The purpose of this thread is two fold. One, I am curious on how your team selects it's members. Second, Hopefully I can chronic my year long training as a recruit in the same fashion jh504 and I did last year during our paramedic training. That is, if I make the selection process and am chosen as a recruit.
I have wanted to do SAR work since I was 16. I grewup in LA and and was hooked after watching the old 240 Robert series of two LA County SAR Deputies in Malibu.
I became a LA County Deputy in 94 and soon learned the becoming a paid full time Deputy makes it nearly impossible to do SAR work. Fast forward 15 years and I am now a Police Offier in AZ and can now volunteer for the sheriff department.
My team selection: The team I am attempting to become a member to is a Moutain Rescue Assocaition certified. It is an elite team that preforms all types of rescues, not just field ground searches. They typically do a recruit class once a year but not every year. If selected the training takes one year to complete. It covers wilderness emergency medicine, techinical rope rescue, alpine rescue, cave rescue, swift water rescue, etc...
The competion to be choosen for the recuit class is steep. The team held an recruitment orientation with over a hundred people attending. 100 applcations were handed out. 50 were turned in a week later. The application was a thorough questionaire of your outdoor experience and qualifiactions. Two weeks later was the physical agility test. You were giving and hour and half to climb a local trail that was 1.25 miles and gained 1200 feet in elevation, after the climb you had to carry a 7 gallon water jug 400 feet to simulate a liter carry, carry two rope bags 200 feet, tie 3 knots and identify and give the UTM corrdinates of three features on a topo map. All this will carrying a 35 lbs pack with 100 oz of water. A fast time was under an hour. I managed an hour a ten mintues. Apparantly moutian biking is not the proper training to prepare for the test. 44 showed up for the agility and 28 passed.
Next week is the oral interview process. It is just that, an interiew with a panel to find out more about your experience, qualifications and who you are.
In two weeks we have a 'Field Interview". I thinks it basically and Right of Passage' death march. I believe the purpose is to weed out anyone without heart, and to see who really has the desire to put forth the effort needed.
Right now there are 28 canidates. 16 make the recruit class. They are some heavy players. From what I can tell there are some iron man types, a few young buck climbers and many other 'been there done that types'.
My outdoor experience is general. Backpacking, some real basic climbing and repelling. A few white water trips etc... I do have a real strong public safety expereince. Lifeguard, EMT, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer and now Paramedic. At almost 40, I wasnt the fastest up the moutiain but I wasnt the slowest either. If slelected it would be a dream come true.
What does your team do to select it's members?
I have wanted to do SAR work since I was 16. I grewup in LA and and was hooked after watching the old 240 Robert series of two LA County SAR Deputies in Malibu.
I became a LA County Deputy in 94 and soon learned the becoming a paid full time Deputy makes it nearly impossible to do SAR work. Fast forward 15 years and I am now a Police Offier in AZ and can now volunteer for the sheriff department.
My team selection: The team I am attempting to become a member to is a Moutain Rescue Assocaition certified. It is an elite team that preforms all types of rescues, not just field ground searches. They typically do a recruit class once a year but not every year. If selected the training takes one year to complete. It covers wilderness emergency medicine, techinical rope rescue, alpine rescue, cave rescue, swift water rescue, etc...
The competion to be choosen for the recuit class is steep. The team held an recruitment orientation with over a hundred people attending. 100 applcations were handed out. 50 were turned in a week later. The application was a thorough questionaire of your outdoor experience and qualifiactions. Two weeks later was the physical agility test. You were giving and hour and half to climb a local trail that was 1.25 miles and gained 1200 feet in elevation, after the climb you had to carry a 7 gallon water jug 400 feet to simulate a liter carry, carry two rope bags 200 feet, tie 3 knots and identify and give the UTM corrdinates of three features on a topo map. All this will carrying a 35 lbs pack with 100 oz of water. A fast time was under an hour. I managed an hour a ten mintues. Apparantly moutian biking is not the proper training to prepare for the test. 44 showed up for the agility and 28 passed.
Next week is the oral interview process. It is just that, an interiew with a panel to find out more about your experience, qualifications and who you are.
In two weeks we have a 'Field Interview". I thinks it basically and Right of Passage' death march. I believe the purpose is to weed out anyone without heart, and to see who really has the desire to put forth the effort needed.
Right now there are 28 canidates. 16 make the recruit class. They are some heavy players. From what I can tell there are some iron man types, a few young buck climbers and many other 'been there done that types'.
My outdoor experience is general. Backpacking, some real basic climbing and repelling. A few white water trips etc... I do have a real strong public safety expereince. Lifeguard, EMT, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer and now Paramedic. At almost 40, I wasnt the fastest up the moutiain but I wasnt the slowest either. If slelected it would be a dream come true.
What does your team do to select it's members?
