The New Brunswick Ground Search and Rescue Association (NBGSARA) represents the Province of New Brunswick's 11 regional ground search and rescue teams. Comprised entirely of volunteers, these teams provide assistance to the RCMP and local police departments in locating and extracting missing persons in wilderness locations. The NBGSARA represents these teams through its directors who are active members of their associated team.

Volunteer ground search and rescue in New Brunswick is one of the best examples of community policing at work. It is an entirely positive activity with respect to its impact on the community and it provides the citizens with a vitally important service.

The RCMP at the national level has publicly stated its commitment to utilising and supporting volunteer search resources. This is because the service provided by highly trained civilian volunteers exceeds the ability of the RCMP to maintain independently. The level of training required combined with the relatively low number of incidents and the fact that searching wilderness areas is highly resource-intensive makes ground search and rescue impractical by any other means.

The service is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and teams are available in twelve regions through a simple phone call from a police agency. The teams can mobilise in minutes and be on scene and operational within an hour. The teams achieve this level of readiness through intensive training and the presence of efficient callout systems, often in partnership with local amateur radio clubs.