"Ah,now I see why you got into SAR! Purely for the CDI factor. grin"

This comment by Phaedrus in the malibu hiker thread inspires me to rant on one of my favorite subject - SAR and Survival

Well, actually, I got involved in SAR (Search and Rescue) through a string of circumstances for which I am grateful. Wilderness SAR involvement has been one of the most positive pursuits in my life.

Survival schools are sprouting up all over the place, but I would submit that joining a SAR unit, and actively participating, will over time give you unparalleled experience in dealing with rough circumstances.

You will be called to work at very unusual times and circumstances - starting at noon on a hot summer day, or hitting the trail into a setting winter sun as a storm builds, knowing that what is in your pack and on your body will be what will sustain you for the next 24 hours, or maybe more.

But you are part of an organized group, you almost always have radio contact. Things will likely not get too far out of hand.

Sooner or later, you and the group will be faced with unusual and challenging situations. Learning will commence. Grading is a pass/fail system.

I was involve with SAR overall for more than twenty five years, very intensely for fifteen years. I learned an immense amount about team work, crisis management, unequaled joy, and deep tragedy. Oddly enough, I gained more from my SAR experience that I put into the SAR effort, and I put a lot in

Well said!

I would add that these days most organized SAR teams have some sort of training program in place, that one must complete to become a full fledged member of the team. This training usually includes a lot of basic survival skills appropriate for the local environment. Also, new members always learn a lot from the old hands who've been around awhile.

One of the main reasons I've stuck around in SAR as long as I have is that SAR teams are just a good bunch of folks to hang with. Jerks, and idiots don't generally sign up for SAR teams, and when they do they rarely stay very long. While SAR team members all have their personal quirks, they are almost always good folks to spend time with.

It sounds like a very rewarding and challenging activity. Just making one "save" would make it worth all the work and sacrifice.

A lot of times,the involvement by SAR doesn't really make all that much difference - the subjects were just overdue but were in good shape, etc.,but the there are occasions where you absolutely, positively know that your efforts made a difference and that you, yes you, definitely saved a life - you get a high that will last for days.

In fact, we would call ourselves 'addicts" and "junkies" - there is something to that comparison.

Hikermor is right as usual. I did a SAR course, but never got around to doing the certification or actually volunteering. I also did some weekend survival classes, and I feel you'll learn so much more from SAR.

I'll also second AKSAR's comment about the quality of people you might meet. I understand that SAR attracts Rambo types periodically, but they soon leave upon discovering that the actual work isn't the sort of fantasy that might uphold their ego. The type of people you might work with is really important. Your friends shape you. Also, it's hard to do something for long unless you've got friends to do it with. Suddenly an emergency happens and you're struggling to remember what to do. (I haven't practiced any of my skills for a long, long time. Hope that won't happen to me.)

If you want to write a book about survival, don't just as questions on the internet. Join your local SAR group, and you'll have stuff to write about after ten years.

Hikermor's comments are spot on. My only experience with SAR is trying not to need it. I have searched for people, but ones that did not want to be found. Having a purpose is very helpful to really understanding the need to be prepared.

small children have been known to hide from rescuers, evidently in fear that they had done something wrong and would be punished. We have also rescued fleeing criminals who got in a even worse pickle. After being rescued, they did not pass Go, did not collect $200, but went straight to jail....

"small children have been known to hide from rescuers[/quote]

And Idaho Elk hunters. They died, but not from embarrassment.

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I got started with ESAR, Explorer Search and Rescue with the Boy Scouts. Unlike today when the age of doing grownup things keeps moving upward(Driving, living on ones own, owning firearms, etc.) as high school kids we got to drive big trucks, buses, four wheel drives and snowmobiles off road, search for body parts at crime scenes, stay out all night in howling blizzards with the adults comfortably ensconced back at the Com Van, look for crashed UFO's, train to be EMT's (including how to start IV's, take blood, suture on live patients). Everyone in the post could follow a compass bearing for several miles in the dark, had enough gear with them to treat hypothermia for a victim, knew first aid, knew radio codes to transmit information that wouldn't upset victim families or the media if overheard at the search base. We could figure the probability of location of the victim, choose the correct search pattern, figure the probability of detection and then the probability of success. All this and it was co-ed too.

