Texas Rescue Patrol: The volunteer-ran agency helping to keep the desert safe

NOTE: The broadcast version of this story incorrectly stated that the Texas Rescue Patrol runs the only ambulance service for "most of Hudspeth County." It is actually one of four in the county, and the TRP's ambulance covers the northwestern portion of the county.

EL PASO, Texas -- On the far east side of El Paso, there is a small station operating next to an off-road rental business at the entrance of Red Sands.

Trucks that appear to be law enforcement sit outside, but at a closer glance, they actually belong to the Texas Rescue Patrol.

Chief Jamil Moutran formed the agency back in 2017 after seeing a need for search and rescue operations in the relatively isolated area.

"I saw there was a need that needed to be filled, a void that needed to be filled if you will, for an organization that could actively go out there and help people in distress using off road equipment and resources available, Chief Moutran told ABC-7.

"That's really how Texas Rescue Patrol started."

While the agency does work with local law enforcement agencies including the Sheriff's department as well as U.S. Border Patrol, TRP is not publicly funded. In fact, they rely on volunteers, donations, and grants to complete their work, which includes search & rescue and paramedic services.

"One day we may be out there assisting the fire department, another day we may be riding in the back of an ambulance transporting a patient to the hospital," Chief Moutran told us. He added, "another day we may be working with the sheriff's department to try to locate a missing person. It's really a diverse mountain of call volume that we have." 

Many of the volunteer paramedics are in the Army, including Sergeant Cade Noel.

He told ABC-7 that while it's difficult sometimes to balance the volunteer work and his military service, it's worth it in the end to help people.

"You find a way to make it the most manageable that you can" said Noel. "For something you love, you you make a way to make it happen."

In 2020, the agency received an ambulance, adding patient transport to the list of services they provide. That ambulance is now the 4th operating in the relatively isolated and sparsely populated Hudspeth County, primarily operating in the northwest region of the county.