I like being outdoors. I like hiking. I currently work on the 'back end' of AMR (American Medical Response) and see what goes on from this point of view. I want a more 'interesting' job, and want to get into the EMS field starting as an EMT-B/I and hopefully onto being a full Paramedic. I think it would be a dream job to actually work on a SAR team, saving the lives of people who really need it, unlike a lot of 'city stuff' I've seen. With that said...how does one get into SAR?
How does one get into SAR?
- Thread starter Caoboy
- Start date
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
I woudl like to know too...lol
Accrete
Explorer
as a HAM operator i've mingled with local SAR teams for over a decade...here is what i've found for our area that may be helpful as places of initial contact for further information; Sheriff Department or Posse, Local Fire Dept, HAM Club (they are hooked up with them in emergencies so they have contacts), Local chapter of Civil Air Patrol (my wife and i were part of a local CAP chapter...really great crew and excellent SAR training and exercises.).
Cheers,
Thom
Cheers,
Thom
NuggetHoarder
Adventurer
Part of it depends on your AO. I used to be a professional rattlesnake hunter in Florida and I was asked to participate in several rescues just because me and my buddies knew more about the local forests than anyone else. I also am a certified divemaster and PADI instructor and I've been on a couple of body recoveries for dead cave divers. All of that SAR stuff was just being in the right place at the right time and also being the best person for that task. I know it sounds cocky, but it is what it is.
Now it seems like Homeland Security has injected their tentacles into everything all the way down to the city and county level and you need all kinds of classes, training and certifications just to walk around the woods and look for someone, lol.
I guess my point is, what do you bring to the table? Do you have the most awesome dog in the county? Can you slither through a 10' deep cave crevice that is only 15" wide? Do you have all the equipment to dive 1,000 feet into a silted out cave? A lot of SAR people get chosen because they are the best rafting_guide/snake_wrangler/lumberjack/pilot/dog_handler/whatever.
If medical is your thing, then go for it. Become the best. The world will beat a path to your door. From what I've seen most rescues take place at the county level, unless it's a celebrity, then it rises to the state level so maybe check out your county's inner workings.
Smokejumpers seem to have the best of all worlds. They get paid for one, plus they get free training, free medical care, free food, and they get trained in helicopters, parachuting, firefighting, climbing, medical, woodscraft, etc. Maybe you can get a job as a smokejumper with the forest service.
Now it seems like Homeland Security has injected their tentacles into everything all the way down to the city and county level and you need all kinds of classes, training and certifications just to walk around the woods and look for someone, lol.
I guess my point is, what do you bring to the table? Do you have the most awesome dog in the county? Can you slither through a 10' deep cave crevice that is only 15" wide? Do you have all the equipment to dive 1,000 feet into a silted out cave? A lot of SAR people get chosen because they are the best rafting_guide/snake_wrangler/lumberjack/pilot/dog_handler/whatever.
If medical is your thing, then go for it. Become the best. The world will beat a path to your door. From what I've seen most rescues take place at the county level, unless it's a celebrity, then it rises to the state level so maybe check out your county's inner workings.
Smokejumpers seem to have the best of all worlds. They get paid for one, plus they get free training, free medical care, free food, and they get trained in helicopters, parachuting, firefighting, climbing, medical, woodscraft, etc. Maybe you can get a job as a smokejumper with the forest service.
Travelmore
Adventurer
I know it Oregon SAR is run by the Sheriff's office in each County. For example Marin County has a site http://marinsar.org/Links/links.htm
When I was on ski patrol the SAR teams were always interested in getting folks to join on. Coming to the table with medical knowledge is a big bonus since when you find people you usually have to care for them.
I'd just call the sheriff and ask how to get in touch with the volunteer SAR teams, they should quickly know who to contact.
From all my acquaintances that are in it most folks burn out after a few years. Lots of the calls are going out on Mondays/Tuesdays so you need to have that flexibility in your day job. Also you'll get called for "city stuff" a lot when an Alzheimer patient gets lost, helping the cops with evidence searches, etc. Definitely not all about grabbing a back pack and charging off into the woods to save folks. So bear that in mind to make sure it's a fit for you.
