Course Descriptions

Introduction: A Training Overview The Cal-ESAR training program is designed to provide members with a means of improving their skills and level of confidence and response. All courses are taught by experienced Cal-ESAR trainers, along with assistance from personnel from other agencies.

The full ESAR Basic Training Program (BTP) is approximately 160 hours, and is designed to provide someone with no prior experience all the training needed to become a competent field-ready ground searcher. Successful completion of the first 60 hours of this program is designed to serve as an introduction to search & rescue, and to give the trainee the basic skills needed for a limited-scope search. The courses are described below.

Course 1: Outdoors Skills Training
Course 2: Introduction to Wilderness Navigation
Course 3: Standard First Aid and CPR
Course 4: Search & Rescue Methods & Tactics
Course 5: Winter Travel & Survival
Course 6: Technical Rescue Systems
Course 7: Advanced Wilderness Navigation
Course 8: SAR Skills Evaluation Weekend
Course 9: Introduction to Leading Teams

ICS 100: Introduction to ICS
FEMA IS-700: NIMS, An Introduction

The San Mateo County Parks Department has produced a safety brochure that all trainees should become familiar with. Find it here.

Course 1: Outdoors Skills Training
Syllabus: PDF file

Purpose: The emphasis of search & rescue is most often to locate and rescue persons that are overdue from an activity in an outdoors (non-urban) setting. The lost (or injured) person's ability to survive the experience is often dependent on his or her ability to make the right choices and decisions early on during, or even before, their encounter with nature. The goal of this course is to make the student aware of the nature of these choices and decisions, and to give them the skills and knowledge needed to survive on their own for 72 hours in most outdoor environments. A secondary goal is to introduce the student to the search & rescue process, and the actions expected of a search & rescue "ground pounder".

Format: Full weekend course, with lectures and outdoor activities, including overnight camping. (20 hours)

Skills emphasized: Shelter building; fire building; clothing care & selection; food selection, storage, preparation & transport; elements of a SAR base camp; radio fundamentals; basic navigation techniques; beginning SAR techniques (hasty search and carry-out); personal sanitation; minimum impact camping; basic knots.

Equipment List For Outdoor Skills
-Boots
-Day Pack / Book Bag
-Sleeping Pad / Bag
-Clothes appropriate for cold, strenuous hiking and rain such as…rain jacket/poncho, sweatshirt, jacket, 2+ pairs of socks (wool or synthetic preferred), 2+ T-shirts, long sleeved shirt, 2 pair pants (1 light/1 heavy), belt.
Note: Many light layers of clothes are preferred to a few layers of heavy clothing.
-Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap…
-Sturdy bowl, cup, and spoon. Pocket knife optional but highly recommended.
-Enough food for two lunches and snacks. Lunches should be able to be eaten on the go. Dinner and breakfast will be provided.
-At least two bottles of water (filled to the top).
-Headlamp, or small flashlight.
-Extra bulb
-Extra Batteries
-Extra items:
-Hat
-Chapstick
-Sunglasses
-Sunscreen
-Neckerchief
-TechNu

Weather: Generally cold and damp in the evening. Can be cold in the day.

Prerequisites: None

Course 2: Introduction to Wilderness Navigation
Purpose: Many outdoor activities are dependent upon the ability to travel in roadless areas with only the aid of map and compass. It is extremely important that search & rescue personnel are expert in this area. This class introduces the student to use of the map and compass in the backcountry, and provides the basic tools for backcountry travel selecting routes & describing locations in a non-urban setting.

Format: Class room lectures & labs, with field exercise. (8-10 hours) Skills emphasized: Map reading & interpretation; use of map scales; declination corrections; symbol interpretation; map care; finding and following bearings with a compass; using a compass with a map; fundamentals of terrain interpretation & route selection; describing your location to others; improvised direction-finding.

Prerequisites: None

Course 3: Standard First Aid and CPR
Purpose: This course is designed to teach the student the basics of care and treatment of the injured person. Upon completion, the student is awarded a First Aid and CPR card from the American Red Cross, or similar organization.

Format: Class room lectures, with labs & practice activities. (12 hours) Skills emphasized: Rescuer safety; universal precautions; scene assessment & management; primary survey; CPR; care and treatment of closed and open wounds; fractures & splinting; heat & environmental emergencies; shock; transport of the injured.

Prerequisites: None

Course 4: Search & Rescue Methods & Tactics
Purpose: Modern search & rescue operations focus on quickly finding and transporting the lost or missing person. To do this, ground teams must be fully trained and already know their jobs and duties. This course introduces the student to these techniques through lecture and actual operations in the field. Upon completion, the student will be proficient in modern search and rescue techniques, and be able to perform them upon request without assistance.

Format: Full weekend course, with lectures and outdoor activities, including overnight camping. (20 hours) Skills emphasized: Preliminary ("Hasty") search techniques; grid lines; critical separation; evidence searches; man tracking; search team duties & composition; types of assignments; night time techniques; sign cutting; radio protocol; briefings & debriefings; lost person profiles; safety issues; basics of the IncidentCommand System (ICS); packaging, evacuation & transport of the injured person.

