BECOME A PART OF OUR TEAM

Search and Rescue Alberta is committed to safety and professionalism. 

All team members require:

• Being 18+ years of age
• Standard First Aid & CPR/AED certification (from a provider of your choice)
• A criminal record & vulnerable persons sector check
• Be a team player​​​ & volunteer oriented
• Willing to attend regular training, meetings, & searches
• Enjoy the outdoors and being active

Active members are also provided with worker's compensation and liability coverage by the team for no cost.

There is a minimum commitment of 40 hours annually to remain an active member. 

Most members easily surpass  this by participating in training, fundraising, meetings, and active search missions.

• We expect all members to attend monthly meetings and training sessions as often as possible; extra training when offered is highly encouraged
• Monthly meetings are the less exciting side of things, where we cover budget and financials, fundraising, inventory, equipment and shop maintenance, as well as discuss previous or upcoming training sessions and searches, etc. 
• Monthly field training requires your physical presence, because it is out in the field! 

All operational volunteers are required to take ICS 100 (Incident Command Systems Level 1) and to attend SAR Basics to go from an MIT (member in training) to a nationally certified SAR responder. 

Both ICS 100 and Basic Training are no cost to MITs. After completing these, you will have met the CSA Z1620 core competency standards for ground search and rescue operations and grant advancement to becoming an active SAR responder.

SAR Basics typically takes place over three weekends for 60+ hours. 

Basic training is provided by member teams and will include (but not be limited to) the following areas:

• Map, compass & GPS navigation
• Introduction to tracking
• Basic casualty treatment & transport
• Search types & tactics
• Evidence handling
• 24-hour survival
• Radio procedure
• Introduction to incident command systems
• Essential fire lighting methods
• Back-country shelter construction
• Hazards and risk management

Training commitments for maintaining competency will vary from team to team.  

Most teams conduct general training twice a month – primarily on evenings and weekends, but many of the more specialized teams will train weekly. Specialized skills are generally based on the demands of regional terrain and topography.

Mountain View SAR hosts Zoom or in-person monthly meetings at our SAR hall in Water Valley, usually every 2nd Wednesday of each month, as well as field training every 3rd Saturday of the month. 

To advance within the team as a team lead or team manager, courses  like Basic Emergency Management, ICS 200 & 300, plus others, are required as prerequisites, as well as time commitments. 

On top of this, there are often many more specialized, additional field- and/or classroom-based training opportunities offered throughout the province all year round, depending mostly on your individual motivations and ambitions.

SAR Alberta teams operate as a non-profit organization. As such, we receive little to no government funding.

To fund our operations, MV SAR often holds and takes part in fundraising events in the form of Casinos, Fuel Good Days, etc. 

Exposure events such as participating in seasonal, festive parades and trade shows are also held throughout the year. 

All funds raised go directly towards keeping our team operational - attending search missions, proper equipment, and various training, which enables our members to be competent in their skills in various environments, terrain, weather, emergency scenarios, etc. 

Fundraising and exposure are perpetual

ongoing side missions. 

ProDeals are available to Search and Rescue Alberta responders. 

These deals include discounted rates on clothing and gear from many stores and individual companies.

Once you become a member of our team, you will have access to these deals.