Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) About Joining the AASAR Teams
1. What is AASAR?
AASAR stands for Allied Agencies Search and Rescue. It is an entity of the
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office that serves as an umbrella organization for
the various search and rescue organizations serving the Sheriff's Office. The
three member organizations are:
1. Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue
2. Sheriff's Office Mounted Unit
3. San Jose Search and Rescue
The first two units are affiliated with and sponsored by the Sheriff's Office.
San Jose Search and Rescue is an independent, non-profit corporation.
2. What do these organizations do?
The responses and callouts are quite varied, as the activity logs for 1999, 1998,
and 1997 show. The primary function is wilderness search and rescue for missing
persons. Other functions include searches for persons missing from urban areas,
water rescue
and evacuation, large animal rescue, downed aircraft searches and recoveries,
and searches for emergency locator
transmitter (ELT) activations.
Other organizational activities, such as public relations and similar functions,
vary with the specific unit.
3. What are the training requirements?
Aside from the Academy, members are required to obtain at least First
Responder and Professional level CPR medical certification during the first
year.
Periodic recertification in each of these areas is required. Our internal
training
programs extend and expand on these areas.
Many of our members have pursued further training in these and related areas
through outside programs. We have members who are EMT's, Rescue Systems 1
and 2 certified, Swiftwater Rescue Technicians, and a variety of other specialty
certifications.
4. Who should join?
Search and Rescue provides the opportunity for an individual to be of service to
the community in a variety of unique circumstances. It also provides
opportunities for personal growth and training. Those of us who have been doing
this for a length of time find it addictive, in the best sense of the word. The
personal satisfactions can be intense.
However, it is not for everyone. There are time and money costs that must be
recognized. You may be exposed to unpleasant sights, sounds, odors, and
situations. The conditions in which we are called on to provide these services
are
frequently uncomfortable.
Your personal expectations must also be evaluated. If you're getting into this
expecting continuous, high-energy action, you will likely be disappointed.
Adrenaline junkies don't find Search and Rescue satisfying for very long, at
least
not in this area. While we work along side the career services in technical
rescue
situations, the truth is that they are very well trained and our assistance
is not
required very often. Most of what we do is tedious and the call volume is not
extremely high. For example, most of our use of the rope systems over the years
has been on body recoveries.
5. Do some of the people on the team get paid,
or are all volunteers?
Search and rescue is, almost universally, a voluntary service. No one on the
San Jose team or the Sheriff's Office teams receives any compensation.
6. Do I have to commit to joining the team before attending the
Academy or can I decide after?
One intent of the Academy is to allow a prospective member to
determine whether he or she really wants to commit the time and money necessary
to be an active SAR member. While we are, of course, disappointed when a
person who completes the Academy doesn't join our ranks, we do understand
that SAR is not for everyone.
7. What are the costs involved in joining?
Dues for the unit are $30 per year and there is also a one-time
$15 application fee for the San Jose team. Beyond that, there are costs for
personal equipment. Much of this is the sort of equipment you would need if
you were backcountry hiking and camping. There are relatively few absolute
necessities beyond that. The minimal equipment should be on the order of
$200, depending on when and where you buy it, the sales you find, etc.
There are a number of other items that various members decide to buy, and
these items can add to the costs significantly. But these items are optional
and can be acquired as time goes by and your budget permits.
The bigger cost is probably time. SAR does take up some part
of what used to be spare time, and it can take up a considerable portion of
your time. (Again, this varies significantly with the individual.) At the
very least there are the Wednesday meetings and occasional weekend
trainings. Other training and outside classes take up some of the remaining
time. Callouts are quite unpredictable and are frequently at inconvenient
times in inconvenient locations. They are not always on weekends, so there
can be an impact on your work life also.
8. Do I need to buy lots of equipment?
As previously discussed, there is a minimum of equipment that
must be purchased. See SAR Ready Pack.
Other equipment
is a matter of personal choice and comfort. Some of our members are
"gear freaks" and have spent significant amounts on equipment. Others
of our members do not make the same expenditure.
Some things "come with the territory" of various specific parts
of AASAR. For example, members of the mounted unit will need a horse.
Those people who do should expect considerable associated expense.
9. What happens if I get hurt during an operation?
There are several insurance programs available. First, AASAR
members are covered by Worker's Compensation under the OES-administered
Disaster Service Worker program while actually participating in an
operation. This covers the medical expenses and provides a minimal amount
of weekly income. This income will NOT provide a comfortable standard of
living.
Second, SJSAR members are insured by private insurance over
and above Worker's Comp, which provides weekly income to help out.
Together, the insurances will NOT replace lost salary for most
workers in this area. It might be appropriate to carry disability insurance
through your group program if available.
10. How much time is going to be required of me as an active team
member?
To an extent, this depends on the level of commitment and
activity you wish to undertake and the specifics of what your group is.
(E.g., Horses require maintenance.) There is a meeting every Wednesday
night from 7 to 10. There are some weekend trainings that will take part of
or an entire day. Other outside classes take more time. For example, the
First Responder class (First Aid) is approximately 50-60 hours outside of
the normal unit program. Other optional training takes time also.
11. Do I have to own a 4x4 or truck?
No.
12. Which team should I join after the Academy - San Jose SAR or
the Sheriff's Office SAR?
About the only real difference is in the insurance discussed
above and in specific functions.
- The private insurance program previously described ONLY covers
SJSAR members. SOSAR members are not covered.
- The Mounted unit is a Sheriff's Office unit, not a SJSAR unit.
- Certain specific functions (PR type assignments, fire support
functions) come with the territory of one unit or the other.
A person can be a member of both units, if they so desire.
The yearly dues fee is the same, whether one is a member of one or both teams.
There will an additional expense to meet
the uniform standard of each team, as they differ slightly.
13. I notice a lot of privately-owned radios. Must I get my Ham
license & buy a radio?
No. The unit provides radios for use during the operations.
The primary means of notification is by way of a group-call pager. This
currently costs $15 to $35 per quarter (depending on options).
The frequencies we use for our operations are in the Land Mobile frequency
spectrum, and are not Ham frequencies. The
licensees control who is allowed to use them and what equipment will be
allowed. Though some Amateur Radio operators "open up" their radios to
be able to communicate outside of the Ham bands, this use of their equipment
is illegal, since Ham equipment is not commercial "Type Accepted" equipment.
Ham operators are not allowed to communicate on Ham gear on the frequencies used
for search and rescue.
That said, many of our members have become licensed Hams and find it to be an
interesting hobby as well. There is also some level of coordination that
sometimes takes place on an Amateur frequency. That stated, it is not necessary
to be capable of transmission on those channels to participate fully in the
units' functions. Common scanners can be used to monitor both the Land Mobile
and Ham frequencies.
14. Do I have to live in Santa Clara County if I want to join the
team?
No. But be aware that not living in Santa Clara County can
reduce your availability and increase your response time to an incident.
This may reduce the level of activity you are able to participate in. The
commute will also increase the time and money commitment.
(Thanks to Kevin Karp for the questions and Joe Pryluck for the answers.)
