BluePrintSAR

American Samoa State SAR

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American Samoa Search and Rescue

Who leads searches in American Samoa, how agencies request state help, and the resources behind them. Verified items link to their source. Reviewed November 2026.

Emergency: call 911. Territorial emergency management: American Samoa Department of Homeland Security main office (684) 699-3800; Department of Search and Rescue (684) 699-4462. Both are listed in the American Samoa Government cabinet directory with weekday office hours; there is no published 24-hour territorial line. How a state request works ↓

Requesting state help in American Samoa

American Samoa's Department of Search and Rescue is the territorial agency named for search and rescue; its director also oversees fire protection, marine patrol and emergency medical services. The territorial emergency plan assigns ESF-9 (Search and Rescue) to Search and Rescue and the Department of Public Safety.

  1. State 24-hour contactAmerican Samoa Department of Homeland Security main office (684) 699-3800; Department of Search and Rescue (684) 699-4462. Both are listed in the American Samoa Government cabinet directory with weekday office hours; there is no published 24-hour territorial line. For maritime emergencies the Coast Guard JRCC Honolulu answers 24/7 at (808) 535-3333.
  2. Requesting state resourcesContact ASDHS to coordinate; the EOC coordinates but does not manage the response and only the Governor can activate it.

Want to write the request out before you call? Use the request builder. Official agency: American Samoa Department of Homeland Security ↗.

Key numbers

Only figures with a published source.

3districts

American Samoa’s 3 political districts. The Census also lists Swains Island and Rose Atoll as separate units.

U.S. Census Bureau ↗

18Discipline directories

BluePrintSAR resource pages for American Samoa (below).

How search and rescue is requested in American Samoa

  1. Step 1In an emergency call 911. The Department of Search and Rescue and the Department of Public Safety hold ESF-9.
  2. Step 2Contact ASDHS to coordinate; the EOC coordinates but does not manage the response and only the Governor can activate it.
  3. Step 3For maritime emergencies, call VHF-FM Channel 16 or the U.S. Coast Guard JRCC Honolulu, 24x7 (808) 535-3333 or toll free (800) 331-6176.
  4. Step 4Federal support is requested by the Governor through the territorial emergency system.

Law and authority

Territorial Disaster Assistance Act of 1978, A.S.C.A. § 26.0101 et seq.

Goals include preparing for prompt and efficient rescue of people threatened by disaster; sets Governor's emergency powers and the territorial emergency management office's planning duties (per a 2004 CRS summary).

Read the source ↗

State plans and guidelines

No territorial SAR plan or discipline guidelines are listed for American Samoa.

Resources by discipline

What each resource does, how it is requested in American Samoa, and the standards that apply.

Listed in BluePrintSAR directories for American Samoa

Loading counts…

Counts are directory category listings, not unique organizations, personnel or available assets. Informational canine placeholders are excluded. Organizations can appear in several categories; canine specialty subtotals can overlap.

Aviation (USCG / Regional Air Support)

No search and rescue aircraft are listed in American Samoa; the Coast Guard coordinates from Honolulu and flies from Hawaii.

How to request

In American Samoa, aircraft are requested by the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

No local aviation SAR standard applies. Coast Guard aircrew follow Coast Guard standards.

American Samoa Aviation (USCG / Regional Air Support) directory

Canine (K9)

No SAR dog team or certification is based in American Samoa; mainland teams are requested through emergency management

How to request

In American Samoa, incidents on land go to territorial public safety and the Department of Homeland Security's TEMCO.

Standards and policy

There is no territorial SAR dog standard. Mainland teams brought in would carry their own certification (for example FEMA US&R canine or NASAR/ARDA).

American Samoa Canine (K9) directory

Cave & Mine Rescue

Volunteer specialists

Specialists for rescues in caves and mines, where rope work, tight passages and communications make ordinary rescue methods hard.

Who provides it in American Samoa

Cave rescuers serve on local rescue squads and cave rescue groups. The National Cave Rescue Commission (part of the National Speleological Society) trains them and tracks cave rescue resources and specialized equipment. American Samoa is not assigned to an NCRC region on the commission’s staff page; contact the National Coordinator. Accidents at working mines fall under the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

How to request

Call 911. The agency with jurisdiction requests cave rescuers and can reach the NCRC National Coordinator listed on the NCRC staff page. Report an accident at a working mine to MSHA at 1-800-746-1553.

