The SAR council is made up of individuals who volunteer their time and efforts so that others may live. The council is made up of several different groups with different specialties. Authorized and administered through the Yakima County Sheriff’s office, SAR activities include:

• Searching for individuals who have not returned when expected. These have included hunters, hikers, snowmobilers, skiers, bikers, the young, and the elderly.
• Assisting/rescuing people who have become injured or are otherwise unable to get themselves out of the field. This has included individuals injured after falling from horseback, individuals who have lost their way on Mt. Adams or in the forests, and individuals who have become otherwise injured during wilderness activities.
• Assisting in the mobilization of firefighting apparatus during large wildfires.
• Performing safety patrols during certain public events such as the Gap to Gap relay.
• Providing Amateur Radio support during searches, rescues, and disasters such as the 1996 floods.
• Responding to requests from the Dept. of Emergency Management for assistance with various activities during natural disasters.
• Many other efforts including specialized efforts involving air searches, mountain rescues, water searches and rescues, and dog, horse, snowmobile, and ATV searches.

If you are at least 18 years old, and are interested in helping others and are willing to spend time doing it, then you can join SAR. The requirements are few: successful completion of the SAR Academy, American Red Cross Basic First Aid and CPR certification, and some basic survival gear you may already own is all that is needed to become a member. A 10-15 training hours per year and willingness to participate in missions on a time-available basis is all that is currently required to remain an active member. Most individuals involved in SAR also join one of the member groups, such as ATV, Snowmobiles, K-9, Mountain Rescue (CWMR), Amateur Radio (ARES), and Rescue Divers depending on their interests. All types of skills are useful and everyone has something they can bring to the organization.

What is the SAR Academy?

The Search and Rescue Academy consists of approximately 40 hours of training including both classwork, homework, and field exercises. The training includes map and compass skills including different coordinate systems, information on necessary survival equipment you should carry, descriptions of “normal” missions and what to expect when you are in the field, information on special conditions that exist in our area and how to handle them, and field exercises that allow you to practice what you have learned in a safe environment. The Academy is really just the beginning of what you will eventually learn as a member of SAR.