I'd just call the sheriff and ask how to get in touch with the volunteer SAR teams, they should quickly know who to contact.
From all my acquaintances that are in it most folks burn out after a few years. Lots of the calls are going out on Mondays/Tuesdays so you need to have that flexibility in your day job. Also you'll get called for "city stuff" a lot when an Alzheimer patient gets lost, helping the cops with evidence searches, etc. Definitely not all about grabbing a back pack and charging off into the woods to save folks. So bear that in mind to make sure it's a fit for you.
wildmed
New member
So to clarify.... very few people get paid for SAR in the US. The only full team that comes to mind is YoSAR in yosemite, and they are basically a bunch of 5.11+ trad climbers that live in the valley and get paid on call to perform rescue under the supervision of full time climbing rangers. It is hardly a career, but definitely a fun seasonal job if you like living out of a tent and risking your life for pennies. The only people who get paid a decent salary for any sort of regular SAR is climbing rangers, and that is a completely different, and competitive path.
On top of that there are 3 types of SAR; Mountain Rescue (MRA accredited teams) and ground search and rescue (Nasar), and urban search and rescue(USAR or local FD). Ground Search and rescue teams mostly search for lost, overdue parties ect. Urban search and rescue does technical rescue in an urban environment in events such as a natural disaster. Mountain rescue teams provides everything from technical climbing rescue and lost party search in foothills to high alpine terrain. All of these teams are composed of volunteers (NASAR/MRA)or FD members(USAR).
Teams vary greatly in application and training. Some teams you can almost walk on to. Some of the more prestigious teams require an entrance interview, up to 1.5yrs of training and a final vote AFTER training, these teams are very selective and only take people with the best technical skills and mindset.
My best advice is to just do a google search for SAR in your area, see what comes up, then talk to members of that team on how to join. Good luck and have fun with your new interest! EMS is a fun field of work, Wilderness EMS is even more fun!
On top of that there are 3 types of SAR; Mountain Rescue (MRA accredited teams) and ground search and rescue (Nasar), and urban search and rescue(USAR or local FD). Ground Search and rescue teams mostly search for lost, overdue parties ect. Urban search and rescue does technical rescue in an urban environment in events such as a natural disaster. Mountain rescue teams provides everything from technical climbing rescue and lost party search in foothills to high alpine terrain. All of these teams are composed of volunteers (NASAR/MRA)or FD members(USAR).
Teams vary greatly in application and training. Some teams you can almost walk on to. Some of the more prestigious teams require an entrance interview, up to 1.5yrs of training and a final vote AFTER training, these teams are very selective and only take people with the best technical skills and mindset.
My best advice is to just do a google search for SAR in your area, see what comes up, then talk to members of that team on how to join. Good luck and have fun with your new interest! EMS is a fun field of work, Wilderness EMS is even more fun!
Youngunner
Adventurer
Sounds like you need to find a rural EMS agency to work for! I am a Critical Care Paramedic in Fallon, Nevada and we cover 5400 sq miles of our own high desert county and respond to all neighboring counties for assistance when needed. I have had the privilege of riding on quads, sandrails, the back of pickups, even horse back and on board the US Navy SAR helicopters. Plus our scope of practice is impressive because we are so remote.
I joined the local volunteer SAR team of our Sheriff Dept and am acting as an unofficial medical liason since there was really not much in place. I am also working on intergrating aspects of SAR into our ambulance service including rope rescue.
I would say Fire/EMS is the way to go. Very competative and even more so right now as few places are actually hiring. Find a department that does rescue (swiftwater, ice, rope rescue, confined space, etc).
I joined the local volunteer SAR team of our Sheriff Dept and am acting as an unofficial medical liason since there was really not much in place. I am also working on intergrating aspects of SAR into our ambulance service including rope rescue.
I would say Fire/EMS is the way to go. Very competative and even more so right now as few places are actually hiring. Find a department that does rescue (swiftwater, ice, rope rescue, confined space, etc).
