An off-roading excursion gone awry stranded three passengers in the cold several years back, a mission that Jay Christianson remembers well.

As a volunteer with El Paso County Search and Rescue, it was up to him to recover the trio down tight forest service roads beyond Garden of the Gods.

“The people at hand decided to go aggressively off-roading in an early ‘90s Toyota Corolla, much further than anybody really in their right mind would go,” Christianson said.

His team set out in dark, 20-degree conditions, and the roads proved too treacherous even for the trusted Chevy Suburban they typically brought on such missions. Instead, they were relegated to an unheated ORV with limited space.

Team rescues dog on mountain hike, 6.5 miles from trailhead in Colorado

Three freezing trips later, everybody returned home safe and sound, if a little frosty, but Christianson said the mission could have been completed in one toasty trip with the proper vehicle.

That vehicle is now within arm’s reach for EPSCAR. A national vote stands between them.

EPCSAR is a finalist in Land Rover USA’s Defender Service Awards in the search and rescue category, one of five categories in this year’s competition. Car dealership Red Noland collaborated with EPCSAR on a video for the contest, which explains how search and rescue operates and why a customized Land Rover Defender 130 would assist in its efforts.

El Paso County Search & Rescue (Colorado Springs, CO)

“We would be able to check all of our boxes with one piece of equipment as opposed to having to send two or three in the field and having a little bit of uncertainty as to if we will actually be able to get on scene,” one volunteer said in the video. “Because there’s no one backing up Search and Rescue, if we get stuck, it’s on us to get us out, so any, any piece of equipment that we have that improves our chances, that’s a game-changer for us.”

The Defender is smaller than the Suburban, small enough to fit down tighter paths but not so small it can’t fit all the necessary crew and supplies, Christianson said.

The nonprofit organization is entirely volunteer-run and free to the public. Funding comes from individual, group, firm and agency donors, meaning finances can get a little tricky when it comes time to replace an expensive piece of equipment like a vehicle.

El Paso County Search and Rescue competes for new Land Rover

“Those vehicles spend a lot of time on unpaved, unimproved forest service roads and mountain roads as opposed to paved city and county roads. Their life expectancy is much shorter, just the level of abuse they take responding to missions,” volunteer Patrick Kerscher said.

In being named a finalist, EPCSAR has received a $5,000 donation from sponsors Chase and Pelican. The first-place winner will receive an additional $25,000 as well as the customized Defender.

“They’re all well-deserving groups, and I wish that every one of us could win,” Kerscher said. “It’s huge for a volunteer nonprofit organization to have an opportunity like this come along.”

Voting closes on Nov. 6. To support El Paso County Search and Rescue, and your neighbors in need, click here.

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