Photo coming soonTeam to supply
Rescue Knots & Low-Angle Training
June 15, 2026
Team members met at IFSI to drill core rescue knots and the fundamentals of low-angle rope systems used to move a subject safely across uneven terrain.
Champaign County, Illinois · Est. 2012
When someone is lost, we go find them.
Champaign County Search & Rescue is an all-volunteer team operating under the Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management Agency — trained, ready, and on call to find lost and missing people across east-central Illinois.
Our Mission
Volunteers trained to bring people home.
Formed in 2012 under the Champaign County Sheriff's Office and the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), our team's purpose is the search and rescue of lost or missing individuals. Every member is a trained, unpaid volunteer who gives their evenings and weekends to be ready when the call comes.
All-volunteer. No member is paid — searchers serve their community on their own time.
Always training. Ground search, land navigation, lost person behavior, ICS, first aid & CPR.
Part of the county's response. We operate under the Sheriff's Office and CCEMA.
Get Involved
Three ways to start
Become a Searcher
18+, willing to train and respond? See the requirements and how to join.
How to volunteer →Train With Us
SARGOT, GSAR, land navigation, ICS and more — in the classroom and the field.
See training →Meetings & Events
We meet the third Tuesday of each month at IFSI. Visitors are welcome.
View the calendar → Latest
All activities Recent Activities
Photo coming soonTeam to supply
Multi-Agency Search Exercise
May 16, 2026
CCSAR joined neighboring county teams for a full-scale search exercise — practicing hasty search, grid line searches, and ICS coordination across multiple agencies.
Photo coming soonTeam to supply
Team Leader & Flanker Roles
April 20, 2026
An in-classroom session on what team leaders and flankers do on a search line, how to keep spacing and coverage, and how to communicate findings up the chain.
No experience needed — just a willingness to show up.
Search & rescue is a trained skill, and we'll teach you. If you're 18 or older, in good health, and ready to learn, we'd love to meet you.