Gooseberry
Explorer
Yep he is spot on. Being in Cali you will most likely need to contact your local Sheriff to see what sar teams are in your area. You will need to get a first responder type medical cert like NSP provides but after that they can help you with the rest.
Oh some sheriff teams are paid SAR as I have worked with a few counties that are well funded and very good. You will need to go threough part of the acadamy.
Yosar uses a few climbers out of camp 4 but allot of the team is park service or concessions employees and new rangers. Been on the team for the last 5 years as a Yodog handler.
Sar in Cali is done with help from the state mutual aid CAL EMA and everyone is classified to do what they have been tested to do like mountain rescue or just a ground pounder to a K9 handler.
Oh some sheriff teams are paid SAR as I have worked with a few counties that are well funded and very good. You will need to go threough part of the acadamy.
Yosar uses a few climbers out of camp 4 but allot of the team is park service or concessions employees and new rangers. Been on the team for the last 5 years as a Yodog handler.
Sar in Cali is done with help from the state mutual aid CAL EMA and everyone is classified to do what they have been tested to do like mountain rescue or just a ground pounder to a K9 handler.
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Thank you guys for all the information! Please feel free to add more info, as this is great for those of us who have interests in SAR but don't know where to start! I will look into my local area SO and see what requirements/steps there are to get onto a SAR team. I hope this helps others as much as it helped me!
Pat Caulfield
New member
Application process
Ditto Wildmed (probably because I am in Colorado also). For our team the process goes like this:
Read before reading (huh?): These are our teams, and my personal thoughts, yours may be very different.
-Show up at the monthly meetings.
-Attend and participate in monthly general team training.
-Attend and participate in specialized team training for disciplines you are interested in, e.g. alpine, avy, high angle, swiftwater, medical, tracking, etc. We are a small team (our bylaws limit us to 40 people, so generally folks tend to be on multiple teams).
-Assemble a 24 hour pack applicable to your team and area of operation. A Sartech II 24 hour pack is generally the starting point. Realize that you will need to carry team gear too; systems, ropes, litters, med packs, etc. so going big is not a bad idea, I use a vintage (well used) Gregory Shasta 80 liter, but have been thinking about going to a Denali for the capacity, especially in winter. My wife and I train with 20/30 lbs loads at 8600 agl, so that a bump to a 40-50 during a mission is doable. Ask around the team to figure out what the other team members are doing.
-Our team does physical assessments to make sure that what someone wants to do is in line with what they can do. Having a team member go down/go back is never good, as beyond reducing the team number, it splits the team( you don't go alone in the backcountry).
-After a period of time, if the applicant is showing the commitment, the applicant will be give an application package for the team, and the sheriff department background check (this can take some time). Even though we are a separate 501(c)(3) corporation we work as part of the SO, and the SO issues our ID cards.
-If the applicant clears the app process they are asked to interview with the team's board of directors and then they are voted on for membership.
-During this process applicants are not allowed on call-outs, because they have limited/no training, no 24 hour pack and are not covered by insurance.
-Once voted on the team, the now probational member is now available for call out. All training for the first year is internal to the team, e.g. CPR, first aid, avy search, etc. The team will not pay for any outside patch (shoulder) training (e.g. woofer, H/L angle, swift water, avy tech, etc.) until the member has been an active member of the team for at least one year (team has been burned on paying for external training then the member leaves, resigns, etc.)
-Our basic training requirements are for first aid/cpr and Sartech II. Our area covers high county (Sangre De Cristos), swiftwater (Royal Gorge/Arkansas River), and high arrid brush country (eastern half of the county). So specialization depends not only on what area you live in (rapid response), but also interest. Although I personally lean toward the alpine/avy/medical areas, I also train as a shore tech to support the swiftwater group. And like the Marines, everyone is a ground pounder.
A couple of things:
-Percentage of recoveries vs. happy ending is high. Although I haven't done the math it is probably in the 75/25 range. Be prepared.
