So, you’re thinking about joining a Search and Rescue Team. If you love the outdoors and you want to be able to help people, then Search and Rescue could be something that you might be interested in. But you are probably wondering how do you get involved in Search and Rescue, and what would be expected of you if you did join.
Search and Rescue (SAR) is a valuable resource dedicated to helping people that are lost or injured in wilderness or rural areas, but they also perform tasks in the urban environment. To join one of these teams first you must find them. It is not uncommon for people to be unaware that their town has a local SAR team until they stumble across them responding to an actual incident in the wilderness. Contacting your local police or sheriff department might be a good place to start. Let’s face it, if someone you know has gone missing it is the police that you call, and they would have a system in place to contact the most appropriate SAR team.
In this day and age, the internet is a great search tool. Many SAR teams have their own webpage, and even more teams have their own Facebook page. The social media is useful for SAR teams because it allows them to post information about missing people they are trying to locate, it also allows them to share what training they have been up to, and what calls they have responded to. Some teams post footage on YouTube, and some teams like the Teton County SAR Team even have their own documentary TV series.
Now that you have established who your local SAR team is, it’s a good idea to gain some understanding as to how SAR works in your community and what would be expected of you as a member of the team. Sit down with members of the team and ask them lots of questions. Try and speak to experienced members who have been involved in the team for a number of years, but also try and speak to new members who have just started out so you obtain different perspectives.
Some SAR teams have been known to set up information booths at local events or fairs to try and gain the interest of the community. Some teams even host ‘Open Days’ where people of the community can come and visit the team at their headquarters, check out their vehicles and equipment, and share information.
Unfortunately, SAR teams don’t always walk along nice paths in lovely weather, it can involve going off trails into dense bushland, late at night in terrible weather. But taking these uncomfortable steps could be what is needed for an injured or lost person to get back to their family. If you are in a volunteer SAR team, this would involve attending to a search in your own time.
A large majority of SAR teams are made up of volunteers. There are some SAR teams which are made up of professional (or paid) members, but not as many. They include such groups as Park Rangers, Ski Patrol, Helicopter Teams, Military, and Law Enforcement. It can be difficult to get into one of these teams, plus it could take some time. For example, in order to be accepted into a park ranger SAR team, you might be required to have been employed as a normal park ranger for a certain number of years before you can apply.
However, volunteer SAR teams are made up of people who truly want to help. In Australia there is a saying that ‘volunteers are the backbone of this country’. Joining other volunteers as part of a SAR team, means you are working with people who are not there to get a pay cheque, but are there because they really want to be involved in Search and Rescue, and it gives them the opportunity to do something for the community.
Depending on where your team is located, your team could be responding fairly regularly to search call-outs, or your team might be located in an area where it can be a very long time between calls. But when the time comes, there is going to be people of the community who are very happy that they have a SAR team full of people who are trained and ready to respond.
What training is required of you will depend on the specific team you join. Depending on which team you are with, you may have to pay for your training, or the team may pay for you. Go out and participate in a basic first aid course, this is a very useful skill to have and it can also give you a better appreciation on what could be expected of you in search and rescue. Some teams have a requirement that you need a first aid certificate in order to join their SAR team. A wilderness first aid course would be even more beneficial due to the skills that are related to operating in remote areas.
Training as part of a SAR team can include such topics like navigation, survival/bushcraft, first aid, radio operations, search techniques, and teamwork. But the best training you can get is the personal experience of actually being out in the wilderness responding to a call for help as part of a SAR team. That is where you see all your training come together, and learn a great deal more that cannot be taught in a class room, but is learnt through experience.
When we think about SAR teams we think about people wearing backpacks hiking through the wilderness trying to find someone, and if you feel that this is something you don’t feel comfortable doing but you still wish to help then you can. SAR teams are not just made up of the people doing the actual searching, there are so many other jobs that need to be done in order for a search to be properly handled. Search Managers are the people who are usually at the command post figuring out how the searching needs to be conducted. This job is usually done by people who already have experience in search and rescue, but people can be at the command post assisting the Search Manager with the coordinating. People could be catering or organising food for the searchers, someone might be required as a driver to drive searchers from the command post to where they start their searching, someone may be required to man the radios at the command post, plus many other jobs.
Once you have gained some experience as a member of a SAR team, you may be interested in gaining more experience. Some SAR teams have sub-teams that have a more specialised approach to search and rescue. There is K-9 or search dog handlers, sub-teams that search on horseback or on mountain bikes, or even divers. Some sub-teams have more technical skills such as High-Angle Teams (Rope Rescue Teams), or Mountain Rescue Teams. There are so many possibilities.
Along with training as a requirement for SAR, there is also the need for equipment. Responding to search and rescues requires having team equipment as well as personal equipment. The most common piece of personal equipment in search and rescue is the SAR pack, or 24-hour search pack. This is a backpack that is usually carried on every search and contains the personal equipment required to effectively operate in the field during a search. Some teams provide this equipment, but some teams expect you to buy the equipment yourself. It is not a good idea to rush out and spend a lot of money on equipment. Speak to other members of the SAR team first, and as you progress in search and rescue you will gain a better understanding of what equipment should be carried, making you more effective as a member of a SAR team
So just like investing time into being involved in search and rescue, you will also be investing money. Try to gain as much information as you can before you make your decision to commit. But if you do decide to commit it will be a very rewarding experience, and you can be proud that you are helping people in times of need.