There’s something they tell the kids in small towns like Walden, Colorado: listen for the tones. When the two-way radio tones go off on your parent’s walkie talkie, that means there’s about to be a mass migration of volunteers tearing through town to the latest emergency. So, really anyone, adult or child who hears the tones, get out of the streets. The volunteers are making a run at saving someone’s life.
Those volunteers are rural Search & Rescue, and, in a scenario that may be familiar to people in small population areas all over the country, they’re trying to balance work, home, and rescue necessities.
In this video dispatch, we head to Walden in northwestern Colorado to see how they’re making it work. And how people everywhere can help.
Colorado has the CORSAR card that contributes to funds which assist the volunteers who are already on a shoestring budget. It’s worth a few minutes to see how they get by in Walden, and it’s also worth a quick search to see what your state offers as an easy way to support rural search and rescue efforts.