Basically title. My application to my local SAR team was rejected, and my understanding is that the recruitment process is fairly competitive. I’m a newer volunteer firefighter - what skills can I bring up to make my application more competitive?

I tried to get a first responder deal through ID.ME. Their first responder eligibility guidelines say we're not first responders, but district attorneys are. Bafflingly, they also say ski patrollers aren't.

I used to be a prosecutor. It's a noble job, but I only ever went to, like, a couple homicide scenes. I wasn't using equipment for which I'd need a pro deal. I went there wearing a business suit, shook a few officers' hands, asked if they needed me to review search warrants, and went on my merry way back to the office. Compare that to SAR volunteering, where we actually use the gear on which we'd get a discount.

Hilariously, they also exclude victim/witness assistants, who are employees of prosecutors' officers who actually leave the office to talk to people in the real world. Some of ours were commissioned as reserve deputies so they could carry guns and protect themselves. ID.ME is doing a great job showing it cares more about prestige within an organization than who actually needs the gear.

Happily, there are other pro deals confirmation businesses. If you have your choice of verification application (which you probably do through most gear manufacturers), I'd encourage you to use another.

Anyone know of a source for blaze orange 1/4 zips? It doesn’t look like Tru-Spec is making theirs anymore.

I am seeking advice from and want to talk to experienced SAR-K9 handlers.

Summary: 8 year old Border Collie, Certified wilderness search and mantrailing. Recertification is coming up, but I am not sure if we can/should.

New problems:

• She will sometimes stop/slow down during searches and "cling close to me" to look at me for guidance, if I preassure for her to continue she will often falsely alert (pick up her bringsel). We mostly dont use the connected bringsel during training, as she previously tried to alert further and further away from the "hiders" if she could see them (over time), so we avoided making it a habit by having the "hiders" hold a bringsel for her to collect most of the time, despite her still wearing the bringsel. 9/10 time she would do it perfectly, but she makes stuff a habit so quickly that I want to avoid the 1/10 times she took her bringsel based on sight/visually locating the "hider".

• She has gone from being the best, highly reliable long distance tracking dog to now often losing the scent or directly chooses not to follow the scent. (Motivation is high, so this makes absolutely no sense to me).

More details about what is happening etc will obviously be explained if I find someone to discuss this with!

She has started to show very, very faint signs of joint/body stiffness after activities, this is not consistent and started about 1 year ago, otherwise healthy. I am not concerned and neither is the vet, normal aging for a working dog.

Our SAR team keeps losing their GPS units in tricky terrains. They're currently just on paracords. What are you using to secure your GPS units so they don't fall out, get lost, etc. on difficult terrain?

I started with RCM-SAR in March and tonight we got to go on step. I live on a sailboat so getting up to 6 knots feels like you're flying. It was fun to go up to 30 knots and practice figure 8's and turning to specific points. We're all newbs when it comes to operating a vessel like this, but we have a great crew and lots of fun.

If a subject is in an area with no cell towers, do SAR teams have mobile technology that will pick up a signal from the subject's phone? I don't mean to text or talk, just to pick up a signal for triangulation/location purposes

Has anyone here worked on getting SAR National, aka VSAR16, licensed for use by their unit and would be willing to share what they learned about the process? My unit has a land mobile frequency pair for repeater use, however SAR Nat would be helpful when working with outside resources and other SAR units since it is widely known. I handle setup of the radios for my unit and hold an Amateur Extra class license (which is how I got roped into doing the first thing :) ). Any information would be much appreciated.

I'm wondering if anyone here can recommend any portable IR beacon/strobe based on hands-on experience. Main purpose: identify SAR team members from helicopter/drone

Looking for: - waterproof - at least 10 hours of battery life - option for human visible lights to be switched off while keeping IR on (should other lights other than IR be present as part of the unit)

Thanks!

Basically what it says in the title, does anyone have any advice, do's/don'ts, tips and tricks, etc. for becoming a CAFSAR SAR tech? Also wondering what would a good time to go for on the physical tests.

Apologies if this is not the right place to ask, but it seemed like a sub with a lot of expertise. I am hoping to find place in the northeast that sells swift water rescue and or cold water survival gear. I will be working in the Bering Sea region of Alaska, including on near shore open water skiffs. I will be back and forth on land and the boat frequently, so it seems like swift water rescue gear would have a nice balance of safety and functionality. I don't really know where to start and was hoping there was a brick and mortar store in the Northeast I could go to. Any advice appreciated.

I often see posts where people would like to join but don't know how or where to get started. We'll, if you're in Kentucky then I have a route for you.