-Call outs tend to be when people are in the backcountry, e.g. weekends, holiday's, etc. And to backup someone elses comments callouts tend to be on Sunday PMs, Mondays, etc. when folks are overdue.
-As far as medical training goes, do to the nature of a SAR mission, you are generally more then the one hour from definitive med care hand-off, that separates front country from back country medical training and protocols. I suggest looking for wilderness medical training programs, wfa, wfr, w-emt, etc. Generally more costly, but much more applicable.
-Backcountry evacs are people intensive. SAR teams are always looking for new people to fill out the team/bench.
-Part of SAR is also fund raising for gear, vehicles, maybe a shack/barn so be prepared, just like a mission these are "all checkers to the front" events.
The best pay you get is generally a good hand-off, of a live patient, to the ambulance/helio crew, or maybe a thank you from a family member because the team has returned a loved one.
My two cents, yours may differ and probably do.
Pat
Ditto Wildmed (probably because I am in Colorado also). For our team the process goes like this:
Read before reading (huh?): These are our teams, and my personal thoughts, yours may be very different.
-Show up at the monthly meetings.
-Attend and participate in monthly general team training.
-Attend and participate in specialized team training for disciplines you are interested in, e.g. alpine, avy, high angle, swiftwater, medical, tracking, etc. We are a small team (our bylaws limit us to 40 people, so generally folks tend to be on multiple teams).
-Assemble a 24 hour pack applicable to your team and area of operation. A Sartech II 24 hour pack is generally the starting point. Realize that you will need to carry team gear too; systems, ropes, litters, med packs, etc. so going big is not a bad idea, I use a vintage (well used) Gregory Shasta 80 liter, but have been thinking about going to a Denali for the capacity, especially in winter. My wife and I train with 20/30 lbs loads at 8600 agl, so that a bump to a 40-50 during a mission is doable. Ask around the team to figure out what the other team members are doing.
-Our team does physical assessments to make sure that what someone wants to do is in line with what they can do. Having a team member go down/go back is never good, as beyond reducing the team number, it splits the team( you don't go alone in the backcountry).
-After a period of time, if the applicant is showing the commitment, the applicant will be give an application package for the team, and the sheriff department background check (this can take some time). Even though we are a separate 501(c)(3) corporation we work as part of the SO, and the SO issues our ID cards.
-If the applicant clears the app process they are asked to interview with the team's board of directors and then they are voted on for membership.
-During this process applicants are not allowed on call-outs, because they have limited/no training, no 24 hour pack and are not covered by insurance.
-Once voted on the team, the now probational member is now available for call out. All training for the first year is internal to the team, e.g. CPR, first aid, avy search, etc. The team will not pay for any outside patch (shoulder) training (e.g. woofer, H/L angle, swift water, avy tech, etc.) until the member has been an active member of the team for at least one year (team has been burned on paying for external training then the member leaves, resigns, etc.)
-Our basic training requirements are for first aid/cpr and Sartech II. Our area covers high county (Sangre De Cristos), swiftwater (Royal Gorge/Arkansas River), and high arrid brush country (eastern half of the county). So specialization depends not only on what area you live in (rapid response), but also interest. Although I personally lean toward the alpine/avy/medical areas, I also train as a shore tech to support the swiftwater group. And like the Marines, everyone is a ground pounder.
A couple of things:
-Percentage of recoveries vs. happy ending is high. Although I haven't done the math it is probably in the 75/25 range. Be prepared.
-Call outs tend to be when people are in the backcountry, e.g. weekends, holiday's, etc. And to backup someone elses comments callouts tend to be on Sunday PMs, Mondays, etc. when folks are overdue.
-As far as medical training goes, do to the nature of a SAR mission, you are generally more then the one hour from definitive med care hand-off, that separates front country from back country medical training and protocols. I suggest looking for wilderness medical training programs, wfa, wfr, w-emt, etc. Generally more costly, but much more applicable.
-Backcountry evacs are people intensive. SAR teams are always looking for new people to fill out the team/bench.
-Part of SAR is also fund raising for gear, vehicles, maybe a shack/barn so be prepared, just like a mission these are "all checkers to the front" events.
