Volunteer Search and Rescue??

Sproles

Sproles

Joined
Jan 11, 1999
Messages
700
Hey folks-

I am checking to see if there are any of you who are involved with volunteer (or not volunteer) Search and Rescue.

What kind of training have ya'll had to be involved with that?
Who did you contact to get involved with it?
How often do you get called?
What kinds of things are you responsible for when called?


Also, I thought I remembered hearing that there was a group of individuals after 09-11-01 that were being "tagged" as 1st responders and prepared individuals who would be involved with the area if there were any major emergencies...can anyone speak to that?

Thanks!

David
 
I can't believe it! My friend and I were just talking about the same topic. A child got lost up here in Cali-Big Bear and it really struck home with my friend an I since we do a lot of hiking deep in the mountains. He just had a baby boy recently too.

I too, would like to know how one would get involved with search and rescue.
 
I was with Pierce County Search & Rescue a few years ago. I was with the 4 x 4 vehicle rescue. We also have rescue units for people with motor cycles, on horse back, with search dogs ( we transported the dog search teams to various search sites, then proceeded to search also), and we had ESAR people search on foot.
You might want to type in your county, then search & rescue on the internet, for starters. They will tell you most of the info. you require.
I had my ham radio ticket before starting, as we did a lot of communicating by radio.
They also gave us lots of training: map and compass, helicopter rescue ( they took us by helicopter to search sites, and picked us up later), and lots of other courses.
Hope this helps,
 
I'm the training officer for my SAR team. I'm sorta a paid volunteer, I guess you'd say, but I get to play every once in a while too. So anyway . .

I'm guessing you're talking about wilderness, so I'll lean that way for now. I also do urban, but that's a different thing in a lot of cases. I'd start out contacting your local Emergency Management Agency, there's probably one in your county who can help you out. In many cases SAR is handled by the local LEOs, so that might be where you're pointed. Other places have independant teams. Most groups will have some preliminary stuff to take care of, but it differs by area. My group requires you to pass FEMA's CERT program, then to pass a background check and pay membership dues. Training is as intensive as you'd like, but your ability to participate is linked to your training. The CERT program will teach you some basic disaster skills, mainly enough to help you, your family and your neighbors. In my group, we have a mitigation team which is specifically designed to work with disasters and stuff like that. They train with debris removal, ATV/4X4s, etc. We have a medical team that is set up to take care of people in most any situation, and we have the WSAR team. Mitigation trains by doing what they will be doing, working with chainsaws and quads, medical trains by practicing their skills. To get on these teams, you only need some kind of prior experience.

WSAR is a different critter. Before you're allowed to play in the woods, we make you get certified. Our team uses the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR), but there are other standards in other areas. In any case, you've got to do some basic training just so you don't hurt yourself, get lost, or get in the way. From there, you're allowed to go into the field, generally under the wing of somebody with more experience. Training is continual to keep your skills sharp. I train my folks at least once a month.

Callouts are dependant on your area and what all you do. The further you go into the wilderness the more people get lost. My group also works with other non-SAR groups in the area, so we do a lot more than WSAR.

I'm personally responsible for a few different things on callouts. Primarily I make sure everybody is safe. I'm skilled to run Incident Command, I can do just about anything on a disaster scene and I can lead a WSAR Hasty team. What you might do is up to you and how much time and effort you want to put into SAR.

Did I get all the questions?? Let me know if I missed anything. .
 
Thanks for the info folks. I have found out more about some of these things in general and some specific things for my community. I have contacted our local CERt director and am waiting for his response back. When I hear what he says, I will keep you all informed. Here are 2 sites that I found that have been helpful and might have some specific info for you in your area.

Citizen Corps is the name of the org that was formed shortly after 09-11 and NASAR has been helpful as well.

http://www.citizencorps.gov/programs/cert.shtm
http://www.nasar.org/nasar/

Keep the info coming and I will do the same.

David
 
Citizen's Corps is a great program. I was actually in a commerical for the Ohio Governor's office promoting the program (Central Ohio folks, it's usually on WBNS 10TV).

