of crimes, such as victims of <a href="/facts/Ted_Bundy/HeE0flTN">Ted Bundy</a>, in 1974, or <a href="/facts/Gary_Ridgway/vrPdEh6f">Gary Ridgway</a> (The Green River Murderer) in the 1980s, and searching for notorious <a href="/facts/Aircraft_hijacking/2dhtwYMJ">aircraft hijacker</a> <a href="/facts/D._B._Cooper/PJLwmkbL">D. B. Cooper</a> in 1971. Generally, however, their skills are applied to finding overdue <a href="/facts/Hiking/agJbxevo">hikers</a>, <a href="/facts/Hunting/z1XhJdB2">hunters</a>, or carrying injured <a href="/facts/Mountaineering/K18NzclN">mountaineers</a> to safety when airborne <a href="/facts/MEDEVAC/6fDwDIGt">MEDEVAC</a> is not feasible. </p>