SAR Trainning?

[Nicoleyoung]

I am a EMT and I will be starting medic school later this month, I have always loved being outdoors, camping, mountain biking, hiking and things like that, I was wondering about search and rescue type work, is that just the military that does that? I am trying to join but I have a knee injury that might not heal all the way and my keep me out, so is there any where else I can look?

 

[CodeBru1984]

I am a EMT and I will be starting medic school later this month, I have always loved being outdoors, camping, mountain biking, hiking and things like that, I was wondering about search and rescue type work, is that just the military that does that? I am trying to join but I have a knee injury that might not heal all the way and my keep me out, so is there any where else I can look?

Lots of Sheriff's departments do search and rescue utilizing volunteer personnel.

 

[uglyjon]

In my area the local Sheriffs and deputy's handle search and rescue. They get volunteers from CERT and the like. My dad's boss actually is a volunteer with the search and rescue program, pretty cool guy. He says you know someone is going to get lost in the woods when its is cold, rainy, foggy and miserable. He loves it, he just won't admit it.

PS if the knee injury keeps you out of the searching part you could volunteer back at the staging area to do whatever might be needed.

 

[Pavehawk]

Try this site for information about search and rescue:

http://www.nasar.org/

Not all SAR jobs are in the field... there are base camp and overhead jobs also. Good luck!

 

[Summit]

In the US, SAR medical is almost all infrequent volunteer work or the rare local EMS or SP provides fieldable providers to SAR on the occaision they have a call. The only people with SAR as their primary job description are a few members of the NG and NPS.

 

[Handsome Robb]

We provide an ALS resource to the local volunteer SAR team the SO runs. Our personnel are volunteers until they make patient contact then they go go on the clock.

Supposed to start doing help hoist training at some point but from what I know hasn't happened yet.

I haven't heard of too many other teams setup like ours. Our SAR Team is reasonably active.

 

[Tigger]

If we know where the patient is, we will start into them before SAR gets on scene. It can take a bit for SAR to get their volunteers mobilized, so long as the pt is an accessible (no ropes etc) location we will go make contact and start care. SAR and/or one of the the local fire departments (mostly volunteer) will come meet us out there help us do a carry out or use one of their UTVs.

We have a big conterra backpack that we can bring if someone remembers to throw it on the truck. Our airway and med bags can be carried with backpack straps as well. Management encourages us to wear or bring hiking boots to work and almost everyone I work with has significant backcountry experience. We also carry moto helmets on all the ambulances for UTV or other sorts of improvised transport. While we use digital VHF for our own communications, every rig also has an analog portable to communicate with SAR.

 

[DesertMedic66]

As others have stated it is mostly volunteer work. There is a medical reserve corps in the next county over from me. They respond to SAR and set up medical at the base camp.

Normally for SAR missions in my area will receive FD/sheriff/SAR volunteer team/Rangers. Either the fire department or sheriff will provide a helicopter.

If the patient is at a known location that is easily accessible by foot we will normally hike in with the fire department and walk/assist/carry the patient out.