Introduction to Search and Rescue Fundamentals 8 hours

combines Map and Compass skills with some basics in the way of search practices for in the field and in the command center.

 

Cost range TBD.
Typically offered only on request of an outside agency.

Search & Rescue Grid Techniques16 hours

Search & Rescue, the fourth emergency service. Have you ever been lost or knew someone you wish would get lost? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions then this intensive two day course is for you. Taught by volunteers from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources this course will teach you basic navigational skills using map and compass, as well as guiding you on the proper techniques used when searching wilderness or urban areas. You will also gain some basic survival skills as well as doing an actual simulated field search where you search for your missing subject, assess their medical condition, and then pack them out of the scene back to civilization. There are no prerequisites for this course. Be prepared to spend the second day of the class outside being one with nature! Remember search is an emergency!

 

Cost range $20 - $80 depending on number of students.
Typically offered one to two times a year.

Managing Search Operations (MSO) 40 Hours

is designed for those who have the responsibility to plan and prepare for search operations in wilderness, rural or urban environments.

 

This is not a field skills course; it is management oriented. Participants will learn how to plan for, organize and manage a search effort for missing persons using incident management (ICS) or the locally established management structure. The emphasis is on resources needed to do the job right and a recurring cycle of management processes.

 

Participants, who successfully complete this course, should be able to properly manage a search effort for a lost person in the most efficient and productive manner possible. Small group discussion and 4 actual case study tabletop map exercises are used throughout the course.

 

Cost range $40 - $160 depending on number of students.
Typically offered every once every two years.