Search and Rescue

V.S.A. tit. 20, ch. 112, subch. 2

in effect

20 V.S.A. § 1841 Definitions

1841. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Public safety agency” means any municipal, county, or State agency or organization within the State that specializes in protecting the safety of the public and includes municipal police and fire departments, volunteer fire departments, county sheriffs, and constables who exercise law enforcement authority. (2) “Search and rescue” means the deployment, coordination, and utilization of available resources and personnel in locating, relieving the distress, and preserving the lives of and removing persons who are missing or lost in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1842 Commissioner of Public Safety; jurisdiction over search and rescue operations; coordination

1842. Commissioner of Public Safety; jurisdiction over search and rescue operations; coordination (a) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall have jurisdiction over all search and rescue operations. (b)(1) The Commissioner shall cooperate with and support all public safety agencies and any nonpublic entities that specialize in protecting the safety of the public in this State in matters relating to search and rescue operations. When necessary to protect a person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State from harm, the Commissioner shall coordinate local, county, State, and any nonpublic efforts to search for and rescue that person. (2) The Commissioner shall specifically coordinate with game wardens in the Department of Fish and Wildlife as needed to search for and rescue a person missing or lost in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1843 Incident command system; training

1843. Incident command system; training (a) The Commissioner shall ensure that all search and rescue operations are conducted using the incident command system in order to provide the seamless integration of all responding search and rescue agencies and organizations. Incident command is a standardized, on-scene approach to incident management that allows all responders to adopt a collaborative, integrated organizational structure while respecting agency and jurisdictional authorities. (b) All Search and Rescue Team members within the Department of Public Safety shall maintain equipment standards and high-level search and rescue training and training on the incident command system as established by the Search and Rescue Council set forth in section 1847 of this subchapter. The Search and Rescue Team shall regularly conduct search and rescue training with collaborating agencies and organizations with the goal of continually refining search and rescue operations. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1844 Search and Rescue Coordinator

1844. Search and Rescue Coordinator (a) The Search and Rescue Coordinator shall be responsible for the general support of search and rescue operations conducted in the State. The Search and Rescue Coordinator shall be a permanent classified position within the Department of Public Safety and shall not be a law enforcement officer. (b) The duties of the Coordinator shall include: (1) assessing and populating with resources the database set forth in section 1846 of this subchapter as provided in that section; (2) maintaining records of all search and rescue operations reported to the Department, including the date of the operation, the resources that assisted in the operation, and the result of the operation; (3) maintaining records of all training completed by the Search and Rescue Team; and (4) communicating with public safety agencies and any nonpublic entities that specialize in protecting the safety of the public regarding search and rescue training and equipment standards. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1845 Search and rescue report; response

1845. Search and rescue report; response (a) Report of a person missing; response. (1) A law enforcement agency taking a report of any person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State shall immediately: (A) respond and take immediate action to locate the person reported missing; and (B) notify the Department of Public Safety to advise of the situation. (2) Any other public safety agency or a nonpublic entity that specializes in protecting the safety of the public and is included in the search and rescue database set forth in section 1846 of this subchapter that takes a report of any person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State: (A) shall immediately notify the Department of Public Safety to advise of the situation; and (B) may respond and take immediate action to locate the person reported missing. (b) Department of Public Safety response. (1) When provided with a report of a person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State, the Department shall ensure that notification is made to its Search and Rescue Team and the Team, in consultation with the entity providing the report, shall determine the appropriate level of response needed based on best practices in search and rescue operations. The Department shall also ensure that notification is made to any municipal police and fire departments of the town in which the person is missing, any volunteer fire departments of that town, and any emergency medical service providers of that town that are in the search and rescue database. (2) The Department shall ensure that an immediate response to any report of a person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State is made, including immediate action to locate the person reported missing. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1846 Search and rescue database

1846. Search and rescue database The Department of Public Safety shall populate and use a search and rescue database as set forth in this section. (1) The Search and Rescue Coordinator, on a geographic basis, shall identify all agencies and organizations having specific search and rescue response capability. The points of contact for each agency and organization having specific search and rescue capability shall be compiled and entered into the search and rescue database. The database shall be updated on a regular basis by the Search and Rescue Coordinator. (2) When the Search and Rescue Team determines that additional resources are necessary to respond to a search and rescue operation, the Team shall use this database in order to deploy properly those additional resources. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 28, 2013.

20 V.S.A. § 1847 Repealed. 2017, No. 10, § 1.

20 V.S.A. § 1848 False report or statement

1848. False report or statement A person who knowingly makes a false report of a person missing in the backcountry, remote areas, or waters of the State or knowingly makes a false statement in the report shall be fined not more than $1,000.00. Added 2013, No. 26, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/20/112Fetched: 10/21/2026