MATSAR Search and Rescue

MAT+SAR Search and Rescue is a non-profit organization located in the Matanuska Valley. We are a group of highly trained and dedicated volunteers who will respond 24/7. We are deployed by the Alaska State Troopers but are sometimes called out by local or federal agencies. MATSAR is dedicated to serving our neighbors by being trained and certified in our disciplines. We are ready to respond to emergency situations with up-to-date equipment and advanced search techniques.

Alaskans travel far and wide to enjoy our unique state, and sometimes end up lost or missing. Search and Rescue teams in Alaska are made up of volunteers; anyone from the second-grade teacher at your child’s school to the CEO of a successful company may be that volunteer. The goal of every SAR responder is to do their utmost to bring people home to their families.

MAT+SAR is the only SAR unit in the state that has trained and qualified volunteer responders in several disciplines: Ground Search, K9 teams, and certified ATV and Snowmobile operators. All of our volunteers buy and maintain their own personal equipment, vehicles and search K9s out of their own pocket.

Your donations help provide valuable training and additional equipment to these volunteers. The training is constantly evolving as there are always improvements in the way a search can be conducted, making it more efficient. This training is often available only from qualified professionals that must be brought up from outside the state.

MAT+SAR maintains a large inventory of equipment needed for every type of search. These searches may involve wilderness, avalanche, water, urban areas and disaster scenes. Our equipment is in need of periodic upgrades and replacement. Especially important is the electronic gear that is used for the logistics of a search like radio communication, maps and GPS navigation equipment.

With your help, MAT+SAR can continue its mission of bringing Alaskans home.