Search and Rescue

Search and rescue training covers a wide range of disciplines. To become state certified members must attend classes on wilderness survival, fire building, signaling, shelter building, water procurement, search strategies, outdoor clothing, map and compass, hazardous materials, environmental illnesses, blood-borne pathogens, tracking, helicopter safety, incident command system, horse safety, crime scene investigation, critical incident stress and communications. These classes are held in the classroom as well as in the field.

All SAR certified personnel are required to stay current on their training by completing an additional 30 hours of training per year. If the training requirement isn’t met then the certification expires. Activities that count toward these 30 hours of training include all hours spent on actual SAR missions or tracking missions, any classes attended on any type of SAR training, mock searches staged as a training mission for SAR personnel, tracking classes, and any classes on orienteering, ELT, or GPS. Any hours spent teaching a SAR class can also be applied toward the 30 hours.

Posse members rarely have trouble completing this 30-hour requirement. Members regularly get called out for search missions as well as tracking missions for crime scenes. They also teach several of the classes for the annual SAR certification course. Most posse members are involved in tracking so they tally up lots of hours at tracking classes. There is also time spent training posse horses who will be used for searches. Members can also attend the annual Washington State Search and Rescue Conference. This conference offers a plethora of classes on a huge variety of SAR topics. There are classroom lectures, field classes and demonstrations of all sorts from which to choose.

Other Benton County Search and Rescue Organizations

Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit (CMRU)
Mary's Peak Search and Rescue (MPSAR)
Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)
Benton Emergency Rescue Teen Services (BERTS)
Benton County Tracking Unit (BCTU)
Emergency Services