These modules deliver the hands-on practical skills required for safe and effective field deployment. Every SAR candidate must master these foundational topics to ensure personal safety and operational success.

Key Skill Areas:

• Fitness & Field Readiness: Physical conditioning, physiological prep, and weather-appropriate gear selection

• Land Navigation & Survival: Topographic map reading, compass orientation, foot travel, and improvised field survival

• Safety & Communications: Bloodborne pathogen safety, HAZMAT awareness, risk management, and standard C.A.P. radio protocols

At the end of each topic is a short quiz that must be completed for credit.

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This course helps SAR volunteers understand how emergency incidents are managed and where their role fits into the larger response effort. As a foundation for advanced emergency response, it introduces the core framework of the Incident Command System (ICS).

Key Topics:

• Core features, history, and principles of the Incident Command System

• Operational structures used during active incidents

• Integration between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

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In field operations, emergency situations can require any responder to step up into leadership. This course prepares SAR volunteers to take on temporary supervisory roles and manage initial response efforts effectively within the Incident Command System (ICS).

Key Topics:

• Application of ICS principles during the initial response phase

• Supervisory responsibilities and leadership functions within the command structure

• Context and preparation for advanced, higher-level Incident Command training.

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SAR volunteers are often asked to help during large scale community emergency situations, such as fires and floods. This course will help volunteers see how ICS is implemented on a community wide level. During large-scale disasters like wildfires and floods, SAR volunteers often work alongside local governments, non-profits, and private organizations. This course introduces the National Incident Management System (NIMS), showing how multi-agency operations coordinate seamlessly on a community-wide scale.

Key Topics:

• Core concepts, principles, and structural components of NIMS

• Standardized frameworks for multi-agency and whole-community emergency response

• Shared strategies to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from major incidents

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When large-scale disasters exceed local capabilities, search and rescue operations integrate into a wider state and federal response. This course introduces the National Response Framework (NRF), explaining how all levels of government and community partners coordinate unified disaster response efforts.

Key Topics:

• Structures and principles of the National Response Framework

• Roles and responsibilities of local, state, and federal response entities

• Coordination mechanisms for multi-jurisdictional emergency response

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