Be part of the Dorset Search & Rescue team
Dorset Search and Rescue is a dedicated team of trained volunteers who work alongside the emergency services to help find vulnerable missing people across Dorset. If you’re looking for a rewarding challenge and want to make a real difference in your community, joining DorSAR could be for you. Whether as an operational search technician or a support member helping behind the scenes, every volunteer plays a vital role in helping us respond when it matters most.
Join us as an Operational Member.
We have concluded our recruiting campaign of operational search technicians for our September training cohort, with assessment on the 25th November.
However we will be recruiting for search technicians later this year/ early next for our spring intake. Could you help search for vulnerable missing persons in Dorset? Do you have spare time to commit to training? Would you be able to attend call outs, some are unsocial hours?
If so why not take the first steps to join our team of dedicated people focused on the search for vulnerable missing persons in Dorset. Get in touch through this contact link Membership Secretary expressing your interest.
A presentation evening and interviews will take place on a date to be announced later in the year (with an alternative date to be arranged for those not able to make the main date).
Join us as a Support Member
We are now recruiting support members.
If operational membership does not sound your thing but you still feel drawn to do your bit please consider Support membership. We have roles from PR events, fundraising, maintainence and many many other tasks that are essential in maintaining the organisation.
If you would like to join in this capacity please get in touch therough this contact Link. Membership Secretary
The strength of our operations lies in the power of teamwork. No single person can conduct a successful search and rescue mission alone — it takes a cohesive, well-coordinated team working in harmony to achieve the best possible outcome for those we are searching for.
Rebekka Welch
Unit Leader
I continue to volunteer for DorSAR because it is now part of me and who I am. It's like a second family and one that I am proud to be part of #SARFAMILY
Name:
Tom – Call sign DS98
Dorsar role(s):
Incident Commander, Search Manager, Team leader, licensed search technician. Most recently I have become involved with training not just for new trainees but keeping all of our members operational with standardised training. In the past I have held multiple roles including chairman.
Day job:
Fibre optic cable installer.
How long have you been volunteering?
I have been a part of DorSAR now for 12 and a half years.
Why do you volunteer?
I volunteer to meet you new people, to share my skills and ultimately with Dorset search and Rescue to help the missing person and their families.
How did you hear about Dorsar?
I heard about DorSAR through a friend in my village while taking our children out trick or treating!
Why do you continue to volunteer?
I continue to volunteer for DorSAR because it is now part of me and who I am. It’s like a second family and one that I am proud to be part of #SARfamily
Volunteering with DorSAR is so rewarding in so may ways and I feel very privileged to be part of such a dedicated and supportive team
Name:
Sian – Call sign SU517
Dorsar role(s):
Non-Operational Support
Day job:
Data Analyst
How long have you been volunteering?
I’m currently in my eighth year with Dorsar.
Why do you volunteer?
I’ve always been involved in volunteering, from PTAs to support groups, but I’d never considered search and rescue as an option because my physical health can fluctuate due to chronic health conditions. When I learned about Dorsar, I realised I could use my experience in fundraising and community engagement to make a meaningful contribution. As a charity that relies entirely on donations, fundraising and public awareness are vital to ensuring we can continue supporting search operations when people need us most. Being able to play a part in that is incredibly rewarding.
How did you hear about Dorsar?
Through friends who were already part of the team.
Why do you continue to volunteer?
Dorsar plays such an important role during some of the most difficult moments in people’s lives, and it’s vital that we can continue providing that support. Over the years, I’ve also made some wonderful friendships and become involved in far more than just fundraising. I’ve helped with training, supported team social events, and even featured in a news story about the work we do. Volunteering with Dorsar is rewarding in so many different ways, and I feel very privileged to be part of such a dedicated and supportive team
I volunteer because I like to save lives and give families closure. Also the camaraderie, sharing bonds with like minded people
Name:
Bob – Call sign DS10
Dorsar role(s):
My role is that of a team leader, and I've been held that position for 20 years. I've also been competency group leader in search techniques, organized major search exercises and been involved in tracking training.
Day job:
I worked for most of my life in the motor trade since leaving school until retirement.
How long have you been volunteering?
I've been a volunteer in Dorsar for over 20 years.
Why do you volunteer?
I volunteer because I like to save lives and give families closure. Also the camaraderie, sharing bonds with like minded people. There are great opportunities to share and enhance your skills through training such as navigation, first aid, casualty care, radio coms, and teamwork.
How did you hear about Dorsar?
I heard about and became involved with Dorset Search and Rescue when a friend in the motor trade came in one day looking very tired and I asked him why and he told me he'd been out all night helping Dorset Police with helicopters and teams of people looking for high risk missing person. I was very intrigued, so I discussed this further and became involved with Dorset Search and Rescue and have never looked back.
Why do you continue to volunteer?
I continue volunteering as it helps to keep me fit and have a purpose. I hopefully pass on knowledge gained over the years to other people within Dorset Search and Rescue
For anyone thinking of volunteering, I say do it. You will gain more from it than you can possibly realise
Name:
Freya – Call sign DS33
Dorsar role(s):
I am a search technician and also a team medic.
Day job:
I am a specialist manager with adult social care for Dorset Council.
How long have you been volunteering?
I have been volunteering for just over 4 years.
Why do you volunteer?
I like to help people. I have been involved in volunteering in different ways for most of my life and have seen what an impact it has on individuals, families and communities. To be able to volunteer with DorSAR, you need to be physically fit, have the flexibility to attend whenever and wherever and be able to learn new skills and be willing to keep learning. This means not everyone who wants to help others can volunteer with DorSAR. I am proud that I can and therefore will keep doing it as long as I can. Finally and most importantly, I have met some amazing people and am proud to call them my friends. Volunteering has given me a second family that I have only recently realised was so important. I am currently recovering from breast cancer and cant go out with the team for the time being. My DorSAR family has been there for me at this difficult time and I can't wait to get back out there
How did you hear about Dorsar?
Why do you continue to volunteer?
Volunteering with DorSAR is so much more than what I can do for others. It has given me so much. I have earned many different skills and qualifications as well as gained a second family. I have completed mental health first aid training as well as other mental health specific courses. I am now a part of the welfare team so I can support other team members if required. I have also been trained as a first responder level medic. I have had reason to use these skills outside of DorSAR and I am so grateful that I had this training so I could do my best to help others.
Finally and most importantly, I have met some amazing people and am proud to call them my friends. Volunteering has given me a second family that I have only recently realised was so important. I am currently recovering from breast cancer and can’t go out with the team for the time being. My DorSAR family has been there for me at this difficult time and I can’t wait to get back out there
