Elite US Airforce and Air National Guard PJs are generally considered to be the gold standard of SAR.

Alaska Air National Guardsmen Rescue Bear-Mauling Victim

But as this article explains, the PJs are just the tip of the spear. There is a whole system employed to get rescuers to where they are needed, and to get the survivor back to definitive care. What the article doesn't mention is that the RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) also works closely with the Alaska State Troopers, National Park Service, USCG, and volunteer rescue teams. Whoever is best positioned to provide help to the survivor.

Fascinating. Certainly shows how much wild, relatively inaccessible country there is in Alaska.

It is one thing to operate where you have a definite location for the incident. How do you gear up for, and direct, large scale area searches? Must be very challenging.