Mounted search and rescue

[una.smith@att.net]

Hi Joan,

Unfortunately, I don't have any information for you re MSAR in Kentucky, than 
has been given already on MSAR-Riders.  (Have you searched our list archive 
on the web?)

Here is some more orientation, to add to what I've seen already from Dana and 
Irv.  The bulk of basic MSAR training is SAR training.  Re SAR training, find 
out what is expected in your state, Kentucky.  To do that, contact 
established SAR units in the state, or the state Division of Emergency 
Management (DEM).  DEM has a SAR Program and among other functions it 
provides several SAR courses free of charge[1].

Although someone here has recommended buying Don Cooper's book "Fundamentals 
of Search and Rescue" from the NASAR bookstore, it is only fair to mention 
there are other sources.  On Amazon.com, the current edition (2005) costs 
$38.23.  The publisher, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, offers the book at 
$34.00 if you order 5 or more copies[2] and an instructor's toolkit CD-ROM 
[3].  

NASAR is a US member organization that runs an annual conference and has a 
proprietary training and certification program.  SAR TECH I, II, and III 
usually refer to NASAR's certifications for, respectively, team leaders, 
field team members, and novice field team members.  By all accounts, NASAR 
SAR TECH II and III test to "Fundamentals of Search and Rescue".

In some states, NASAR certifications are what SAR managers will want you to 
have, but that is not the case everywhere.  Eg, New Mexico has its own 
training manual and certification testing program, at no cost to SAR 
responders:  the "PACE Exam" that I have mentioned here many times (you can 
search our list archive via Google).  Once you find out what is expected in 
Kentucky, please report back to us!  (I would also like to know why Kentucky, 
home of so many horse farms, is not already bursting with mounted SAR units.)

Just a caveat: despite their titles, all of these training resources focus on 
SEARCH, with not much about RESCUE.  Depending on your local situation, you 
may or may not need separate rescue training.

Hope this helps, without seeming overwhelming!

   Una Smith
   New Mexico

[1] http://kyem.ky.gov/programs/searchandrescue.htm
[2] http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763748072/#
[3] http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763748072/supplements.htm