Wilderness Rescue – we all have the image of a helicopter buzzing around with a hero sliding down a rope to rescue an injured climber stuck on a steep mountain side. Sure – missions like this happen. But the truth is much simpler: We are an all volunteer environment. We don’t get a lot of attention, there is not much reporting in the news and we don’t get any funding from governmental sources.

We are trained to work in small teams, to be on our own, to be able to handle whatever we encounter – difficult terrain, animals, inclement weather. medical problems – sometimes many miles from civilization.

This is physically demanding and mentally challenging.

We go out in any weather, to any place, to to assist those who need our help. In the wilderness or in the streets of our cities.

We go where nobody else goes.

That’s why we have to train hard – at least twice a month, we have additional ongoing class room training to be prepared for whatever may come. We do physical fitness tests and take advanced education as medics, communications specialists, drone operators and more.

So – you might think – they go out and help folks who behave irresponsibly – that would never happen to me. But this is not the case most of the time. While some of the people we rescued were indeed unprepared for the wilderness, most of the time they were just unlucky.

We can’t tell you how often we see folks “out there” wearing nothing but flip-flops, short pants and a t-shirt. Most of those people make it back to their cars safely. Some do not.

It happens fast – just a quick tour to snap a picture, you get surprised by weather or you slip and fall into a crevasse, maybe your ATV breaks down, you get hurt, your kid suddenly disappears. People got stuck in the mud at Elephant Butte Lake while fishing, took a wrong turn on a hiking path, got stung by a bee and had an allergic reaction – they call it “wilderness” for a reason.

We also respond to emergencies and and disasters in our communities. We located and provided aid and comfort to the homeless communities during inclement weather events, we help during evacuations, fires or whenever communities or community organizations request our assistance.

All of our services and activities are provided free of charge, regardless of what we need to do. But we of course gladly accept donations.

Pecos Valley Public Services is able to field a highly prepared team – ready to deploy in less than an hour, with advanced training and able to stay out in the wilderness for 24 hours.

When the call comes, we leave our homes, jobs, families to take care of business.

Wilderness Rescue is not a glorious hero thing. We are tough teams, highly trained volunteers and we donate our time and our dedication freely to help folks in our wilderness forests, deserts, and urban areas.

Here’s how you can help us to help others:

JOIN: We are always interested to meet folks who love the outdoors and want to help as volunteers. We are looking for Field Personnel and Auxiliaries (no physical fitness test required).

DONATE: Every little bit helps. We are a 501(c)(3) charity, our officers and volunteers do not receive any compensation, and you can write off your donation. We rely on community support to purchase and replace our gear and equipment, to buy consumables and other supplies.

INVITE US: You can also invite us as speakers or to support your event. We are happy to provide first aid, communications, perimeter monitoring and wilderness awareness to any event. Contact us for details.