Teton County Search & Rescue is excited to announce that it has received its year-round rescue helicopter, completing the capital campaign to provide an on-call rescue ship to Teton County and surrounding areas. The helicopter—a single-engine H125 aircraft built by the France-based Airbus and then customized as a rescue ship by Kansas-based EuroTec—officially arrived on Saturday, October 14, 2023. TCSAR volunteers have already begun training in and around the helicopter in preparation for the winter rescue season.

After raising $7.25 million in private donations from the community in a nine-month campaign known as Mission Critical, TCSAR Foundation, the nonprofit that supports TCSAR volunteers, handed over the title and deed of the H125 helicopter to Teton County. Moving forward, the County owns the ship and employs the chief pilot through the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees SAR operations as stipulated by Wyoming state statute. The process has been a prime example of the community benefits resulting from the public/private partnership between the TCSAR Foundation, Sheriff’s Office, and County.

“The new H125 helicopter comes at a time when Teton County Search & Rescue continues to see a high volume of rescue calls, within and outside our county,” says TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart. “Having a rescue-ready helicopter year-round can be the difference between life or death for locals and visitors alike. We are incredibly grateful to our entire community and partners for helping to make this vital rescue tool a reality for Teton County.”