A couple from our post went on to be MD's and one is a regional head of the US Marshals.

May I assume this excellent program pre-dated bubble wrap?

We readily accepted teens, both sexes, into our group and they contributed significantly. Diversity of backgrounds, experience, and knowledge is a good thing. We had climbers and cavers who were PE's (engineers) in the real world, physicians and RNs who responded to operations and were competent deep in the woods, as well as people who were not terrifically strong hikers, but were reliable, dependable, and able to accomplish much. A lot had to do with knowing everyone's capabilities and giving reasonable assignments.

My experience in SAR with groups comprising both sexes was my first experience with the generally superior performance of groups comprising both sexes, especially in situations where problem solving and noel approaches to situations is involved.

Of course, this is not a rigorously scientific experience. I have only data on all male groups and mixed groups. Earlier in life, I tried very hard to acquire data on all female groups, but was unsuccessful (alas!)

There is just something about the atmosphere is a mixed group which leads to productivity and good results - lower testosterone levels???

Quite possibly. I also think that women and men think differently, and that’s a very positive thing when trying to find the best way to get something done.

Can you list the specific skills that SAR training provides?

I'm guessing a partial list would include:
Navigation - map, compass, GPS, coordinates maybe?
First aid - kit, what to do, what not to do
Clothing - boots, clothing, jackets, ...
Communication - radio, cell phone, whistle, ...
The benefit of LED headlamps (noticed this on TV show)
Rope skills???
Working with other people (not to be underestimated)
Comfort going places you've never gone before (Capt'n Kirk)

Oh, yeah, SAVING LIVES!!!!

I'm assuming that these skills not learned with SAR and best learned when camping or day trips:
Fire starting & maintenance
Knife/ax/saw skills
Shelter building (NOT on government or private land w/o permission, please!!)
Cooking outdoors (not really survival)

This is the textbook we used in the SAR course. There was more to the course than just the book, but you can get a sense of the covered topics. It was interesting to me that the text had to cover some relatively simple stuff such as clothing:

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Sear...6065&sr=1-1

Textbooks?? We got textbooks now?? Back in the day, there was no such thing. It wouldn't have worked anyway, since available knowledge would have been chiseled into blocks of stone - not very portable not easy to edit or revise.

Actually, clothing is quite important, since operations will be conducted frequently in extreme conditions. I always carried a bit more, because fairly frequently I would provide better clothing for our victim, and still have enough for me. You do need really good stuff.

I note the price - they are not exactly giving this precious knowledge for free.

Most of the things on your list are likely to be covered in SAR team training. In addition, teams will almost always do some sort of training in ICS (Incident Command System). Clue awareness and clue handling are also likely topics. Fire building and shelter construction might also be covered.

The exact details of what is covered and how it is taught vary from team to team. In part this is geographical. A team in Florida probably has no reason to cover avalanche safety, for example. Heat stroke isn't a big topic in Alaska, but probably is in Arizona.

Also teams vary in their skill sets and emphasis. Mountain rescue teams will put a lot of effort into training in high angle rope skills. Other teams might be primarily ground pounders for lost person search, and for them a few basic rope skills might be adequate.

As an example, I live in Alaska, with lots of snow and mountains. My team requires candidates complete a Level 1 Avalanche course, which includes several evenings of classroom work, and several days on snow in the field. We also require candidates to build an improvised snow shelter using only what you might have in your day pack. You then camp overnight in it (though you can use a sleeping bag).

