I don't think I learned this much in college. At least, not as many truly useful skills as I've acquired or improved upon since joining a search and rescue team almost two years ago. And most of that education has been either free or at very low cost. My SAR trainings have included subjects and skills like:
- Map & Compass
- GPS
- Alternative Navigation
- Basic ATV and UTV
- Tracking--both human and vehicle tracks
- Truck and trailer training
- Patient Packaging
- Line Search and Probability of Detection
- Snowmobile driving
- Rappelling
- Belaying
- Ascending ropes
- Rigging anchors, raising and lowering systems
- Knot-tying
- The Incident Command System
- Helicopter safety
Team members also have access to a class on Wilderness First Aid at a reduced cost, a variety of advanced technical rescue skills, snow and ice skills, SnowCat operation, monthly mini-trainings on topics such as Alzheimer's and dementia, wildland fire, and differentiating between human and animal bones. We also have opportunities to participate in joint trainings with other organizations, such as local fire departments and the Forest Service for example.
And then there are the state and national SAR conferences, offering a variety of workshops and field classes. For those of you in Arizona, our state SAR conference in Heber will be held September 18 - 20th at the Salvation Army’s Camp Ponderosa Ranch. Have you registered yet? If not, the information is on the Tonto Rim Search & Rescue Squad's website. And here's the most up-to-date class schedule.
For a list of upcoming NASAR courses, see the Events Calendar on their website.
Interested in technical rescue? You might want to attend the International Tech Rescue Symposium to be held this year from November 5th thru 8th in Pueblo, Colorado. Registration information can be found on the ITRS website at http://www.itrsonline.org and in the downloadable ITRS brochure.
Know of another upcoming SAR conference for this year or next? Let us know in the comments section.
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