Standards and policy

NCRC national cave rescue curriculum: Orientation to Cave Rescue, Level 1 Team Member and Level 2 Team Leader.

American Samoa Cave & Volcanic Tube Rescue directory NCRC about ↗ NCRC regional coordinators ↗ MSHA emergency contact ↗

Cell Phone Forensics

Kelsey Smith Act law: none found. 4 agencies and resources listed, each checked against a cited source.

How to request

In American Samoa, only the law enforcement agency running the search can ask a carrier for a phone's location.

Standards and policy

There is no single national certification for cell phone analysis in searches; agencies and labs set their own training requirements.

American Samoa Cell Phone Forensics directory

Coast Guard

Coast Guard district and 1 sector covering American Samoa, plus 1 station, local and volunteer units. All checked against a cited source.

How to request

In American Samoa, call 911 or VHF-FM Channel 16 for a maritime emergency.

Standards and policy

Coast Guard and Auxiliary crews qualify under Coast Guard training programs; local marine units follow the standards their agency sets.

American Samoa Coast Guard directory

Communication

National SAR and interoperability channels from the NIFOG.

How to request

In American Samoa, the agency running the search sets the radio plan.

Standards and policy

Communications unit leaders (COML) and technicians (COMT) train through CISA courses and state credentialing; volunteers hold FCC amateur licenses.

American Samoa Communication directory

Dive & Underwater

No public safety dive team is listed in American Samoa. Start with the territorial contact below.

How to request

In American Samoa, start with the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

Public safety dive teams commonly train to NFPA 1006 (technical rescue personnel qualifications), which covers dive rescue; each team’s sponsoring agency sets its own certification requirements.

American Samoa Dive & Underwater directory

Drone / UAS

No American Samoa statute specifically governs government drone use; FAA rules and agency policy apply. 1 agency and volunteer drone team listed, each checked against a published source in October 2026.

How to request

In American Samoa, drone teams are requested by the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

Part 107 pilots complete FAA recurrent training every 24 months; agency programs set their own proficiency standards.

American Samoa Drone / UAS directory

National Guard

No territorial Guard

Military helicopters and personnel for hoist rescue, aerial search and ground support when civilian resources can’t do the job.

Who provides it in American Samoa

American Samoa has no National Guard of its own. Military support comes through federal channels.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests outside help through American Samoa Department of Homeland Security. Outside the continental U.S., military and Coast Guard aviation for SAR is coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard rescue coordination center for the region; ask the emergency management agency for the current contact.

Standards and policy

Federal military support to civil authorities is requested through the territorial emergency management office and FEMA.

American Samoa National Guard directory National Guard state and territory list (National Guard Bureau) ↗ American Samoa Department of Homeland Security ↗

Mantracking

Trackers who find and follow a missing person’s footprints and other sign on the ground.

Who provides it in American Samoa

No American Samoa tracking team is listed here yet; see the directory below.

How to request

The agency running the search requests trackers, usually alongside ground search teams; see who leads searches above.

Standards and policy

ASTM F2852, Standard Practice for Training a Land Search Tracker, sets minimum training for trackers supporting a land search. FEMA’s Land SAR Team typing (8-508-1173) references ASTM F2209 for land search team members.

American Samoa Mantracking directory ASTM F2852 (tracker training) ↗ FEMA Land SAR Team definition ↗

Marine & Boating Law Enforcement

State boating agency

Officers and boats on lakes, rivers and coastal waters who respond to boating emergencies and support water searches.

Who provides it in American Samoa

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators lists American Samoa Dept of Public Safety (Search and Rescue) as American Samoa’s boating law agency (boating safety, enforcement and registration).

How to request

Call 911 for a water emergency; the agency with jurisdiction requests marine units through dispatch. On coastal waters and the Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard coordinates maritime search and rescue.

Standards and policy

State boating laws. NASBLA promotes uniform state boating laws and their enforcement (U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division).

American Samoa Marine / Department of Commerce Enforcement directory American Samoa Dept of Public Safety (Search and Rescue) ↗ NASBLA American Samoa boating contacts ↗ State boating laws (USCG Boating Safety) ↗

Police & Public Safety Enforcement

American Samoa's Department of Search and Rescue is the territorial agency named for search and rescue; its director also oversees fire protection, marine patrol and emergency medical services.

