EISPIRATEN

There are several very proficient SAR people I know of that became aware of the concept...um..."firsthand".

The most important skill we look for in applicants is comfort in the mountains - the self-sufficiency to stay out multiple days, hike around off trail, and deal with weather as it comes. People who only go out in perfect weather on marked trails and stay in organized campgrounds after weeks of planning and research are not the kind of people who succeed at SAR.

The team teaches all the technical rescue skills we use, plus things like navigation (including white-out map and compass - kinda handy sometimes ), personal rope skills, and winter travel techniques (ice ax and crampon stuff). Experience backpacking, mountaineering, climbing etc is important not just for the skills, but because it shows you like being in the mountains and won't freak out when dropped out of a helicopter 10 miles from the nearest road.

We all are EMTs, so coming in with a current certification will save you a semester of night school. Experience dealing with people having a bad day helps with the mental toughness that the job requires. But for those of you reading out there without medical experience, we don't require it at the beginning, and we take care of arranging the class for you if you pass the membership test. In fact, we have 5 EMT instructors on SMSR so all the hands-on training is done by members to prepare you for our unique EMS role.

When we put together a training class, there are people from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. Over the course of the training program, everyone will be challenged and learn a lot. If you are thinking about it, send in an application. One of the team members will then call you and talk in much more detail about the team and what is involved.

Excellent thread. Thanks for all the info. I heard more SAR teams were charging, so I asked (even if I missed a previous post stating it is free. I've been hit on the head a few too many times.)

I think it's mainly New Hampshire that really sticks it to you if you get rescued. A few other states (I think Colorado...not sure) have laws that allow them to charge you but either they rarely do or they only charge a small portion of the total costs.

Thanks bkk for your info. After what you wrote, I think I might change my overdue time. Having to start a mission at night on the second day to look for me is kinda bad. There's always that trade-off between setting the time too soon and risking a false alarm or setting it too late and delaying help.

Anyhow, thanks for the work that you do!

I'm trying not to beat this thread into the ground but i had one more question. I'm curious as to why, when they questioned my father, they asked if I was scared of wild animals and if I carry a firearm? Do people with those fears tend to behave differently when they become lost? Maybe I'm thinking too hard into this and they just don't want to get shot at by some paranoid lost hiker with a gun. and if so, do you guys go in with bullet-proof vests?

To answer a couple of the questions folks have asked....

NH is the example everyone points to re: charging for rescue since an incident last year resulted in a 17 y.o. hiker receiving a bill of $25k (mainly due to helo related costs) for his search. NH changed their laws to allow charging for SAR if the subject is determined to be negligent. A few other states have laws allowing them to charge but there are limits (OR has a $500 cap I believe) and/or rarely use the provision. CO has a program that allows sheriff depts to recover some costs from a state fund paid into by those who purchase the COSAR card (those who get hunting/fishing licenses pay a small amount ($.25 last I checked) into the fund as well). The card is NOT insurance and merely helps agencies recover some costs. Costs are NOT billed to the subject. There was a case a couple of years ago where the Golden CO Fire Dept. charged a subject for a rescue that they responded to outside their normal area. Bad press from that led to a repeal of Golden's policy (http://www.examiner.com/x-2614-Denver-O ... ts-rescues).

If you break the law - for instance crossing a boundary closure at a ski area - you may be fined for trespassing or similar violation.

Re: questions your father was asked. First and foremost a search is an exercise in gathering info. that can be used to direct the search in the most efficient and safe manner possible. Knowing what equipment someone is carrying (are they equiped for bad weather or a bivy?, what color gore-tex jacket?), their proposed route, experience level (newbie or Bear Gryyls (sp?)), habits (smoker? will travel off trail?), medical conditions (diabetes?, hard of hearing?), familiarity with the area (never been there before?), emotional state (despondend over a job loss?), etc. all become key pieces of info that help manage the search.

All of the above information plus lots of other info is used to develop and implement a search plan that can be executed using the resources available (ground, air, etc.). If you get into SAR you learn and apply a whole bunch of fundamentals before you ever get into managing these types of operations.

A gun can be used as a very effective signalling device if we know a subject has one. It can certainly be a safety issue as well. If there is a need for bullet proof vests it certainly changes the nature of the operation! Maybe the SWAT guys should be looking for you....

Seriously - there are a # of very good teams in southern California. If you are interested I'd encourage you to explore it more. SAR is incredibly rewarding and I think you'll find yourself part of a very unique "family" of like-minded individuals and have an opportunity to do some very interesting stuff....

PM EnFuego, BKK or me and I'm sure you can get the 411.

cougarmagic wrote:.....
I have a SPOT messenger.....

Got myself a used Satellite Phone (it can even call 911).

It was not cheap but it is peace of mind....just in case.

Zach, glad to hear you're okay.