About the team
Neighbors who train so they can help when the county calls.
Franklin County Search & Rescue (FCSAR) is a volunteer search and rescue organization based in Ozark, Arkansas. We operate under the direction of the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management.
Members are unpaid. They live here, hunt and hike here, and answer callouts because someone else’s family is waiting.
Who we are
The team is organized as Franklin Search and Rescue Team, a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 85-4116966), formed in 2023. The mailing and organizational address on file is 200 W Commercial Street, Ozark, AR 72949.
Authority
FCSAR does not self-dispatch.
- Missing person, overdue hunter, wandering at-risk adult, vehicle off-road in remote terrain → call 911
- The Sheriff’s Office / Emergency Management decides whether to activate SAR
- We work inside that incident command structure
Terrain we know
Franklin County covers about 619 square miles of the Arkansas River Valley and the southern Ozarks: steep timber, hollows, pasture, the Mulberry and Arkansas river corridors, low-water crossings, and popular recreation ground that turns unforgiving after dark or after a rain.
What we are not
We are not a fire department, not an ambulance service, and not a substitute for law enforcement. FCSAR complements fire and law enforcement capacity with organized volunteer ground searchers.