What is search and rescue (SAR)?
Search and Rescue involves not only searching for missing or lost people but also is rescuing injured or immobile which can include hikers, climbers, skiers, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts. SAR is also body recoveries, evidence searches, and disaster response.
Is SAR for you?
Who is qualified to become a Search and Rescue volunteer? Do you need extensive backpacking experience? What about medical training? Or knowing how to rock-climb?
While those skills are great to have, they aren't necessarily prerequisites for joining our team. Having outdoor skills and experience is the norm for those who apply to become SAR volunteers, there is a great deal one can learn while participating.
The following is a partial list of trainings that our team participates in. These courses, often involving both classroom and field instruction, are frequently revisited and re-certified. Some are required as part of the ASARERT Basic SAR curriculum, which each member must complete, while other classes are optional (but highly recommended especially for specialty SAR or for advancement in SAR careers).
Basic Map & Compass; Basic GPS; Navigation; Man Tracking; Mounted SARTECH 3; SARTECH II, III, & IV; IRIC (Initial Response Incident Command); ICS Command roles; ATV training; Truck and Trailer training; Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) training; Patient Packaging and extraction; Low-Angle Rescue; Helicopter Safety; Advanced Navigation; Knots; Wilderness First Aid; Fire Making; Drones; K9 roles are some of the classes our team trains for.