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| Membership |
Membership in the Wilderness Rescue Team is exciting, demanding, and rewarding. Membership is exciting because we operate in a wide variety of wilderness settings and conditions. Membership is demanding because we must train to maintain our state of readiness and we must operate in conditions that are sometimes difficult. Membership is rewarding because we assist people who are in desperate need of our unique skills.
Click here for instructions on becoming a member of the Wilderness Rescue Team.
All of our members must maintain competence in a variety of skills. A member of the Wilderness Rescue Team is:
- An efficient backcountry navigator who has:
- Excellent map and compass skills
- Accurate field orienteering abilities
- Basic G.P.S skills
- A clue-conscious ground searcher who:
- Understands search strategies and tactics
- Operates comfortably in various search environments and methods
- Interfaces appropriately with search management and volunteer resources
- Understands lost-person behavior
- An effective winter traveler who is competent in:
- Snowshoe use
- Crampon safety and use
- Ice-axe safety and use
- Backcountry ski basics
- A safe technical rescuer who can proficiently:
- Belay
- Rappel
- Establish anchors that are secure under rescue loads
- Establish raising and lowering systems that are effective for rescue loads
- A competent provider of medical care who is:
- Certified in C.P.R at the professional responder level
- Certified in emergency care at the Wilderness First Aid level or above
- Able to contribute to patient evacuation
- A team player who:
- Demonstrates interdependent attitudes and skills
- Sustains self in summer and winter backcountry environments
In addition to the competencies described above, members are required to fulfill the following obligations:
- Attend as many monthly meetings as possible
- Participate in at least 50% of training days each fiscal year
- Pay dues that are currently $75 per year
- Provide appropriate personal gear. See our Equipment List for Winter Overnight Rescue Operations for a comprehensive list of gear.