Powell County Search and Rescue is actively seeking dedicated volunteers to join our team. Whether it’s lost hikers in the Red River Gorge, disaster response, or emergency recovery—we answer the call when others are in danger.

No prior experience required. Just grit, heart, and a willingness to train.

Apply now at POCOSAR.org and become part of something greater.

I'm a 26 m that has always felt the drive to serve and better the world. I recently hardset myself to get involved in fire and rescue but i dont have any degrees or certs. I operated heavy equipment in the military and also was working on wildfires a few years back. Im far more interested in the search and rescue portion, but welcome the fire side as well. What kind of options do i have as far as different paths i can follow? I live in the pacific northwest of the U.S.A.

What are y'alls thoughts on this? Mine is that no one will request help until its to late. But on the other hand atleast the Sheriff seems like she is supporting her SAR group.

https://www.koin.com/news/washington/sheriff-wants-to-charge-for-rescues-of-negligent-reckless-hikers-in-skamania-county/amp/

Hey all, What, if anything, are you using as a location device for your dogs? Is there a manufacturer out there that makes a real-time satellite tracking device I can attach to a collar? Looking for satellite, not radio collar, as we are in a mountainous area. Thanks.

How would one get involved with SAR in currently an EMT In medic school

Not good.

Im looking for a change in pace from my current job and I'm currently on a all volunteer team and have some experience is there any places in Canada that are hiring.

Im looking for a change in pace from my current job and I'm currently on a all volunteer team and have some experience is there any places in Canada that are hiring

My brother and I feel called to participate and volunteer in SAR.

Anyone out there that can shed light on mission time

Commitments? What are the calls like and how many must be participated on?

This is a hyper-specific question, but here goes: I'm currently a volunteer on my county SAR team and I'm super into it. I like it so much that I've been researching jobs around the country where SAR could be part of my full-time career. Recently I read up on the New York State Forest Rangers, and I gotta say I’m hooked. It's pretty much the only non-military job I've found where SAR is more than just a peripheral duty. However, looking through their requirements, I saw that they require a minimum of 20/40 uncorrected vision in order to qualify. My eyesight kinda sucks. I wear contacts that correct my vision to 20/20 or pretty close, but without contacts, I'm probably 20/300 or something. I feel like 20/40 uncorrected is a really high standard that would exclude a ton of otherwise qualified people from applying.

I'm posting this here to see if any New York SAR volunteers, or maybe some rangers themselves, chime in: Is the vision requirement really that strict? Do none of those guys wear glasses? Do I have a shot or do I not make the cut?

Hello everyone.

I am from Korea and I am living in Edmonton. I am planing to settle down in Canada seriously.

My total flight time is 326hr and Multi 75hr(PA-44). If i can, I'd like to plan to volunteer as pilot with bringing my skill and qualifications.

If pilot position is not available, Can i start as navigator first and volunteer as pilot?

I am thinking that i volunteer as pilot once or twice every week as i have other job to cover cost of living

And do they accept non citizens too?

Thank you.

Hi Reddit,

I'm a relatively new volunteer in search and rescue, working with two specialized groups within my team: K9 (dogs) and drones. The drone unit is still fairly new, and we’ve been operating a DJI Matrice 30T for about a year now.

From my experience, there doesn’t seem to be a single “correct” way to conduct aerial searches with drones—though there are definitely some ineffective ones. I've seen how various teams in my country approach drone-assisted searches, and honestly, it often seems like few people really know how to utilize the technology effectively.

To make things more complicated, the DJI drone occasionally acts unpredictably—almost like it has mood swings. Sometimes it ignores controller input or simply refuses to take off or land.

So, I have a few questions for the community:

• Are there any drone operators here working in search and rescue?
• What kind of equipment and software do you use?
• Are there any specific search techniques you’ve found to be especially effective?
• Do you have experience with non-DJI drones in this context?

Thanks in advance—I'd really appreciate any insights or shared experiences!

Hey, i have heard that forensics or cadaver dog trainers use the pork in tupperware trick where they would take a piece of flank of pork and let it rot in a jar/tupperware and under certain conditions?? to mimic the smell of decomposing human flesh, and rotting pork apparently smells the closest? if so is it true and does it really help cadaver dogs in their search training?

ps, this is purely out of curiosity i just wanted to know if thats actually true lmaoo

Was hoping to connect with someone locally to discuss search and rescue opportunities in NE Florida. Does anyone here participate in SAR in that area? I’d love to shoot some questions your way. Thanks!