4×4 is tasked with general support requiring transport and extended travel SAR operations.
4×4 team members have skill sets in the following areas:
- Transportation of people, equipment, and supplies during missions.
- Land navigation, knowledge of the county topography and various map formats, including computerized mapping systems, Global Positioning System (GPS) and utilizing these tools to map roads and terrain.
- Base camp procedures, support, logistics, control, and security.
- Driving skills to include vehicle recovery techniques, towing, driving under all road and weather conditions, in safe, well maintained vehicles.
- Provide and operate an auxiliary Command and Control Vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office.
- Helicopter ground support, including Helibase & Helispot Setup, Control, and Safety.
- Search strategies to include the fundamentals in road searching, urban searching, grid searching, crime scene, and basic principles of other KCSARA unit search techniques.
- Mission site support includes road searches, containment, road-blocking, traffic control/direction, and dog/search team escort.
- Interview witnesses to collect information for KCSO & SAR operations.
- 4X4 has a strong contingent of amateur radio operators that provide additional radio-related services to KCSO.
- Vehicles are equipped with VHF-Low, VHF-Hi, and UHF radio equipment allowing communications with other units or agencies, better facilitating radio operations. Unit members can conveniently set up radio relay locations on high ground in support of search teams that are beyond direct radio communication to base camp.
King County 4x4 Search and Rescue 