Welcome to Southeast Texas Search and Rescue (SETSAR). SETSAR is a newly formed, professional volunteer search and rescue organization that provides local and county municipal agencies additional resources in search and rescue operations throughout Southeast Texas at no cost to the requesting agency.
SETSAR ground operations and specialized teams are available for callouts beginning June 5, 2026. If you are in need of search and rescue assistance, call 911.
Recognized throughout Southeast Texas
Whether it is a missing child in the woods, rescuing an individual trapped on a cliff, or responding to a neighborhood affected by a tornado or flooding after a hurricane, SETSAR team members and assets are ready to respond 24/7, 365 days a year.
Many of SETSAR team members are former and active law enforcement officers, firefighters, military, and medical personnel ready to assist municipal agencies with search and rescue/recovery operations throughout Southeast Texas.
SETSAR operates within the Emergency Management System (EMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) within the agency that requests our services.
When the call comes in... We go out
The ability to notify all team members or a selected group with specialized skills simultaneously is the first step to get help where it's needed. SETSAR utilizes AT&T FirstNet cellular service designed and built exclusively for public safety to help ensure that all team members are notified even when commercial cellular service is unavailable.
SETSAR Assets and Personnel act as a Forced Multiplier in Search and Rescue Operations
When the call comes in... We go out
The ability to notify all team members or a selected group with specialized skills simultaneously is the first step to get help where it's needed. SETSAR utilizes AT&T FirstNet cellular service designed and built exclusively for public safety to help ensure that all team members are notified even when commercial cellular service is unavailable.
Ground personnel
ATV
Aerial drones
Search dogs
Underwater recovery
Digital forensics
Communication
High water vehicles
Medical
Tactical rescue
SETSAR Assets and Personnel act as a Forced Multiplier in Search and Rescue Operations
Ground personnel
ATV
Aerial drones
Search dogs
Underwater recovery
Digital forensics
Communication
High water vehicles
Medical
Tactical rescue
Utilizing the latest technology to find the lost
As a professional volunteer search and rescue organization, we utilize advanced technologies to support our ground teams in locating lost or missing individuals in wilderness areas.
From map and tracking software that provides incident command (IC) with real-time information about the exact locations of all SETSAR team members to thermal-imaging drones that can detect individuals at night to acoustic detection equipment that can hear voices from hundreds of feet away, can be deployed to help locate and reunite the lost.
Teamwork & Training
It takes a team effort and the right training to search for a missing child in the woods, go through a neighborhood that has been hit by a tornado, or perform a high-water rescue after a hurricane.
SETSAR team members continuously undergo online and hands-on training to help ensure that they are always ready to respond, whatever the need may be.
Specialized Teams
Not all callouts are the same; sometimes team members with specific skill sets and equipment are required. SETSAR specialized teams can provide additional resources in certain types of search and rescue operations, from our technical rescue team to our dive and recovery team. SETSAR specialized team members are ready to respond when needed.
Ready Willing & Able
In the crucial initial hours after a tornado or hurricane, SETSAR teams and assets are ready to assist municipal agencies throughout Southeast Texas.
SETSAR team members dedicate extensive hours to training and preparing for these types of events. We operate within the Emergency Management System (EMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Our commitment, skills, and dedication to service make us an invaluable resource to local and county agencies.
Join Our Team
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be part of a professional volunteer search and rescue team. Here’s your chance. We are actively seeking new volunteers to join our search and rescue as well as our medical teams. No previous search and rescue experience is needed.
No search and rescue organization can function without the support of the community, and SETSAR is no exception. As a nonprofit organization, SETSAR depends on sponsorships from private citizens and businesses, along with government grants, to advance our mission.
If you are a member of the media or need general information about SETSAR, please complete the following information. A member of our senior staff will contact you.
