Cheshire Search and Rescue team was set up in 2004 after a local teenager went missing in suspicious circumstances. It was realised, during the searches that Warrington needed a search and rescue team and advertisements where placed in the local papers in January 2004. These adverts attracted 24 volunteers whose common aim was to serve the Warrington community.

By April 2004 Cheshire Police was aware of the team and asked that the team cover the whole of Cheshire, and not just Warrington. By May 2005 the team had passed the assessments requested by the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue to become a fully active search team.

Since then the team has grown to one of over 40 active members, and will also now travel into the Merseyside and Greater Manchester areas, as well as Cheshire, to help when needed.

Team members worked together in 2009 and established a set of team values that all members are expected display in their actions and behaviours towards each other, people we work with and the public. These values are:

• Professionalism

We aim for the highest standards in the services we provide and in our own professional conduct. We always look to improve our service and work in ways to avoid harm.

• Trust

We trust and support one another and the partners we work with so we can work effectively together with confidence to achieve our common goals.

• Integrity

We do what we say we are going to do building mutual respect across the team and professional respect from the external organisations we work with.

Proud to be a member of Cheshire Search and Rescue Team

The team has an executive committee, which manages the team and sets the strategic direction of the team and a management committee, which supports the executive committee and the operational aspects of the team.

The executive committee comprises:

• team leader (chair)
• deputy team leader (deputy chair)
• secretary
• treasurer
• medical director
• lead training officer

An annual general meeting is held each year and team members vote in the executive committee from those team members who have been nominated for the different roles.

Any member of the team can stand for election onto the executive committee.

The management committee comprises:

(a) Asset management officers:

• vehicles
• buildings
• equipment and communications

(b) Operations management officers:

• logistics
• publicity
• fund raising
• welfare
• technical
• medical

The management committee may in addition appoint not more than four co-opted members.

The management committee members are selected, each year, by the executive committee from those team members who have formally expressed an interest in the different roles.