Prerequisites
  Prospective members must attend at least 3 regular team meetings before the start of the academy, and complete a personal interview with team management. Additionally, prospective team members must submit to a background check, which may include a credit check and criminal history check.

  Academy attendees must have current CPR certification prior to the start of the academy. Acceptable CPR certificates are: American Red Cross "CPR for the Professional Rescuer" or the American Heart Association "CPR for the Healthcare Provider". If you have a question as to whether your current certification is valid, please ask us.

 Expectations
  It is expected that academy members will attend all classroom and field instruction sessions. In addition to the in-class work, weekly reading assignments will be given, and some skills will have to be practiced regularly and on the prospective member's own time. In extreme cases, a prospective member may miss one session, but the prospective member must notify academy staff beforehand, and must make arrangements to "make up" the material covered.

  During the course of the academy, prospective members will be required to purchase and use certain materials or equipment, including a textbook, specific helmet and rescue devices. Typical equipment costs can start at $300 and may run much higher, depending on what equipment is already owned. A complete equipment list will be provided to all prospective members at the beginning of the academy. Our academy uses the Fundamentals of Search and Rescue published by Jones and Bartlett, 2005 edition.

  While in the academy, prospective members must complete the team's fitness test, which is a 5 mile trail hike over steep terrain while carrying an appropriately sized backpack load.

  Within one year of completing the academy, team members must attain certification at the "First Responder" level of medical training.

Brian Ferry
   Brian and his trailing dog, Baily, serves as a coordinator for the academy, the Survival instructor and also serves as "The Substitute" trainer.

Rusty Wackermann
   A veteran team member of 10 years, Rusty acts as coordinator for the academy. He is the team's Training Officer, the primary instructor for Ropes and Technical Rescue, and also serves as a member of the SCCSSAR Type 1 Team, a group that specializes in high-altitude, all weather search and rescue operations.

Nat Bowditch
   A member of the SCCSSAR Type 1 Team, Nat is the instructor for the 24 Hour Pack lecture.

Chris Morgan
   A 10-year veteran of SCCSSAR, Chris serves as the Navigation instructor for the academy.

Jackie Tubis
   A member of the SCCSSAR team for 12 years, Jackie also serves with the Civil Air Patrol and as the team's Operations and Planning Officer. Her class covers SAR Management and "Do's and Don'ts".

Paul
   Who?

Kelly Wells
   Kelly (Ocean 241) has just completed the awkward "sophomore year" on the SCCSSAR team. He has been involved with the Bay Area Orienteering Club for the past 16 years and enjoys racing cross country with only a map and compass. Kelly has competed in the sport of orienteering in California, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Zealand. He has also climbed all 15 peaks in California over 14000' before 1999 and is currently working on a list of 13000+ peaks. Many of these trips involve off-trail backpacking or hiking with USGS maps. Kelly also enjoys mountain biking, easy to moderate 4WD, canyoneering, and general exploring. His current favorite movie is 127 Hours and he keeps the blades sharp on all his Swiss army knives. He is presently happy with the non-standard Garmin Oregon 450 GPS and Garmin's 24K topo of California.

Steven Fletcher
   Stephen started learning tracking when he joined the SAR in 2006. He has taken classes at SARCity and traveled to Reno to study with Fernando Moreira, a tracker with Washoe County SAR. Currently, he has completed a POST certified advanced tracking course. And, although relatively new to tracking, Stephen has been able to use what he has learned about tracking to find clues that helped bring about a positive outcome to a search a missing person.

Kris Black
   Last but not least, Kris serves as the team's Administrative Officer. In addition to her extensive work with search canines, she also serves as the "Search Tactics" instructor.

1. Send an email to membership@sccssar.org and let us know you're interested. You'll be added to our Yahoo! group for prospective members and invited to certain team meetings or trainings.
2. Attend at least 3 team meetings or training events. This will give you an idea of what our team is like and whether being a part of our team is for you.
3. Fill out and submit an application to the team.
4. Complete an interview with SAR team management. We'll want to know more about you and your background.
5. Attend an orientation meeting. This is held annually shortly before the beginning of the academy. You'll hear from SAR management and be given instructions about beginning the required background check.
6. Attend and complete the SAR Academy. The academy is 8 weeks long, starting in late August and running through October, culminating in a mock search with the rest of the team and a survival overnight exercise. The academy also includes a 150 question, multiple-choice written exam which covers all the material presented during the academy.

• 2011 Academy Schedule


• Academy Gear List


• 24 Hour Pack


• ICS Resource Center


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