The best pay you get is generally a good hand-off, of a live patient, to the ambulance/helio crew, or maybe a thank you from a family member because the team has returned a loved one.
My two cents, yours may differ and probably do.
Pat
Dennis David
Observer
I'm a member of San Diego Sheriff's Search & Rescue. You need to contact SAR via their website and complete an application. From there you'll get an appointment for an interview. Assuming you pass the interview and background check including a type of lie detecter test you will go to orientation and be sworn in. You will get you DSW card in a month or two and are expected to go on all call-outs unless told otherwise,
Until you go through the Academy in January you'll start out in the Communication Unit that runs the command post MC5, only after the academy can select a specialty or go on an actual search team into the backwoods. Without the academy you are not considered field qualified but you are still involved at the command post or during an urban search you could be tasked to go door to door or hop in a vehicle as a co-driver on a motorized team. All in all you want to join now to learn the ropes before the academy, which is 220 hours. Now is the perfect time to join. SD SAR covers a vast area to the Mexican border and out into the desert. You will be part of a large organization. Should you feel especially frisky you can continue and become a reserve officer who are actually armed. The Academy supplies the basic training and there is additional training each month. If you are serious this is a great organization and I am really proud to be a part of it. Remember this is the real deal and just because it is volunteer don't let that fool you that it's a walk in the park. The park is all of San Diego county in this case. Since most of our work is with the Sheriff rather than SDPD the bulk of our searches is in the East County. Expect callouts to occur on average once a week.
Until you go through the Academy in January you'll start out in the Communication Unit that runs the command post MC5, only after the academy can select a specialty or go on an actual search team into the backwoods. Without the academy you are not considered field qualified but you are still involved at the command post or during an urban search you could be tasked to go door to door or hop in a vehicle as a co-driver on a motorized team. All in all you want to join now to learn the ropes before the academy, which is 220 hours. Now is the perfect time to join. SD SAR covers a vast area to the Mexican border and out into the desert. You will be part of a large organization. Should you feel especially frisky you can continue and become a reserve officer who are actually armed. The Academy supplies the basic training and there is additional training each month. If you are serious this is a great organization and I am really proud to be a part of it. Remember this is the real deal and just because it is volunteer don't let that fool you that it's a walk in the park. The park is all of San Diego county in this case. Since most of our work is with the Sheriff rather than SDPD the bulk of our searches is in the East County. Expect callouts to occur on average once a week.
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SLO SAR
I live in San Luis Obispo County. The Sherrif's department runs a volunteer SAR team. I just joined. My experience as an instructor for Land Rover and years of playing with cars, trucks, trailers, bikes, quads, motorcycles, dogs...all valuable experience. As the CA SAR teams are volunteer, you can pick your own path. But it starts here by attending a monthly meeting, interviewing for the (volunteer) position, and training for about a year. That's what happens here in SLO Co.
Once you get involved, you can volunteer/train as a dog handler, 4WD specialist, logistics officer, medical responder, ground pounder...and there are other administrative positions. I attended our monthly meeting last night and more than 50 people attended. It is awesome...and I just started.
If you tell me what county you are in, I am sure I can track down some contact info for you. If a team hasn't been formed, you could help start one...
bb
I live in San Luis Obispo County. The Sherrif's department runs a volunteer SAR team. I just joined. My experience as an instructor for Land Rover and years of playing with cars, trucks, trailers, bikes, quads, motorcycles, dogs...all valuable experience. As the CA SAR teams are volunteer, you can pick your own path. But it starts here by attending a monthly meeting, interviewing for the (volunteer) position, and training for about a year. That's what happens here in SLO Co.
Once you get involved, you can volunteer/train as a dog handler, 4WD specialist, logistics officer, medical responder, ground pounder...and there are other administrative positions. I attended our monthly meeting last night and more than 50 people attended. It is awesome...and I just started.
If you tell me what county you are in, I am sure I can track down some contact info for you. If a team hasn't been formed, you could help start one...
bb