Your local Mountain Rescue Team.
A shared love of Dartmoor. A commitment to be there when someone needs us. Explore the story behind the people in red.
Our spare time.
Someone’s lifeline.
We’re your neighbours, colleagues and friends. Brought together by a love of Dartmoor and a simple purpose: to help when it matters most.
From a missing walker to a difficult rescue, our volunteers bring the skills, care and determination to get people home safely.
Our story began in Tavistock in April 1968. Today we work with our sister teams in Ashburton, Okehampton and Plymouth, supporting the police and other emergency services across Devon and Cornwall.
Find your place in the team
Our purpose
Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team – Tavistock helps the police and partner rescue services find missing people, provide appropriate care and bring them to safety.
We’re often called when someone is missing in poor weather or their location is unknown. Our volunteers train in advanced first aid, navigation, search techniques, radio communications and other skills needed to work in challenging conditions.
How we started
The Dartmoor Rescue Group was formed in Tavistock in April 1968 to help the police provide an effective search and rescue service on Dartmoor and in other remote places.
The teams originally operated as one charity. They later became self-governing and took the name Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team, followed by their home base. The Dartmoor Rescue Group continues as an executive committee, overseeing liaison between the four sister teams in Tavistock, Ashburton, Okehampton and Plymouth.
DSRT – Tavistock is part of the Peninsular Mountain and Cave Rescue Association (PenMaCRA) and Mountain Rescue England and Wales. While Dartmoor is served by the four local teams, police may call on us across Devon and Cornwall.
Working with other agencies
Search and rescue is a team effort. We work with the police, ambulance and fire and rescue services, HM Coastguard, the RNLI and neighbouring mountain rescue teams. This close cooperation helps bring the right people and resources together when someone is missing or injured.
When conditions allow, the Air Ambulance or National Police Air Service helicopter may help search for or evacuate an injured person. Dartmoor weather can make flying impossible. When that happens, people and search dogs on the ground are essential—often working through mist, darkness and rain.