Is your department full time, volunteer, paid on call, or some other combo? What types are around you? Do the different types of departments in your area get along or is there animosity?
In my county, all Search and Rescue personnel are volunteers. We work closely with both paid and volunteer agencies such as Dept of Forestry, Sheriff's Dept, Highway Patrol, County Firefighters, Forestry Firefighters, EMTs, etc. Everyone seems to work well together here and I have not seen any conflict or animosity between agencies.
Our Deparment is two full time paid including myself and Asst Chief with 40 volunteers. We have 5 small rural full volunteer agencies around. We work wel together considering they are extremely rural and backwoodsy. We try to help them and direct them as best can be.