Please Read Before Completing Application

Search & Rescue, Our Team, and You

Before you invest time, energy, and money into this venture, and before we spend time, energy and money to train you, we want you to understand what it is all about.

SEARCH & RESCUE

Very simply, our team is charged with finding lost or injured people, and if necessary, rescuing them. This could mean a few hours of searching in a specific area close to town, or a 2-day search in a wilderness area; a quick medical evacuation by helicopter, or hauling an injured person up a steep hillside with a technical rope system. We do this as volunteers…there is no pay involved.

Being part of the team requires each member to train on a regular basis, so they may learn and so their skills remain sharp. Members must be able to trust each other’s abilities. Someone’s life will depend on it. DCSSAR meets twice per month for training. Will you be able to attend most trainings?

The skills we offer to the community are specific – no other emergency service in the county trains for the types of situations that we do. This is another reason that training is so important. If you don’t train, you will be of little help to the team.

Despite what you see on TV or in the movies, there is little glory or recognition in this line of work. Your reward is the relief on a loved one’s face, or a “well done” from your teammates.

Our team may be called out for airplane crashes and other major disasters. This means dealing with dead and possibly dismembered people. Will you be able to handle such a situation?

OUR TEAM

Our members come from many walks of life, but our common goal is to help people in need.

We operate as a Para-military group when in the field for a mission. You must be able to take orders and understand the value of this method.

While previous experience and training are a plus, you need not have any to become a member…just a willingness to learn.

How to you feel about getting up in the middle of the night for a mission? Most of our call-outs occur late at night. We don’t expect our members to respond to every call-out (we understand the priorities of work and family), however, we do expect them to respond to most call-outs. Will you be able to do this? Will you have the support of your family and employer?

BOTTOM LINE

The above was designed to give you an idea of what you may be getting into, not to discourage you from joining. We have a great group of individuals in our team, and we need members who are will to work with us to make the team better. Members receive a lot of highly specialized training, and the opportunity to help the community in a unique way.