I'd say (as a CERT instructor) that the CERT program is a great place to start. First of all, unless you're already a professional in public service you're going to learn something. Even if you're already a FF/EMT/LEO, you're still probably going to pick up something. Every CERT program is basically the same, but it's tailored to your local area and how they want to use the volunteer base they have. If you take my class, you'll also get a free response kit, with most all of the stuff you need to respond to an emergency. Of course, I always encourage people to add/subtract/taylor it to their own needs and wants. My first and second kits came without a knife, and I've worked enough scenes to know by now that I absolutely have to have a knife. So that's the first thing I did when I put mine together.

Heck, if nothing else, maybe you'll get some good leads on some WSAR groups from the CERT people. .
 
I am a SAR volunteer here in Alberta Canada. I found the group I am involved with through a local internet search. The training to become a volunteer is a 2 weekend course, that only touches on the topics needed to be a member. There is also a mandatory first aid course, also 1 weekend long. Training is a ongoing thing. We train every Wednesday night, which ends with a 2 hour man tracking session only after it gets dark. There are also several training courses on weekends. Your prime responsibility, is for the subject. But, you must also ensure that you exercise care and responsibility to ensure you and your teammates don't comprimise the situation by injuring, getting lost, etc. and becoming subjects yourselves. Traing is mandatory for membership. We must attend a certain number of hours of training per year, to maintain a active status. If you can, I would highly reccomend joing a local group in your area. It is a very rewarding experience.
 
I was part of an explorerer (like co-ed boyscouts) SAR team in Maine during highschool. We worked pretty closely with Fish and Wildlife/Wardens doing primarily WSAR but also safety/first aid for canoe races and other outdoor events. Training was ongoing but to be able to go out on calls we all had to pass the national exam. lots of orienteering, first aid, search patterns, water rescue and some high angle rescue with a real nice smattering of survival stuff. We had a great time and did everything from reading maps for dog teams to setting up stationary sites with loud speakers. Check with local Fish/Game or Wardens. If you happen to have an explorer team doing SAR work they are almost always looking for volunteers.
 
BESTCOUNSEL, I can't speak for any other state, but as you're talking about Big Bear, I'll assume you mean Big Bear in San Bernadino County, Calif.

Although I'm not 100% sure it works this way in S.B. Cty., I can tell you postively it is how it works in Los Angeles County, next to you, and I THINK it's the same there in S.B. County.

The SAR people in L.A. County are almost ALL, sworn Reserve Deputy Sheriffs of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. They must have gone through the LASD Academy, learning the same things and qualifying in the same skills as Regular Deputies. That means that while on duty, whether or not working SAR, or Patrol, etc., etc., they have the same peace officer status as any regular Deputy Sheriff, or sworn Peace Officer. In addition, they will have certain skills that are useful for SAR, which will qualify them for a place on the LASD SAR Team.

There are a few exceptions, such as some LASD Civilian Voluteers, but most are Reserve Deputies.

Therefore, if you're interested, the first place to call is the San Bernadino Sheriff's Dept., and ask about their SAR Team, and how to join. I don't know if it's the same as L.A. County, but it used to be.

Don't know about other States' SAR Teams.

Good luck. L.W.
 
I know the director of the county emergency management system. What they are preparing for nowadays scares the livin' cr*p out of me. Backhoe operators will be in great demand if what they predict actually happens.
 
Fraser - "What they are preparing for nowadays scares the livin' cr*p out of me."
_______________________________________________________________
Fraser, how about some elaboration.

Thanks. L.W.
 
I tried to write an answer. I've talked about the plans to some friends and they just wouldn't believe them. Too horrific. So I gave up talking to people about the specifics.

Various scenarios are looked at. Basically it comes down to widespread, incurable diseases worse than The Black Death or 1918 Flu Pandemic, or suitcase nukes. The nukes would be a local problem. The diseases would be worldwide. No hiding from them.

Locally, they already have the fields picked out for the mass grave pits.
 
