Every Thursday (Oct. - May) you can find members of PSMP Search & Rescue at The Street Fair in downtown PS selling T-Shirts and Hats to help raise funds for our unit. When this occurs in the greater Palm Springs area, there is an organization known as The Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue (PSMP-SAR) to come to his or her aid. Founded in 1949 after several hastily organized rescues resu
lted in the loss of equipment and injury to the improperly equipped rescuers and their horses, the Chief of Police formally organized a volunteer search and rescue unit. This prestigious organization has served as the honor guard for President Eisenhower, and worked in conjunction with the Palm Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Land Management as law enforcement in Tahquitz Canyon since 1968. The hard work and dedication to professionalism has even earned this organization a spot on the national show Rescue 911 in February of 1995. Over the nearly 75 years of existence, they have performed over 1,000 technical rescues in the mountains surrounding the greater Palm Springs area. These rescues are performed by horseback, hiking, and helicopter. As the difficulty of the rescues increase and the population of the city has grown, PSMP-SAR has evolved into a technical rock rescue organization. In order to continue to function as one of the finest volunteer search and rescue organizations in Southern California, members must continually undergo extensive training in the classroom, on the rocks, and in the helicopters. Members are required to maintain proficiency in first aid, rappelling, rock climbing, and law enforcement skills. Each member is a trained technical rope rescuer. Funding for PSMP-SAR is derived primarily from private donation and fund raising. Each member is responsible for providing their own personal gear at a cost of nearly $3,000 per member. Members must also maintain their own gear as well as the unit's $50,000 worth of rescue equipment and the four-vehicle fleet. Members, as a unit, spend approximately 8,000 hours annually on meetings, training, and administration, not to mention the countless hours on the hill during rescue missions. With a $2,000 average cost for each rescue, PSMP-SAR needs the public's support to defray the costs of operation. If you want to support PSMP-SAR with your tax-deductible donation, please mail to the address below. PSMP-SAR is always looking for enthusiastic men and women willing to serve the community in a different and exciting way. Members of this dedicated organization are required to pass an extensive background investigation and be in good physical condition. Once accepted as a trainee, you will be required to undergo an 18-month training period where your first aid, rope, helicopter, and other skills will be honed. If you are interested in joining PSMP-SAR, you are welcome to attend a meeting. For the time and location of their next meeting, you may contact PSMP-SAR members and speak with an officer at our Village Fest booth on Thursday nights (Oct-May), downtown Palm Springs. Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue
P.O. Box 226
Palm Springs, CA 92263
More information:
Capt. Mike Vines (PSMP-SAR)
(760) 567-2157
Sgt. Frank Guarino
(760) 323-8115
