Deschutes County Search and Rescue Foundation

We’re excited to continue our Volunteer Spotlight series, highlighting the incredible individuals who make our unit possible. From seasoned members to newer volunteers, each spotlight shares the stories, experiences, and motivations that drive our team both in the field and behind the scenes.

This month, we’re proud to introduce Taylor Bacci.

A six-year veteran of Deschutes County Search & Rescue, Taylor serves on both the Medical and Snowmobile Teams and is known for bringing a calm, focused presence to every mission. Originally drawn to SAR through a love of backcountry navigation and a desire to give back to Deschutes County, she quickly found a passion for the challenge, teamwork, and purpose that Search & Rescue provides.

Most recently, Taylor served as the 2026 Search & Rescue Academy Coordinator, helping recruit, plan, and train 24 new volunteers through a five-week academy. Seeing recruits grow into deployable searchers has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her SAR career.

“We’re very goal-oriented. We’re very focused. We’re in the moment, and we love what we do.”

When she’s not volunteering with SAR, Taylor can be found serving with Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol, freelancing as a copywriter, exploring the outdoors, or supporting the organization as a board member of the Deschutes County Search & Rescue Foundation.

For Taylor, every mission is about restoring hope and helping bring someone home safely. That’s what keeps her answering the call, year after year.

Big congrats to the 2026 Academy!

Proud to stand alongside our neighboring agencies in support of this search effort. Yesterday, 24 Deschutes County Search & Rescue volunteers deployed to assist Linn County in the search for a missing 80-year-old who was successfully found alive. Grateful for the teamwork, dedication, and interagency support that help make missions like these possible.

UPDATE: MISSING HIKER FOUND ALIVE

Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports at 11:30 a.m. this morning, searchers found Jerry Highsmith alive near a trail system around Duffy Lake. Mr. Highsmith was experiencing symptoms of exposure and was unable to walk. A helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard is currently on scene as a plan to get Mr. Highsmith to an area hospital is underway.

The efforts to find Mr. Highsmith involved over fifty searchers, including ground searchers, drones, K-9’s and aircraft. The Linn County Search and Rescue Team was assisted by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association Incident Management Team, Mary’s Peak Search and Rescue, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, Deschutes County Search and Rescue, Marion County Search and Rescue, Lane County Search and Rescue, Albany Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, United States Forest Service, Willamette Valley First Responder Chaplains, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, and the Oregon Army National Guard.

Sheriff Duncan would like to thank all the agencies and organizations that helped in the search for Mr. Highsmith. Finding Mr. Highsmith alive would not be possible without their assistance.

Behind every mission, training, and late-night callout is a dedicated volunteer giving their time, energy, and heart to Search & Rescue.

This year, we’re excited to launch our “Volunteer Spotlight” series — a monthly feature highlighting the incredible individuals who make our unit possible. From seasoned members to newer volunteers, each spotlight will share the stories, experiences, and motivations that drive our team both in the field and behind the scenes.

Search & Rescue is built on commitment, teamwork, and service to our community, and this initiative is one small way to recognize the people who embody those values every day.

We hope these spotlights help our community get to know the faces behind the uniforms and celebrate the volunteers who continuously answer the call to help others.

Without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to Ed!

Ed Weiser never set out to fill his retirement with quiet days. When a ski buddy mentioned Deschutes County Search and Rescue (DCSAR) he found a way to stay challenged mentally, emotionally and physically while giving back to our community.

His connection to the outdoors runs deep. Ed entered the outdoor industry at 18 before building a career in retail operations, information technology leadership and independent consulting. He retired in 2015, but not from actively serving our community.

A longtime outdoor enthusiast, Ed spent years leading backpacking and canoe trips before becoming a search and rescue volunteer and member of the DCSAR Foundation board, the organization’s funding arm.

Today, he calls himself a “professional volunteer,” balancing rescue work with small business mentoring, interpretive ranger talks, hiking groups and time with his grandkids.

What keeps him coming back? “Teammates,” he says.

A warm welcome to our 2026 Academy!

Black Hawk Helicopter and 22 Search & Rescue Volunteers Respond to Injured Snowboarder Near Tam McArthur Rim

Bend, Ore. — A coordinated rescue involving an Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and 22 Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers brought an injured snowboarder to safety on Monday, March 30. The call for help came in at 2:40 p.m., after a 44-year-old woman from Bend was injured in the Tam McArthur Rim area at the base of Broken Top Mountain. She was found on steep, snow-covered terrain in the upper third of the slope at approximately 7,350 feet in elevation.

The nature of the injuries and the terrain required an immediate and technical response. A three-person team of Advanced Life Support SAR and Mountain Rescue Unit (MRU) members was taken to the area by Air Link, but weather conditions prevented them from reaching the scene. They were dropped off as close as possible at the Lower Three Creeks Snow Park, where a Good Samaritan got them closer. The team then skied approximately two miles uphill to reach the snowboarder.

Additional SAR resources, snowmobile operators, skiers, and medical team members also responded. A break in the weather allowed the Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk, with a paramedic on board, to reach the location at 8:20 p.m. The woman was stabilized and flown to St. Charles-Bend for further care.

This rescue was possible thanks to the work of 22 highly trained SAR volunteers and a DCSO deputy. They were assisted by the Oregon State SAR Coordinator from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, AirLink Critical Care Transport, the Oregon Army National Guard based at McNary Field in Salem, Oregon, and Three Sisters Backcountry Yurts.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Volunteers Respond to Weekend Mountain Bike Crash West of Bend