Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit

The Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU) is a FEMA and California OES Type I Search and Rescue resource within the San Mateo County Sheriff Office of Emergency Services-based out of San Mateo County, California. As part of the mutual aid system, the Sheriff's volunteer forces are available twenty-four hours a day for deployment anywhere in the State.

The unit is an independent, tax-exempt public charity as described in IRS section 501(c) (3) (Federal ID 23-7098709). It is a non-profit corporation with an elected board of directors. All of BAMRU's funding comes from donations and member contributions.

Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit trains for a wide variety of skills used in wilderness search and rescue operations and technical rescues and specializes in difficult terrain, challenging weather, and high altitude. BAMRU can be called to support efforts looking for hikers or climbers in need of assistance anywhere in California. The team can be deployed and be self-sufficient in the backcountry for up to 72 hours. BAMRU members are mountaineers, skiers, backpackers, and climbers and live all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

BAMRU's members all belong to the Mountain rescue in the United States, and the team is fully accredited with the California Region of the Mountain Rescue Association (CRMRA). BAMRU was voted to full member of the CRMRA in November 1972.

BAMRU also belongs to the Bay Area Search and Rescue Council, a group representing Search and Rescue organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area.