Stone inscriptions? I didn't realize you were that young. I beg your pardon -- I thought you pre-dated the invention of writing, and just memorized things with Homeric mnemonic devices. So how did you like old Hammurabi? I take it you've still got both your eyes?

Good question and a reasonable request,

On first aid, someone applying for SAR had first to possess an Advanced First Aid certification or better. We had RNs and MDs in the group as well.

Communication was important. Learn the 10 code and the specific SAR variations and their importance. There is a big difference between 310-OK, 310-I, and 310-F. On my very first SAR, with no training whatsoever, I was approached by a stranger as we approached the base camp, who inquired about the victims' (three Boy Scouts) chances. I responded honestly (and unfortunately accurately) saying that they were probably dead. Duh-oh!

We discussed personal equipment and clothing. One should show up ready to operate productively for at least 48 hours. In southern Arizona, this means anything from deep snow and ice in the winter at high elevations to sizzling heat in the desert summers. We also did cave rescues which offered huge challenges. Through time, we also developed expertise in swift water rescue. During the time I was active, drowning was the #2 cause of death, just behind falling.

We did discuss navigation, especially methods to convey your position accurately over the radio. this was long before general use of the UTM grid, so that was a lot of fun. We finally generated our own topo map of our principal operation area, the Santa Catalina Mountains, with our own grid superimposed on the basic USGS map.

Night operations were covered, since it was a rare operation that did not involve some night work. A carbide lamp was our preferred and recommended light source

People came into SAR with a wide variety of background and experience - some already experienced cavers, some were interested in rock climbing, some were just starting out and beginning to acquire basic outdoor skills. We did cover some of the basic technical skills - knot tying and an introduction to rigging. Successful trainees developed from there, if that was their inclination.

After completing the initial course, members were in trainee status for at least a year and were assigned with experienced members on operations.

I am talking about SAR as it developed in the late 1950s and 60s. There was basically no such thing as a SAR manual generally available. Our group was initially formed by Civil Defense volunteers who saw that there was a need for SAR in our area. Unfortunately, none of them has appreciable outdoor skills. I and my two companions were members of the first training class, which was an interesting experience.

The point I would make is that the organization, as well as the individual members, grew and learned over the years. We learned, for instance, on a cave operation, it is incredibly useful to have a slender, technically adept female caver who can fit where the big guys can't. How about an RN, studying for her MD, who is a pretty decent technical climber. Or the professional engineer who sets up the z-system, teaching others some of the nuances.

Today, the outfit is light years away from the early days, vastly more proficient and competent, to the great benefit of those who encounter trouble in southern Arizona. This is what progress looks like....

" Heat stroke isn't a big topic in Alaska, but probably is in Arizona."

Oddly enough, we really didn't see a lot of hyperthermia in victims. We were usually dealing with fall victims, including those rendered non-ambulatory due to a crunched ankle. People in southern Arizona generally stay in cool spots during hot times.

Actually, aren't there areas in Alaska where it gets surprisingly warm during your long summer days?

Fairbanks and the interior sometimes gets into the 90's. I think the record is 95 F. In Southcentral Alaska, where Anchorage is located, the mid 80's is about as warm as it gets. After living here for many years, a 70 degree day feels warm, and 80 F feels like a scorcher.

Regarding heatstroke, it does happen up here, though not commonly. I believe there have been cases amoung wild land fire crews on the fire line, and situations like that.

Regarding your general neck of the woods, Arizona people must be smarter than Californians. In the last couple of years I've visited Death Valley NP, and Joshua Tree NP. My visits were in the winter and the weather was quite nice for hiking. However, from all the warnings about, I got the impression that those parks have real issues with tourists getting cooked in the summer.

A significant number of folks have the attitude of "it's a National Park, what can go wrong? The kindly, gentle rangers will take care of every thing..."

Apparently a fair number of foreign tourists visit DV expressedly at the height of summer in order to experience 110+ temps. My recollections of DV include a really chilly climb of Telescope Peak in early spring. I thought i was in Alaska....