Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are some of the most critical groups for backcountry recreation, as they're the folks who'll save your ass when things go south. Yet, despite their absolute necessity, they're some of the least funded organizations around, as they face constant funding battles by both State and Federal legislatures.
Routinely, this means finding funding through the communities they support. But even then, it's difficult to find the means when most folks are living paycheck to paycheck these days. You can only squeeze so much blood from a stone. Adding insult to injury, sometimes quite literally, our current administration seems hellbent on reducing anything that has the public interest at heart, and that's included SAR funding.
Knowing this, one company is aiming to help bridge the funding gap and ensure SAR groups have a little more funding secured to engage in critical rescue functions. That company is the good folks over at Rocky Talkie, the backcountry walkie-talkie outfit, which is aiming to donate $150,000 to teams across the country.
Rocky Talkie is known in backcountry recreation circles as the builder of some of the best walkie-talkies around, as they work where most others just don't. Trees and mountain ridgelines can't stop them, and their mileage is about as good as you can get without wading into the muddy waters of SOF gear that may or may not be illegal to possess as a civilian.
But it's the brand's commitment to ensuring those who are looking to go off-grid and find adventure are also safe that separates it from others.
Now entering its 7th year of the Rocky Talkie Search & Rescue Awards, the company is offering up $150,000 for grant funding for volunteer SAR teams and organizations to apply for. According to the company, it's donated $260,000 to 27 volunteer teams since the launch, which has helped teams buy equipment, materials, gone toward more training, and so much more.
"Rocky Talkie was born from our love of the outdoors. As members of that community, we have made it part of our mission to give back to the volunteer teams that keep us safe and raise awareness about the chronic underfunding of an absolutely essential service for the outdoor community," said co-founder Alex Page in a statement.
The application window for the awards is now open, going on through the end of the month, so if you want to hook up your local SAR team with some much-needed love, head on over to Rocky Talkies' grant page here, and show them some support.
