If you have a wilderness search and rescue emergency, do not contact SMRG directly. Dial 911 and report the incident to the local authorities or contact the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Emergency Operations Center at (804) 674-2400.

Welcome to the home of the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group (SMRG). The Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group is a professional volunteer wilderness search and rescue organization established to provide assistance to those who become lost or injured in the outdoors. Along with other member organizations of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference (ASRC), SMRG responds to emergencies anywhere in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to conduct searches for missing persons or aircraft, and to carry out rescue operations in wilderness areas that require specialized equipment and techniques.

If you are new to SMRG, the About SMRG section provides more information on who we are and what we do.

If you are interested in joining SMRG, please visit the Join SMRG section.

SMRG is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Lost… but Found Safe and Sound

Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group (SMRG) presents a preventative program for children 4-12 based in part on the Association of National Park Rangers’ “Lost, but Found Safe and Sound” video.

From the Lost, but Found Website:

“This 12-minute, professionally produced video is designed to show children, ages 4-12, what to do if they become lost in remote areas such as parks or forests. It follows the actions and thinking of 7-year-old Kelly, who sets out on a long-awaited hike on a beautiful day in the woods with her parents and brother. She runs ahead, gets separated from the rest of the family and becomes lost.

Kelly initially panics and runs aimlessly looking for her family. She then realizes she is lost, and she begins to recall the time a park ranger came to her school and explained what to do in this kind of situation. Gradually, as day turns to night, Kelly takes the appropriate actions and spends the night alone in her "nest" in the woods. The next morning she is found safe and sound by Leni the search dog and his handlers, Brooke Holt and Marion Hardy. Although she is cold, Kelly is just fine because she remembered what to do.”

Anne Tubiolo of the National Park Service Interpretive Design Center at Harpers Ferry produced the video with a generous grant from the National Park Foundation. The video is set in Shenandoah National Park, but it is appropriate for any geographic setting.

The SMRG presentation includes: