*** How to Join a Search & Rescue Team ***

Most people joining a SAR team as an adult do so as a Member In Training
(MIT), while young people (usually less than 18 years old) usually have
to go through a couple of steps first:

Most teams prefer that anyone joining already have some wilderness skills,
so becoming proficient at being self-reliant in the wilderness, e.g.
through having the right outdoor equipment, having hiked a number of local
trails and knowing how to use a map and compass, can be a big assett.

Youth:
For young people there are two common ways to become members of a Search &
Rescue team. The first is to join a local Explorer group. Lots of these
youth groups provide Search & Rescue services, and usually work under the
supervision of an adult with SAR experience. This is a very popular way
for young people to join Search & Rescue, so I suggest to youth that they
try and find such a group in your area.

Adults:
The second approach, for adults, is to ask to join a Search & Rescue team
as a Member in Training (MIT). The MIT's are usually allowed to take part
in practices and learn a lot about SAR skills, but are usually not allowed
to take part in actual missions, except perhaps in very limited way. Once
you have completed a year or two as an MIT, and are at the age of a legal
adult, the team will usually make the MIT's a full team member and permit
them to go on searches. This is beneficial to both the MIT and the SAR
team; they have had an opportunity to examine your skills and you, upon
reaching the age of adulthood, can immediately become a full member of
a SAR team.

Please remember that very few people are actually paid to do search &
rescue. There are a few park wardens who do this, but thier primary job
is to manage the parks, SAR is typically an 'extra'' duty. Police
officials often manage SAR, but again as an extra duty, and typically do
not go into the field. The only true professional SAR folks are military
Coastguard and air SARtechs. To become a Sartech requires joining the
military, doing a regular tour of duty, being screened through a process
that has a 95% dropout rate, and then being a Sartech for only a few
years before being returned to regular duties. In short the vast majority
of SAR folks are simply enthuisiastic volunteers with day jobs.

To find a local SAR team you may wish to check out SARINFO's SAR Teams
webpage at http://web20.mindlink.net/sarinfo/Sarteams.htm
to see if you can find a SAR team in your area. If not try NASAR' s website
at http://www.nasar.org/  and ask if theyhave a record of any team in your
area.

In the meantime, to improve your technical skills, you may wish to read a
number of the articles in SARINFO's Tech Tips, at
http://www.sarinfo.bc.ca/Sartechs.htm
This should give you lots of useful skills to learn on your way to becoming
a valuable SAR team member.


Good luck with joining a SAR team.

Best wishes,


Martin Colwell.
Lions Bay Search & Rescue
sarinfo@sfu.ca

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