Prerequisites: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR

Note: The Associate Member program consists of the following courses: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics The Training Staff can often substitute similar courses taught by other agencies upon pre-approval.

Course 5: Winter Travel & Survival
Purpose: Members of the various Nordic Ski Patrols throughout the state conduct most backcountry winter operations in California. These highly trained individuals have extensive training under these conditions, and are the logical choice for these operations. However, snow can fall during any month in the Sierras. As a result of this, it is important for every member to know how to travel safely in the snow, and how to build fires & construct shelters during winter conditions.

Format: Full weekend course, with lectures and outdoor activities, including overnight snow camping. (20-30 hours) Skills emphasized: Winter travel issues & techniques; avalanche safety; building snow caves & other shelters; building fires in the snow; preventing & treating hypothermia; clothing selection; food selection & preparation; evacuating and treating the injured person.

Prerequisites: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics

Course 6: Technical Rescue Systems
Purpose: In many backcountry wilderness SAR operations, the lost persons have some sort of injury or condition that prevents them from coming out of the backcountry under their own power. In the situation where the patient is injured and requires evacuation through rough terrain, technical rope systems are needed to provide the safety, leverage and/or friction needed to complete the operation. In this class, we teach the student the proper knots, harnesses and rigging techniques so they can assist in a low-angle or high-angle technical rescue operation.

Format: Full weekend course, with lectures and outdoor activities, including overnight camping. (20 hours) Skills emphasized: Knots and harnesses; raising systems; lowering systems; litter packaging & rigging; rope care & maintenance; rappelling techniques.

Prerequisites: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics

Course 7: Advanced Wilderness Navigation
Purpose: In our earlier navigation course, we introduced all of the topics needed to successfully navigate in wilderness (roadless) areas. In this advanced course, the skills are reinforced through an extensive, two-day field problem. Because navigation in the SAR environment is more than just getting from Point A to Point B, this exercise incorporates all aspects of search and rescue learned up to this point, and gives the student the opportunity to practice these skills inside a simulated SAR environment.

Format: This course is entirely field-oriented, and begins on the Friday night prior to the actual exercise. (16-24 field hours) Skills emphasized: Cross-country navigation; point location; following briefing instructions; describing locations; practice of Type I, II & III searches, practice medical proficiency, practice tracking, practice technical rope rescue skills.

Prerequisites: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics Technical Rescue Systems Note: This course is a good "dress rehearsal" and skills review for the Skills Evaluation Weekend.

Course 8: SAR Skills Evaluation Weekend
Purpose: During this weekend, the student and SAR trainee has the opportunity to demonstrate all the skills learned during the course of training.

Format: This is a weekend course. Students individually visit skill stations in a "round robin" fashion, and are tested on all their skills. It also has modules where the student works with other trainees to demonstrate their skills in a team environment. (20 hours)

Skills emphasized: Self-sufficiency and proficiency with search & rescue skills and techniques. Prerequisites: Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics Technical Rescue Systems Advanced Wilderness Navigation Outdoor Skills

Note: The Trained Member program consists of the following courses: Outdoor Skills Introduction to Wilderness Navigation Standard First Aid and CPR SAR Tactics Winter Travel & Survival (optional) Technical Rescue Systems Advanced Wilderness Navigation SAR Skills Evaluation Weekend The Training Staff can often substitute similar courses taught by other agencies upon pre-approval.

Course 9: Introduction to Leading Teams
Purpose: During actual search & rescue operations, Team Leaders are responsible for the safety and efficiency of their team. This course is designed to acquaint the student with many aspects of team dynamics, psychology and purpose.

Format: Full weekend course, with lectures and group-related activities. (16 hours) Skills emphasized: Effective personal and team leadership skills.

Prerequisites: Permission of the Cal-ESAR Operations Staff.

A Final Training Note:
Personal Responsibilities Perhaps it could (or should) go without saying, but members in training should not engage in illegal activities. Aside from the moral, ethical and social implications bear in mind that we serve the law enforcement community of California. Your actions are often under the scrutiny of individuals who are trained to notice and deal promptly with illegal or questionable activities. If you have anything to hide, this is emphatically not the training for you!

Use of alcohol or illegal drugs during any Unit activity is expressly prohibited, and will result in immediate dismissal from the activity and bring you up before a Unit Board of Review.

Because of the nature of our work, time is often critical for us. If are a member, it is your responsibility to remain ready for a search at any time. This includes having your pack ready to go, food and water available, and your uniform washed and dried. It also means you need to keep yourself in good physical shape, and be ready for the rigors of a SAR.

Our Explorer members are an essential element of our group. We recognize that they are not always given the respect and consideration that is their due. Unfortunately, this lack of respect is often based strictly on their age and the appearance of youth, and not on ability or performance. This Unit endeavors at all times to counteract this prejudice, and to provide ample opportunities for our youth to develop and demonstrate their capabilities.

Safety of the individual is our number one concern. While it is important to render aid when we can, we will not swap lives; a dead or injured searcher is no help to anyone.