Originally Posted By: KenK
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)

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).
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