How to request

In an emergency call 911. The Department of Search and Rescue and the Department of Public Safety hold ESF-9.

Standards and policy

No territorial SAR member certification

American Samoa Police & Public Safety Enforcement directory

National & Territorial Parks

Park agencies whose staff know park terrain and trails and support searches on park land.

Who provides it in American Samoa

The National Park of American Samoa is run by the National Park Service.

How to request

For an emergency in a park, call 911. Park staff support the agency with jurisdiction; see who leads searches at the top of this page.

Standards and policy

NPS Management Policies apply on national park land.

American Samoa National Park Rangers directory NPS sites in American Samoa ↗

Swiftwater & Flood Rescue

Teams that search for and rescue people and animals in swiftwater and floods, from shore and by boat.

Who provides it in American Samoa

No American Samoa swiftwater or flood team is listed here yet; see the directory below.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests water rescue through 911 dispatch. When local teams are exceeded, help is requested through American Samoa Department of Homeland Security.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s NIMS resource typing defines a Swiftwater/Flood Search and Rescue Team (8-508-1020), which provides shore-based and boat-based water rescue, basic life support and animal rescue.

American Samoa Swiftwater / Stream Valley Rescue directory FEMA Swiftwater/Flood SAR Team definition ↗ American Samoa Department of Homeland Security ↗

Technical Mountain Rescue

Teams for steep, high-angle and alpine terrain that use rope systems to reach and evacuate people.

Who provides it in American Samoa

No Mountain Rescue Association member team is based in American Samoa (MRA team lists). See the directory for other teams.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests the team, usually through 911 dispatch; see who leads searches above. Help from outside the area is requested through American Samoa Department of Homeland Security.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s NIMS resource typing defines a Mountain Search and Rescue Team (8-508-1171) for low mountain, mountain and alpine environments. The MRA lists member teams by region with their membership status.

American Samoa Technical Rescue Units directory MRA teams by region ↗ FEMA Mountain SAR Team definition ↗

USAR (FEMA / Territorial Task Force)

No FEMA task force is based in American Samoa; federal teams come through FEMA.

How to request

In American Samoa, US&R teams are requested by the agency in charge of the incident, through the state emergency management agency when local resources run short.

Standards and policy

FEMA task forces train to FEMA and NFPA standards; state and regional teams follow the standards their sponsor sets.

American Samoa USAR (FEMA / Territorial Task Force) directory

Federal lands (National Park Service)

Federal land manager

Federal land agencies whose staff support searches on national forests, grasslands and parks.

Who provides it in American Samoa

American Samoa has no national forest or grassland on the Forest Service’s list. The National Park Service lists 1 park site in American Samoa.

How to request

In a national park, call 911 or the park’s emergency line; the NPS will make reasonable efforts to search for lost persons, using its own staff or partner SAR organizations under formal agreements.

Standards and policy

NPS Management Policies 2006, §8.2.5.3: SAR runs under the Incident Command System and visitors are not charged for it.

American Samoa National Park Service Lands directory NPS sites in American Samoa ↗ NPS SAR policy excerpt ↗

UTV & ATV Units

Off-road vehicles, including UTVs, ATVs and e-bikes, that move searchers and equipment and carry out injured people over rough trails.

Who provides it in American Samoa

No American Samoa UTV or ATV unit is listed here yet; see the directory below.

How to request

The agency running the search requests vehicle units; see who leads searches above.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s Land SAR Team typing (8-508-1173) includes ground vehicles for support, transportation and evacuation in land and wilderness searches.

American Samoa UTV & ATV / Off-Road Units directory FEMA Land SAR Team definition ↗

3-district directory

The local law enforcement agency for each district. Who leads a search varies by state; see the top of this page. For an emergency, call 911.

All 3 phone numbers verified (2026-10) against the agency’s own site, a government directory, or a sheriffs’ association or IACP directory; each “Verified” link shows the source. For an emergency, call 911.

JurisdictionAgencyPhone
Eastern DistrictDepartment of Public Safety(684) 633-1111
DPS main line · Verified
Manu'a DistrictDepartment of Public Safety(684) 633-1111
DPS main line (Tutuila); no Manu‘a-specific number published · Verified
Western DistrictDepartment of Public Safety(684) 633-1111
DPS main line · Verified
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