The mission of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Unit is to provide for the most effective and efficient use of resources to safeguard human life and hasten the recovery of lost, injured, or stranded individuals. This will be by the quick and safe responses of trained personnel with appropriate equipment, employing effective SAR techniques.
Search And Rescue within Tulare County is the responsibility of the Sheriff's Office. One of the largest Counties in California, Tulare County is home to both the fertile San Joaquin Valley and the vast Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The elevation changes dramatically from near sea level in the valley to over 14,491 feet, climbing to the summit of Mount Whitney. Tulare County encompasses the Sequoia National Monument and Forest, Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, the Golden Trout Wilderness Area, Jennie Lakes Wilderness Area, Inyo National Forest and others. Tulare County Sheriff's Department SAR works closely with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and will respond to assist other jurisdictions upon OES request.
The Tulare County Sheriff Department's jurisdictional responsibilities include:
• 327,000 acres within the Sequoia National Forest
• 402,000 acres within the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks
• Over 800 miles of maintained roads in the SNF
• 1,500 miles of maintained trails in the SNF
• Tulare County is over 5,000 square miles in size