Geez, Fraser, that's nasty. Disease is almost always evolving, there's a lot of mostly-erraticated diseases that are starting to pop up again, with natural selection favoring the carriers that are immune to what people have been using to counter the diseases for decades. It's very possible, IMO, for that kind of situation, without any "tactical" influence from man. Mother Nature could do this all by herself. What county is this that's doing all of this planning?? Your USA location is kinda vague. .

LeanWolf, in most of the locations I've worked with where SAR is tied in with LE, they make the team members Special Service Deputies or something similar. If any of the standard LEOs for the department wanted on the SAR team, they could do so. Civilians could also test onto the SAR team and become a SSD, but they'd have nowhere near the authority a real LEO would have. No academy, no POST test, none of that stuff. At the most they'd maybe have some driving skills so they could respond lights & siren, but generally no more than that. The only real tie they'd have to the LE department they're affiliated with is a badge. But that's just what I've seen. I know some places where SAR is only conducted by LEOs, no reserves or SSD or anything. They are more trained in evidence recovery, so in many cases they don't do so well in SAR from my experience. That's when you see a bajillion backup people from the national guard and everybody else joining in the search. In a lot of cases any clue as to where the lost individual might be is thoroughly destroyed by these folks, so then you're really looking for a needle in a haystack.
 
ACMARINA, thanks for the info on how the SAR Teams are organized and work in your area. I know that various states and local areas have different methods of SAR efforts, and different makeups of the Teams.

As for the reasons that the LASD utilizes Sworn Reserve Deputies, there are several. First, in Southern Calif., many SAR incidents will have either criminal or the possibility of criminal causes. Not all, of course, but enough that the potential crime scene must be protected, and the Reserve Deputies have the training how to do it, plus, have the authority to keep anyone else either not sworn, or a LASD Civilian Volunteer SAR Team Member, away.

Let me add that an LASD SAR Team, will ALWAYS have a Regular Deputy or two, who is/are in charge (Coordinator) of the Team. In addition, Regular Deputies have "regular" duties, whether on the street, administratively, or in detective/warrants duties, etc., etc. Because of this fact, plus the fact that a Reserve Deputy SAR Team is on duty 24/7/365, a Reserve Deptuy can be called out at any time of the day/night, for SAR work anyplace in L.A. County (7000 square miles), whereas a Regular Deputy has regular working hours, with days off per week. There is no "overtime" for Reserve Deputies.

Reserves also have the time to go through constant training on SAR skills that would not be necessary for a Regular Deputy, and would take time away from his/her duties out on the street.

Sometimes, one County Sherrif's SAR Team will help out another County Sherrif's Team, depending on circumstances.

Many SAR incidents are regarding "lost person/child," or "bad hiking/climbing accident up in the remote mountains," etc., etc. But IF there is any possibilty that a SAR incident might involve criminal activity, i.e., Homicide, then Sheriff's Homicide detectives and Forensics are either choppered in by LASD helicopter, or driven in on LASD 4x4 vehicles. The SAR Team will have contained the scene beforehand. ANY death calls in the same Teams.

Another reason for most of the SAR Team being "sworn" is because in many of the remote areas, there are meth labs, marijuana patches, and sometimes other illegal activities being conducted. Therefore, all Deputies, Reserve or Regular, carry firearms and are qualified on the LASD Range Qual courses, just as those who work the streets. Out in the boonies, one never knows what one will run into. If necessary, a Reserve Deputy has the POST authority to make an arrest. The issue weapon for LASD is the Beretta 92FS.

It's been seven years since I was there, but I imagine very little regarding LASD SAR has changed. Anyway, that's how it works there. Other areas are different, I know. No matter, sworn or not, SAR Teams everywhere do good work.

L.W.
 
CERT is a whole lot of fun, I think you'll really enjoy it. Most everybody who I've taught in my CERT classes has told me that they thought it should be something everybody should take, maybe as a high-school senior or something. Even though a lot of it is common sense, you'd be suprised at how many people don't even think of the skills you'll learn in a CERT class. .
 
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